Work Platforms – Useful?

Work platforms are like mini scaffolding kits.  They provide a multi-level stable platform from which to carry out repair and maintenance tasks such as painting, repointing brickwork, pruning hedges and putting up shelves.  Because they are freestanding and often designed with wide stabilising bars at the base they are safe to use on softer ground and easy to get level on uneven ground.  They often also have a higher maximum load rating than conventional ladders, which is useful for heavier people, and for tasks that need a lot of equipment and tools.

Work platforms are used by professionals and DIYers alike because the large working area and flexibility on height suit almost every task and unlike scaffold towers they tend to have a shorter overall height, meaning they are suitable for use indoors as well as out.

The Versatile Work Platform

A multi purpose ladder system is perfect for home and trade use and is possibly the most versatile piece of access equipment you can buy (with the exception of the 24-in-1 Little Giant ladders).  It works as a work platform with five possible heights up to 1 metre and a platform that measures 1.5 metres by 40cm.  The wide base stabilisers (78cm) provide a firm grounding for the system when it is in use as a work platform, A-frame ladder and extension ladder.  There are three parts to this system, the two sides and the platform.  The sides are ladders in their own right and can be used as two short single ladders (approximately 1.3 metres) or together as an extension ladder reaching up to 2.7 metres.  The A frame step-ladder that can be made is 1.6 metres tall.

This unit also works as a stairway scaffold platform, as the two end ladders can be set up on different steps and the platform fixed between them.  For anyone needing to do a lot of work in a stairway or who often has to work in these areas then the work platform used on the staircase is much more comfortable and safe than the alternative stairway ladder.

This work platform weighs 18 kilos and will take up to 150 kilos when in use, a figure that includes tools and equipment.  It can only be used by one person at a time (unless two very light people use it, some well trained children perhaps?!), but this is true of all ladders anyway.  The unit costs just £99 including VAT and delivery, which is a very good price for such a versatile piece of equipment, especially considering it also comes with a 12 month warranty.

Work Platforms for Renovations

If you are thinking of carrying out some renovations, either structural or decorative, then a work platform is a good investment.  Not only will it be more comfortable working from a platform than it would be using a ladder, you will get more done from one position.  While you need to keep moving a ladder around a room during a task, the work platform allows you to access a greater area of wall (or whatever you are working on) from one position, cutting down the amount of time spent getting down from the ladder/platform, moving it around, and getting set up again.  When you do need access in a tighter space, perhaps somewhere there is not room to set up the full platform, the sides can be used as an extension or step ladder, giving you the option to use ladders as well as a work platform, all in the same unit.  There’s no need to buy any other ladders unless you need one taller than 9 feet.

The same versatility is useful for trade users as well.  Rated to EN131 for trade or DIY use, this equipment can be used by the professional tradesperson and is an excellent investment for any painter and decorator, handyman or builder.  In fact, this work platform is ideal for any trades, even gardeners and landscapers as it can be used outdoors to prune box hedges and maintain rose walks and other climbing plant features.  Possibly the best thing about this unit for the tradesperson is that it provides a comfortable area to sit and have lunch: much more pleasant than perching on a step ladder or sitting on the floor and definitely better than sitting inside a vehicle to eat on a hot sunny day!

The Garden Platform

There is also a work platform designed specifically for outdoor use, the Gardeno mobile work platform.  This sturdy mini scaffold packs flat for storage, but can be erected simply with a few wing nuts and offers four platform heights up to 1.4 metres, which is tall enough for most hedge pruning jobs.  It does cost more than the previous model we looked at (£125), but will take more weight (200 kilos compared to 150) and can be wheeled around the garden on two 10-inch pneumatic tyres.  These wheels can cope with most ground surfaces and the screw jacks at each corner stabilise the unit on uneven ground.  Steel foot-pads stop sinking on softer surfaces and help to level the unit outdoors.

The platform surface area is slightly smaller, 115 x 42 cm, but this unit has a taller maximum platform height, 50cm more than the other model.  It is perfect for hedge cutting, tree pruning, harvesting, working on trellises and other climbing plant features, working on garden and exterior walls and pretty much any garden activity you can think of.  Although this unit offers more height and can take more weight, it is more suited to a single purpose than the other model, as this one does not have the option of being used as other types of access equipment: the construction does not come apart in the same way.

The choice between the first work platform and the Gardeno model comes down to the type of work being done.  If the project involves both exterior and interior renovation work, requiring stairway access and the use of ladders as well as a work platform, then the first model is the obvious choice.  It is more adaptable and can be used in many different ways, allowing you to select the most appropriate method of access for any given job, without needing lots of other ladders and equipment.  If the project is mostly outdoors then the Gardeno is the obvious choice.  The fact that it can be wheeled around like a wheelbarrow and be leveled on uneven ground makes it perfect for garden tasks.  The extra height achievable also allows you to work at greater heights and reach hedgetops and tree branches for harvesting and maintenance.  The Gardeno unit itself is much taller than the work platform, so use indoors would be limited to rooms and spaces with high enough ceilings.  It can be packed flat and assembled almost anywhere, so it could potentially be brought indoors for use, but the first work platform would be a better choice for interior tasks.

The Heavy Duty Work Platform

A more heavy-duty option is the Deltadeck telescopic platform, which can be used on all types of building site (as well as being suitable for DIY use).  It does not offer any more height than the other two models (maximum platform height is 87cm) and the platform itself is smaller (1.1 metres long), but it can take up to 200 kilos of load and is safe to use with two people on it.  The telescopic legs and one-piece construction make this model slightly easier to set up; there are no components to lose or forget and the set up or adjustments can be managed by one person.

Locking wheels allow you to move this unit around easily, while still being safe.  Guardrails all around the platform greatly reduce the risk of falling, complying with the latest health and safety regulations.  At £399 including VAT and delivery, this is not a cheap option and probably out of the budget of most DIYers (especially when there is a cheaper, more versatile option available to the home user), but professionals who need this type of access equipment on a heavy duty site do not have the option of legally using the cheaper model.  The Deltadeck is suited to construction sites and similar environments and is not really designed with the domestic market it mind.

We’ve looked at three different work platform options, which are suitable for many different types of job, but the choice comes down to cost, what the unit needs to be able to do, and whether it is suitable for the particular environment it is going to be used in.  Construction and industrial tasks need the Deltadeck (or something similar), whereas outdoor tasks are better suited to the Gardeno, with its rubber tyres and stabilising foot pads.  Interior renovation and decoration tasks are ideal for the first work platform we looked at, benefitting from the versatility of the unit in use as a platform as well as several different types of ladder.  For £99 you could not find a better deal for the job.