Types of scaffolding – suspended scaffolds

Types of scaffolding – suspended scaffolds

Whether for renovation, repair or new construction work - scaffolding is an indispensable part of the construction sector and the industry. No wonder that there is a suitable scaffold for every application. For certain types of work, for example, a suspended scaffold is often used. Read here when this is a good alternative to a supported scaffold.

What is a suspended scaffold?

Suspended scaffolds, or hanging scaffolds, are work platforms that are attached with cables, ropes or chains to an overhead structure like bridge elements or ceilings.

They can be used to create access to work areas that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to reach. Suspended scaffolds are therefore often used in the following areas:

• Ceiling renovations
• Bridge renovation and maintenance and other infrastructure projects
• Maintenance projects in industries like oil and gas, chemical and more
• Shipyards and offshore projects

For projects like these, it can be difficult or immensely time-consuming to build a supported scaffold from the ground.

Suspended scaffolding can reliably provide access to work areas that are, for example, above uneven or non-bearing surfaces, water, traffic routes or areas obstructed by elements such as tanks, pipes or machinery. Also, for work areas that are at very high heights, such as ceiling renovations on tall structures, large amounts of material and labour can often be saved with suspended scaffolding.

Because of its lower load-bearing capacity compared to a supported scaffold, suspended scaffolding is mostly used for cleaning, inspection, maintenance, repair or painting work.

Types of suspended scaffolding and their areas of application

Not all scaffolding is the same. So, of course, there are different types of suspended scaffolding for different purposes.

You can distinguish between mobile and static suspended scaffolding. Mobile suspended scaffolding can be moved both horizontally and vertically and is often used for work such as cleaning, e.g. on glass fronts, where the scaffolding has to be repositioned.

Static suspended scaffolds are attached to several suspension points and are designed as birdcage scaffolds. This makes them particularly suitable for work on high ceilings or for bridge construction.

What makes a good suspended scaffold?

If you need a static suspended scaffold that you can erect particularly quickly and safely, a suspended scaffold system is recommended. As with system scaffolding, which is built from the ground, the suspended scaffolding system also consists of prefabricated components that can be assembled quickly and easily.

The assembly can then look like the Scafom-rux suspended scaffolding RINGSCAFF Sky, for example:

A good suspended scaffolding system should have the following advantages:

• Your safety always comes first. A suspended scaffold that meets the highest safety standards should therefore be able to be assembled and dismantled while you are always standing on a solid platform and without having to perform risky climbing to attach individual components under the work surface. In addition, it should not be able to swing to either side.
• The fewer tools you have to carry on the scaffold, the better. Ideally, you do not need any mechanical tools to assemble your suspended scaffold, but only hand tools that are easy to transport.
• The compatibility of your suspended scaffold with a modular scaffolding system saves material and costs.
• As with a system scaffold, the assembly method should be as error-reducing as possible. The prefabricated components ensure that connecting elements such as couplers, screws or tie wraps, which can easily be forgotten, are not even needed.
• Of course, the load capacity should correspond to the work to be carried out on the scaffold. Due to the lack of supports on the ground, the load capacity of a suspended scaffold usually corresponds to load class 3. This means that work with small material storage can be carried out on the scaffold without any problems.

RINGSCAFF Sky is the only suspended scaffolding system on the market that builds on an existing scaffolding system. With just a few additional components, you can turn your RINGSCAFF modular scaffolding into the RINGSCAFF Sky suspended scaffolding system. All other parts come from the RINGSCAFF standard range. This makes RINGSCAFF Sky particularly cost-effective and sustainable. Click here for more information about RINGSCAFF Sky.