If you’re in the construction industry, there are two legitimate solutions to working at heights – EWP hire and scaffolding. One involves scaffolding that provides a base for your team to work from, and the other is to use an elevated work platform from your local EWP hire company.
Both will get you up to height safely – the question you need to ask is which is the right choice for your job? This is something the Performance Tower Hire team gets asked a lot. Today, we’re going to give you an honest breakdown that will hopefully help you land on the right answer. You can always get in touch and chat with one of our experts if you need more information about anything related to working at heights.
A Quick Introduction to Scaffolding and EWPs
Scaffolding
You will have seen scaffolding erected around buildings or a work area undergoing repair. It’s a temporary framework of metal poles and boards built to provide stable platforms workers can climb onto and work from. Multiple trades can use it, but a licensed scaffolder needs to set it up and take it down at the end of the job.
Elevated Work Platform
An EWP (elevated work platform) is a mobile elevated platform, often called a cherry picker, travel tower or boom lift. Flexible and mobile, an EWP is quick to set up and can move around the site quickly as the job requires. You can hire an EWP with a qualified operator, or simply hire the machine itself and have a member of your team operate it (provided they have the correct licenses).
Setup Time and Site Disruption
Most trade jobs tend to lean toward EWPs because they’re a more efficient option. Putting up and taking down scaffolding takes time and requires a licensed tradie. Sections of a worksite go into lockdown while this is being completed – if you’re working on a tight Brisbane block, this could mean blocked driveways, angry neighbours and restricted access for other trades.
With an EWP, setup is fast and work can start in almost no time at all. The machine can be moved if it is blocking the way, and dismantling at the end of the day is easy and fast. Site disruption is minimal and coordination with other trades and workers is seamless.
Cost Comparison Between Scaffolding and EWPs
Costs are going to be dependent on a number of variables, so its tricky to do an exact cost comparison. It’s safe to say this, though:
For long-duration projects where a fixed platform will be used by multiple trades across multiple weeks, scaffolding is likely to be more cost-effective.
For short-duration jobs performed by a single trade, hiring an EWP is likely the cheaper option. If it’s a one or two-day job with height access required at a number of spots, you can’t go wrong with an elevated work platform.
EWPs Give You Access and Flexibility
An EWP can reposition in minutes, giving it a clear advantage if mobility is required on the job. If you’re moving across multiple elevations or between different job sites, your elevated work platform will cover ground that scaffolding can’t.
At Performance Tower Hire, we run a fleet that ranges from compact units through to the PTH541 which has a working height of 54 metres. We’ll be able to match the right machine to your job. If access is tight or ground conditions are difficult, we have a Palazzani XTJ43 spider lift for hire that can overcome these.
When Scaffolding Is the Better Call
There are jobs where scaffolding is a better fit than an EWP. No point trying to push a square peg into a round hole; if scaffolding is the best option, that’s the one to go for.
If the job is running for several weeks and involves multiple trades needing access at the same time, scaffolding is the right choice. An example would be a big residential renovation where painters, electricians, and plumbers work on the exterior over an extended period. A fixed platform they can all use will be better suited than an EWP that would need to be managed around different trade schedules.
Where the work is over a large and continuous surface, like a wide panel of brickwork or rendering, scaffolding will be an easier base to work from. Also, if a large number of workers need access to the job, an EWP won’t be practical.
Queensland Safety and Compliance
Under Queensland’s WHS Regulation 2011, both scaffolding and EWP hire carry specific obligations for the persons conducting the business, the principal contractor and the individual operators.
If your EWP is over 11 metres in height, you’ll need a High Risk Work licence (TLILIC0005) to operate it. All of our EWPs for hire at Performance Tower Hire are above that length, so if you are dry hiring a machine for us you’ll need this certification.
If you’re opting for wet hire, you’ll get an experienced operator with all the right qualifications, including M31A which allows them to operate near overhead powerlines. Our machines are also all regularly serviced above and beyond industry requirements. Compliance is covered before the machine leaves our depot in Geebung.
For scaffolding, a licensed scaffolder is required for erection and dismantling. That’s a separate trade engagement to manage and coordinate.
Which One Is Right for Your Job?
Let’s break down all of the above into a quick guide:
- One to three-day job, single trade: EWP hire.
- Multiple positions or elevations around a structure: EWP hire.
- Tight access or difficult ground conditions: EWP hire, potentially our spider lift.
- Multi-week project, multiple trades using the same platform: Scaffolding worth considering.
- Large continuous working surface needed across a wide facade: Scaffolding worth considering.
- Urgent or after-hours callout: EWP hire. We’re available 24/7 at Performance Tower Hire.
Talk to the Team at Performance Tower Hire
If you’re weighing up the working at height options for a Brisbane or South East Queensland job, we’re happy to talk it through.
Our team will give you a straight answer on whether an EWP suits your job, and which machine from our fleet is the right fit.
Get in touch with our team here or call us on 1300 784 473 for a free quote or to ask any questions about the choice between EWP hire and scaffolding.
