Should You Rent or Buy the Scaffolding You Need for Your Contracting Business?

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When you're a contractor, no doubt you need lots of various equipment to ensure you get each job done right. Scaffolding may be one of those pieces of equipment for painting, making repairs at elevated heights, and for safely transporting heavier items to roofs where using a ladder may be dangerous. You can often rent the scaffolding you need versus buying those pieces, but how do you know the best choice for your business? Note a few considerations to keep in mind so you can determine if renting is actually the best option.

Variety of scaffolding pieces

Many contractors offer a variety of services that take them to different types of jobsites; if this is how you operate your business, you may actually need various scaffolding pieces throughout the year. Some scaffolding is very heavy with casters that have thick tread for being wheeled through dirt, whereas other scaffolding is lightweight with small plastic wheels that are better for interior floors. Scaffolding will also vary according to how much weight it can manage and how tall it can extend. Rather than purchasing just one type or size of scaffolding, renting will allow you to get the right scaffolding for each and every job.

Number of jobs for which it will be used

As a contractor, you may work on some jobs that don't require scaffolding at all. For example, if you're a painter and the majority of your jobs are indoors with no scaffolding needed, and just a few customers hire you to paint the exterior of their home each year, it may not make sense to invest in purchasing scaffolding for just those few jobs. Remember, too, that purchasing scaffolding means you need a place to store it when not in use; if you don't have a garage or shop, this means the expense of a self-storage unit for something you only use a few times throughout the year.

Changing careers

If you're a general contractor now, is there a chance you might change your career or what services you offer your clients sometime in the future? For example, right now you might be a painter but if you're going to school to learn electrical repair, you probably won't need scaffolding for that work. You might also manage your own company now but may want to work for someone else in the future, and they would provide scaffolding. In these cases, purchasing scaffolding when you won't need it long-term may be a waste.

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19 September 2016

Creating a Safe Environment: Industrial and Manufacturing Facilities

If you work in or run an industrial or manufacturing facility, safety is key. In this blog, we are going to talk a lot about safety. However, we are also going to veer into other aspects of these industries as well. There will be posts directed toward consumers, business owners, workers and many others. Before you start reading, let me introduce myself. My name is Steve. I used to volunteer at an animal refuge where I put together a lot of buildings and frequently visited sheet metal processing facilities, fence manufacturing companies and similar businesses. I was incredibly interested in what they did so I decided to create this blog. Thank you for reading.