Trestles give you a low, movable place to stand on a building site, which is why you see them on jobs such as plastering and blockwork. Before the work starts, check the height you want, the load you will put on the platform and whether trestles are the right choice for the job.
This guide explains what trestles are, why they matter, the main types and how to choose.
A trestle is a support, usually a horizontal beam held up by spreading legs, that carries planks, boards or a table top. The word comes from Old French and goes back to the Latin for crossbeam. The same idea appears in trestle tables, where the legs support a top, and in trestle bridges, where a braced framework holds up the deck.
On a building site, a trestle does the same job at a practical scale. You stand trestles on firm, level ground and lay boards across the top, and that gives you a raised platform to work from. Because the platform is a place of work, the law covers it. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 define a working platform as including any scaffold, trestle or gangway used as a place of work, so a trestle platform comes under the same rules as other working platforms.
Trestles are ideal for uses such as bricklaying, plastering, painting, and general construction and maintenance, where you work at a modest height.
Trestles earn their place for three practical reasons, and each links back to your duty to work safely at height. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work at height where a fall could cause injury, and HSE sets out an order to follow. Avoid work at height where you can. Where you cannot, use equipment to prevent falls. Where a risk remains, use equipment to reduce the distance and consequences of a fall. The Regulations set no minimum height, and the Irish Health and Safety Authority notes that low falls cause almost as many injuries as high falls.
Setting the right working height. Where the platform sits decides how you reach the work, and reaching too far is a risk in itself. Guidance from the Home Builders Federation, developed with HSE, says to move the trestle into a new position rather than risk overreaching and losing your balance. The same guidance gives 600mm as the default maximum height for trestles assessed as safe to use without guard rails.
Being portable. Work rarely stays in one spot, and the same guidance expects you to move the equipment into a new position rather than overreach. Each new position still needs checking, because the ground should be solid, compact, level and stable, and any equipment you assemble should be inspected before use.
Having a continuous platform. Boards laid across the trestles form one working surface, and that only works safely when the surface is sound. The Health and Safety Authority says a platform should be free from trip hazards and from gaps through which people or materials could fall, and it should be wide enough for safe passage and for your tools and materials. For timber boards, BS 2482 sets a width of 225mm, so three boards side by side give a platform at least 675mm wide. Keep mortar and debris off the boards, and avoid overloading them, particularly with blockwork.
Trestles come in a few broad forms.
Fixed and Folding Trestles
Some trestles have legs that fold away, while others keep their legs fixed. Either kind can carry planks or boards.
Adjustable Height Trestles
As the name suggests, an adjustable height trestle has a top whose height you can change.
Trestle Systems
In this guide, this means a set of components that you assemble into a larger platform, rather than a simple pair of trestles. HBF guidance refers to training in the erection, use and dismantling of trestle systems, so the people who build them should know how to do it safely.
Ask whether trestles suit the task. The first question HBF guidance asks is whether a trestle is appropriate for the nature of the work. If it is not, your risk assessment should lead you to different equipment.
Work out the height you need. Decide where the platform must sit so you can reach the work without stretching, then assess the risk of a fall from that height.
Check the load. Add up the people, equipment and materials on the platform, because the trestles and boards must carry all of it.
Check the platform width. You need enough room for safe passage and for your tools and materials.
Look at the ground. Choose a spot that is solid, compact, level and stable, and take extra care next to a trench, which increases the height of a potential fall.
Plan edge protection. The Irish Health and Safety Authority says a working platform should be fitted with toe boards and handrails. Schedule 2 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 covers guard rails and toe boards, and your risk assessment should decide what the platform needs.
At Altrad Hire & Sales, we offer trestle hire and trestles for sale, so you can hire for a short project or buy for ongoing use. Enter your site postcode for delivery information and stock levels, or speak to your local branch.
Builder's Trestles
Our Builder's Trestles are adjustable steel trestles for bricklaying, plastering, painting and general construction and maintenance. Because the height adjusts, one trestle covers a range of working heights, so you just pick the size that suits your task. The steel is powder coated, which protects it against rust and wear. They are also lightweight, at between 7.2kg and 10.5kg each, so you can move them as the job changes.
Adjustable height ranges:
Trestle 1 - 460mm to 645mm
Trestle 2 - 745mm to 1195mm
Trestle 3 - 1035mm to 1675mm
All three sizes are listed with a safe working load of 4.7kN (470kg) UDL, where UDL stands for uniformly distributed load. Lay scaffold boards across them to build a continuous platform across the width you need.
Rhino Load Deck
The Rhino Load Deck is an internal safety working platform. It is self supporting, so it does not rely on external or party walls for lateral support. The component set can be erected as a trestle platform rated to 600 kg/m² at a maximum height of 2m for lighter internal access work, then built up into a full working deck as site requirements develop. For trestle heights above 2m, contact us for advice.
Boards, Stagings and Low Level Platforms
We supply scaffold boards in timber, plastic and steel, and our guide to timber, plastic and steel boards will help you choose. For staging boards, see Stagings, including the 450mm Aluminium Staging Boards. If trestles do not suit the job, take a look at our Low-Level Platforms, which include the Podium Steps, Delta Deck Work Platform and MAST Low Level Tower. They are alternatives to trestles, not add ons.
The right trestles, at the right height and with suitable boards, are part of planning a low level job. We supply Builder's Trestles and the Rhino Load Deck for hire and sale, along with scaffold boards and stagings. Contact your local branch to discuss trestles.
Q. What are trestles used for?
A. Builders use trestles to create a raised working surface at low height. You lay boards across the trestles and work from the platform, which suits bricklaying, plastering, painting, and general construction and maintenance.
Q. What is a trestle system?
A. In this guide, it means a set of components that you assemble into a larger platform, rather than a single pair of trestles. The equipment and hire section above shows what is available.
Q. What are the different types of trestles?
A. The main forms are fixed trestles, folding trestles, adjustable height trestles and larger sets of components that you assemble into a platform.
Q. Can trestles be used as scaffolding?
A. Trestles with scaffold boards make a working platform for low height tasks, a set up sometimes called trestle scaffolding. If the job needs more height, a larger working area or more protection, a full scaffold or another platform may be the better choice. Whatever you use, your risk assessment should decide what edge protection it needs.
