Masonry Magazine August 2010 Page. 24
Product Watch
'Workhorse' Makes Short Work of Short Walls
The majority of mason contractors who fall in love with adjustable scaffolding and mast climbers want to use it everywhere they possibly can, even at their short walls and inside walls, like hallways and partitions. A new, lightweight adjustable scaffold appears to be exactly what they want.
"That's why we invented Workhorse," says Justin Breithaupt, owner of Non-Stop Scaffolding. "Short walls are nothing but stop-and-go work. Workhorse eliminates running walls scaffold-high and then moving, and all the stopping to hop planks. It's amazing how fast short walls go up when the masons never stop."
The key to the new Workhorse system is something that?s never been done before: putting the scaffold in place before the wall is started. When the wall reaches scaffold-high, the masons continue working instead of moving.
According to Breithaupt, "The bricklayers never lose their momentum. You gain a course instead of moving your men or sliding the scaffold in place. And, from then on, the wall is always waist-high. With frames, you might stop working four times on a 14-foot-high wall, but with Workhorse you don't stop even once."
Working this way makes the job much simpler, since there is a lot less for the laborers to do, and they stay with the masons all the time. When it's time to move the scaffold, it can be rolled to the next wall on casters, or moved easily by hand (each side weighs only 130 pounds). To learn more, visit www.nonstopscaffolding.com/wh.
have me shut down." If you don't have the right equipment and trained personnel, you don't work.
Proper training is most important for a successful job. This goes back to my previous side note. The most successful contractors put one of their best personnel on scaffolding and provide him with the tools and training needed. The first thing safety inspectors ask is, "Who is the competent person on site?" Your foreman or superintendent should not be the only competent person on site. He has too much to do, and safety personnel will not accept him. Your competent person should be trained. They will ask him product specific questions like, "What is the capacity?" and "How high can you go before you tie off?" Most manufacturers provide training at little or no cost. Our main goal is to keep you using the scaffold safely and productively. Yes, we want you to be safe, but it all comes back to money. The more successful you are, the more scaffold you will buy.
Adjustable scaffold is the best scaffold for providing a safe platform on cut up walls and keeping it that way all the way up the wall. Since it is adjustable, there is no need to raise boards. Once the platform is assembled correctly, it rarely changes. Adjustable scaffold also has the features and accessories to provide a safe platform. It is not necessary to rig up the platform. Whether it is pilaster brackets, corner brackets, guardrail or some other feature necessary for a cut up wall, adjustable scaffold has it.
Is your adjustable scaffold legal to climb? If not, you need to have safe access to the platform. Many adjustable scaffolds have integral prefabricated scaffold frames for access. If you don't think it is legal to climb, neither will the inspector. The tower needs