The Complete Guide To Access Towers

Ladders have a limit. Once a job needs both hands free, a stable platform to stand on or more than a few minutes of work at height, a ladder stops being the right tool and a mobile access tower takes over. Access towers turn up on almost every type of site, from a single elevation repair to weeks of ceiling work indoors, because they solve a problem ladders cannot solve, giving you a safe, level, guarded place to work that moves with the job.

This guide covers what an access tower actually is, why it matters for site safety, the main types available, how to choose the right one, and what Altrad Generation supplies for scaffold tower hire and access tower hire. Whether you need a single aluminium tower for a day's maintenance job or a fleet of towers for a longer contract, the same fundamentals apply.

An access tower, also called a scaffold tower or platform tower, is a freestanding or wheeled structure built from lightweight frames that gives you a raised, guarded platform to work from. Unlike a full scaffold, which is designed and erected around a building for a fixed duration, a scaffold tower is modular and mobile. You build it, use it, move it to the next position and take it down again, often within the same day.

Most towers in the UK are built and used against PASMA guidance. PASMA, the Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association, sets the standard for how mobile access towers are assembled, inspected and used safely. A genuine PASMA tower is assembled using either the Through the Trap method or the Advance Guard Rail method, both of which keep the person building it protected by guardrails throughout, rather than climbing an unprotected frame to fit them afterwards.

Standard mobile access towers can reach up to eight metres outdoors and twelve metres indoors when freestanding, according to PASMA's own guidance. Anything taller or more complex, including towers tied to a structure or linked and bridged configurations, moves into specialist territory with its own design rules and training requirements.

Falls from height remain one of the most serious risks on any construction or maintenance site, and the equipment used to get someone off the ground is not a detail to get wrong. A properly assembled access tower gives you a guarded platform on all sides, a safe way up and down, and a stable base that will not shift under load. A ladder gives you none of that once the job needs two hands or takes more than a few minutes.

Towers also solve a problem full scaffold cannot. You do not need to erect a fixed structure for a job that moves around a building or only needs a few days on site. A mobile scaffold tower goes up, gets used, gets wheeled to the next position and comes down again, keeping the job moving without the cost or lead time of a full scaffold package.

Access towers are not one product. Altrad Generation supplies several configurations, each suited to a different job.

Standard aluminium span towers are the most common configuration, built for general access and maintenance work across a wide range of platform heights. The BoSS Aluminium Span Tower and MAST 250 Span Tower both offer this kind of versatile, mobile scaffolding for professional users, with the MAST 250 built to HD1004 and carrying ISO9002 accreditation. The BoSS Ladderspan Tower builds on the same platform for jobs that need frequent, repeated access up and down.

Hazardous environment towers cover the jobs a standard aluminium frame cannot go near. The BoSS GRP Zone 1 Tower is built from glass reinforced plastic rather than aluminium, delivering the non conductive, non sparking properties needed in Zone 1 explosive atmospheres where a metal tower would be unsafe.

Low level access platforms cover the shorter end of the range, for jobs that do not need a full height scaffold tower. The Alphastep Tower is a fully guard railed platform with four adjustable working heights and a telescopic guardrail that lets it pass through a standard doorway fully assembled. The Folding Tower uses a brace free folding frame for tight corridors and confined spaces, and the MAST Low Level Tower gives you a simple, quickly erected platform for short duration low level work.

Podium steps and work platforms suit jobs that need a stable, elevated standing position rather than a full tower. Podium Steps offer a maximum working load of 200kg, meet BS 8620:2016, fit through a standard doorway once assembled, and give a working height of 1.5m. The Delta Deck Work Platform covers a similar 200kg working load across five adjustable platform heights, assembling and dismantling in seconds for flexible use up to 3m.

Every access tower decision comes down to the same handful of questions.

Indoor or outdoor. Freestanding towers reach lower heights outdoors than indoors, since wind loading becomes the deciding factor once you are outside. Confirm the working height you need before settling on a configuration.

Site conditions and access. Doorway widths, corridor space and uneven ground all affect which tower fits. A folding or telescopic frame that passes through a standard doorway solves a problem a wider, fixed frame cannot.

Duration of the job. A single day's task has different priorities to a multi week contract. Scaffold tower hire suits short and medium duration work well, while a longer or recurring need may make buying an aluminium tower outright better value.

Environment. A standard aluminium tower suits most sites, but a hazardous or classified zone calls for a GRP tower instead.

Training and competence. Anyone assembling, moving or dismantling a tower needs to know how to do it safely. PASMA tower training covers exactly this, and it is worth confirming before a tower goes up rather than after.

Altrad Generation supplies access towers for hire and sale across the full range: the BoSS Aluminium Span Tower, BoSS Ladderspan Tower and MAST 250 Span Tower for general access, the BoSS GRP Zone 1 Tower for hazardous environments, and the Alphastep Tower, Folding Tower, MAST Low Level Tower, Podium Steps and Delta Deck Work Platform for low level and short duration work. Talk to your local branch about tower hire prices and lead times for your project.

Choosing the right access tower comes down to matching the platform to the job, the site and the people using it, not defaulting to whatever was available last time. Altrad Generation supplies the full range for hire and sale, from standard aluminium span towers and hazardous environment GRP towers through to low level platforms and podium steps, backed by a nationwide branch network that can talk you through the right choice for your project. Contact your local branch to discuss access tower and scaffold tower hire for your site.

Q. What's the difference between a scaffold and an access tower?
A. A scaffold is a fixed structure, designed and erected around a building for the duration of a job, usually built from tube and fitting or a proprietary system. An access tower, sometimes called a scaffold tower or platform tower, is mobile and modular. You assemble it, use it, wheel it to the next position and take it down, which suits shorter jobs and work that moves around a site rather than staying in one place.

Q. What is PASMA and why does it matter for access towers?
A. PASMA, the Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association, sets the industry guidance for assembling, inspecting and using mobile access towers safely in the UK. A tower built to PASMA guidance is assembled using a method that keeps the person building it protected by guardrails throughout, rather than climbing an unguarded frame first. Asking whether a supplier and its operatives follow PASMA guidance is a fair question before any tower goes up.

Q. Do I need training to use a scaffold tower?
A. Anyone assembling, altering, moving or dismantling a mobile access tower should be trained to do so, and PASMA tower training is the recognised route in the UK. Simply standing on a completed platform does not require the same certification as building or moving one, but the person responsible for the tower on site should hold current training. It is worth confirming before the job starts rather than assuming everyone involved already knows how.

Q. How much does it cost to hire a scaffold tower?
A. Cost depends on the tower's height, configuration and how long you need it for. Low level platforms and podiums typically cost less than full height aluminium towers, and weekly hire rates vary with duration, so a longer job usually works out cheaper per week than a short one. Ask your local branch for a breakdown against your specific height and timeframe rather than comparing on a single headline price.