Ready?
Scaffolder — your shift
Ground up, tie as you go, and never leave a lift without its guard rails. Do the job one step at a time. Tap the thing that should happen next.
Full screen — no distractions
What does a scaffolder do?
You build the structure everybody else works from, and you build it while standing on the part you have already built.
Also called: scaffolding erector, access specialist, scaffold hand.
A day looks like
- 1You check the ground first, because everything above depends on what the base is standing on.
- 2You work up in lifts, tying in to the building as you go rather than at the end.
- 3You handle tube and fittings all day, and it is genuinely heavy work.
- 4You leave it with boards, guard rails and toe boards complete, or you leave it unusable and tagged.
Hardest part
Your own workplace is half-finished by definition. You are always working at the top of something that is not yet complete, and the temptation to skip the guard rail on the lift you are standing on is constant.
Best part
A complicated elevation — bays, returns, a tower over a pavement — that goes up square, ties in properly and gives every trade safe access.
How you actually become a scaffolder
- At schoolNo qualifications, real physical fitness, and a head for heights.
- TrainingCISRS scaffolder card: labourer, Part 1, Part 2 and advanced, each with training and site time.
- How longTwo to three years through the card stages.
- Your first jobScaffolding labourer, passing tube and learning the sequence.
Frequently asked questions
- Why does a scaffold have to be tied to the building?
- Because on its own it is a tall, light structure with a large wind area, especially once boarded or sheeted. Ties stop it moving away from or into the building and are what make it stable under load.
- What does a scaff tag mean?
- It records who inspected the scaffold and when, and whether it is complete and safe to use. A scaffold without a valid tag, or tagged as incomplete, must not be worked from.
- Is scaffolding well paid?
- Reasonably, and it rises sharply with the CISRS card stages. It is physically demanding work with a genuine skill progression and it cannot be done remotely or automated.
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