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Working at Height in Self-Storage Buildings Self-storage maintenance is a long list of small jobs at two very different heights: unit ceilings at eight or nine feet, and exterior walls, canopies and signs at twenty feet and up. The building also decides the tools, because a four foot aisle does not accept a frame scaffold. The Aisle Width Problem Interior aisles in a climate controlled building run four to five feet wide, which rules out almost every frame scaffold and most stepladders set side …

Ladder Choices for Sprinkler Fitters Sprinkler work is overhead work, which is the posture a stepladder handles worst. A fitter spends the day with both hands on a wrench above his head, and the ladder has to hold that for hours rather than a minute. Head Height Decides the Tool Most DFW tenant finish-outs put sprinkler heads at ten to twelve feet, and a warehouse at twelve to fourteen. On a job like that an eight foot stepladder puts the hands at the right height but the hips at six, so every …

Ladders for Truck Fleet and Shop Maintenance A fleet shop has three different height problems in the same building: a 14 to 16 foot ceiling over the bays, a tractor hood at chest height, and a trailer roof at 13 feet 6 inches out in the yard. One ladder cannot do all three, and a tech who tries ends up carrying a 28 foot extension through a service bay. Service Bay Ceilings and Bay Doors Shop ceilings run high because the doors do. Lights, heaters, exhaust reels, air lines and door tracks all l …

Ladders for Restaurant and Hotel Maintenance A restaurant or hotel maintenance tech works in spaces that were never designed for a ladder: a service corridor with a cart turning in it, a guest bathroom with a 7 foot ceiling, a kitchen with a hood at chin height and grease on every surface. The right ladder here is the one that fits, not the one with the highest rating. Gear That Fits a Service Corridor A 6 foot stepladder is the backbone of hospitality maintenance. It handles ceiling tiles, lig …

Ladder and Tower Programs for School Maintenance A school district maintenance crew does not work in one building. The same two people cover a gymnasium with a 28 foot ceiling in the morning and a portable building with an 8 foot ceiling after lunch, and the equipment has to make that jump without a trailer full of one-purpose ladders. One Crew, Every Ceiling Height Classrooms and offices sit at 9 to 10 feet, cafeterias and libraries at 12 to 14, and gymnasiums and auditoriums run 24 to 30 feet …