Should You Hire Or Purchase An Access Tower

Whether for commercial or domestic (do-it-yourself) use, an access tower is a great solution for maintenance, construction or storage applications.

There’s a tower for almost every need, ranging from around 3m to over 30m in height. A variety of fabrication materials is available too. Lightweight aluminium products are easier to handle and transport. Steel-tube construction offers greater durability but at the expense of significantly heavier components.

Light Users

The question that needs to be addressed is whether it is better to hire or purchase an access tower. For users who only require an access tower for occasional jobs, or where the size and features needed vary a great deal from task to task, it may well be best to hire an access tower. Unless the hire period is very long, this route is likely to be less costly and more convenient. Once the hire period has ended then there are no storage problems to worry about. Simply return the product (or arrange its collection if delivery and collection are included in the hire terms) and it’s gone.

The Case For Buying

So access tower hire is a good solution for smaller construction and building companies and individuals. But what about larger businesses that use access towers in their regular day-to-day operations? These users, together with others that are contemplating lengthy periods of working at height, would be well advised to look into the merits of purchasing an access tower. In doing so, care should be taken to select a system that has the flexibility to address their foreseeable needs. Fundamentally, this means choosing a product with generous maximum working height but which is designed to support alternative assembly scenarios using staged subsets of the components.

Is It Safe?

The decision as to whether it is better to hire or purchase an access tower is further complicated by issues such as product quality and primary or secondary safety. With the hire option, the product received may or may not be a recent model. The accessory equipment accompanying it is also likely to vary. However, the primary safety should be very good. In other words, the equipment should be in excellent condition and as a minimum all mandated safety accessories should be present and working. Secondary safety may also be enhanced by advice and technical training provided by the hire outlet.

Purchasing a brand new access tower also offers good primary safety, with all structural and accessory components being brand new and undamaged. Working (secondary) safety may again be enhanced by advice and technical training available from the sales outlet and of course the original documentation should accompany your purchase.

Buying a second-hand access tower may carry greater risks. Damaged components may not be immediately obvious and accessories may be missing or compromised. This route is only advisable for users with plenty of relevant expertise and experience.

Caution

In all cases, whether you decide to hire or purchase an access tower, remember that working at height is potentially dangerous. For commercial use it is obligatory to undergo certified training. Training is also advised for non-commercial users even if it is not mandatory in their territory.