A local high school where I frequently help out is looking at purchasing some scaffolding, for two main purposes:
1. Access to their motorized fly system (motors are located about 45' above the stage, with no access provisions.)
2. Maintenance of houselights.
They are looking at the system from lightbulbscaffold.com (Welcome to Light Bulb Scaffolding!), as this seems to meet both the height requirement for the rigging, and the sloped-floor requirement for houselights. This will be used by school staff, NOT students. Given this system, I've got two questions:
1. Has anyone here used this system? Any comments?
2. The assembly instructions for the scaffolding contain this interesting step, listed after installing the guard rails on the top level:
Has anyone seen a requirement like this for other scaffolding systems? None of the sales literature mentions guying, even though they sell it for use up to 150' high! (Their website shows one with a total height of about 34', with no guys.) Would this be a sign to stay away from this system?
As an added part of the tale, here's the "I told you so" moment:
One of the rigging motors had started making odd noises earlier this year; it's been locked out, but it needs to be inspected. Around May, a request was made to purchase the aforementioned scaffolding, but schools being the way there are, no one higher up saw any urgency.... until the Mineral, VA earthquake.
As a result of the quake, there are now about a half-dozen of the houselights with their trim rings and/or other parts dangling from the ceiling (why you use safeties on everything.) Of course, there's no way to get up to the lights to fix them (or look at the rigging for any damage) until they get a scaffold.
1. Access to their motorized fly system (motors are located about 45' above the stage, with no access provisions.)
2. Maintenance of houselights.
They are looking at the system from lightbulbscaffold.com (Welcome to Light Bulb Scaffolding!), as this seems to meet both the height requirement for the rigging, and the sloped-floor requirement for houselights. This will be used by school staff, NOT students. Given this system, I've got two questions:
1. Has anyone here used this system? Any comments?
2. The assembly instructions for the scaffolding contain this interesting step, listed after installing the guard rails on the top level:
9. Guy the Tower.
When the tower exceeds 30 feet high, it must be guyed
down in three directions, or otherwise secured to prevent
tipping. Use 200-lb+ working load rope and an attachment
point that will withstand a 200-lb. pull
Has anyone seen a requirement like this for other scaffolding systems? None of the sales literature mentions guying, even though they sell it for use up to 150' high! (Their website shows one with a total height of about 34', with no guys.) Would this be a sign to stay away from this system?
As an added part of the tale, here's the "I told you so" moment:
One of the rigging motors had started making odd noises earlier this year; it's been locked out, but it needs to be inspected. Around May, a request was made to purchase the aforementioned scaffolding, but schools being the way there are, no one higher up saw any urgency.... until the Mineral, VA earthquake.
As a result of the quake, there are now about a half-dozen of the houselights with their trim rings and/or other parts dangling from the ceiling (why you use safeties on everything.) Of course, there's no way to get up to the lights to fix them (or look at the rigging for any damage) until they get a scaffold.