On any scaffold of meaningful height, moving materials up and down efficiently makes a significant difference to the productivity of the trades using the platform. Bricks, mortar, roof tiles, cavity insulation, plasterboard, all need to reach the working level. Manual handling up the ladder is slow, inefficient and physically demanding. A hoist or goods lift changes the economics of the whole scaffold-based work.
The specification decision for a hoist or lift is not always obvious. Options range from a simple ladder-mounted rope hoist through to a full material lift with cage, controls, and mechanical brake. The right choice depends on the height, the material volumes, the trades using it, and the duration of use. A scheme where the scaffold will stand for six months justifies a more capable lift than a scheme where it will stand for six weeks.
There is also a scaffold design implication. A hoist or lift on a scaffold introduces vertical loading at the mounting point that the scaffold has to be designed for. This is not the same as the design load for materials distributed across the working platform. It is a concentrated load that needs specific structural provision. A scaffold not designed for a hoist will not safely carry one.
Globe Cambridge’s scaffold designs on schemes where a hoist or lift will be used include the additional loading at design stage. Where the developer or principal contractor confirms mid-programme that a hoist will be needed, the scaffold is reviewed and, where necessary, reinforced before the hoist is installed. The alternative is a scaffold that appears to carry the hoist but is operating at or beyond its design margins.
For principal contractors, the hoist itself is regulated equipment. LOLER inspections at the required intervals. Operator competence for the hoist type. Written schemes of examination. Emergency stop and rescue procedures. Each is a discrete compliance item that has to be delivered and evidenced. Where the hoist is being provided by the scaffold contractor, the compliance evidence should sit with them. Where it is being provided separately, the coordination between the scaffold and the hoist has to be actively managed.
There is a positioning question that is often decided too late. A hoist positioned for the roofers is often not the best position for the bricklayers, who worked the same site three months earlier. Where the hoist location is fixed based on the first trade using it, subsequent trades work around a less-than-ideal arrangement. Where the hoist location is planned for the sequence of trades from the outset, each trade gets an acceptable arrangement.
For developers and QSs reviewing scaffold and hoist provisions on a scheme, the practical question is whether the hoist is being treated as part of the scaffold package or as a separately-procured add-on. Integrated provision produces less friction and clearer accountability. Separate procurement can be cheaper on paper but requires the developer to manage the coordination.
Globe Cambridge typically supplies scaffold and hoist as a coordinated package on schemes where both are required. The scaffold is designed for the hoist loading. The hoist positioning is planned for the trade sequence. The compliance records are integrated. The developer’s overhead is lower than under separate procurement.
There is also a specific case where a goods lift makes a large productivity difference. On multi-storey residential blocks with lifts installed as part of the building, the temporary goods lift used during construction has to work with, or around, the permanent lift installation programme. Coordinating this correctly requires the scaffold contractor to understand the permanent lift installation schedule and to plan the temporary provision accordingly.
For schemes where hoists and lifts are meaningful to the programme, the practical advice is to make the decision at pre-construction stage rather than at first-installation stage. The cost of doing it well is not significantly higher than the cost of doing it poorly. The productivity difference across the trades using it is substantial.
Talk to Globe Cambridge To discuss hoists and material handling on your scaffold on your scheme, contact Globe Cambridge on 01223 890727 or email enquiries@theglobegroup.co.uk.
