Unless you possess superhuman strength like Samson or the Hulk, chances are you cannot carry heavy pieces of cladding on your own. A team effort can go a long way, but it can also take a long time. Manual effort is tiresome and could result in injury to persons or damage to the cladding material. As construction is an industry that emphasises the interdependence of man and machine, acquiring and using equipment like cladding lifts will expedite the installation of overlays.
Sometimes, handy equipment is more efficient than several pairs of hands. Read on to learn the advantages of lifts for cladding materials.
Safety for Workers
Workplace safety is no trivial matter. While physical strength and endurance are prerequisites for construction jobs, the human body has its limits. Lifting heavy cladding materials can damage the muscles and joints, injure the spine, or even rupture cardiac arteries, leading to paralysis or death. Incorrect lifting methods can cause fresh injuries or aggravate old ones. With the proper equipment to do all the heavy lifting, the construction company can (literally) take the load off workers’ shoulders. This way, you can avoid lawsuits and dodge a severe blow to your reputation for neglecting occupational health and safety (OHS) standards.
Minimises Damage to Materials
As cladding material usually comes in large dimensions, scraping, breaking, or chipping part of it might require total replacement. In Australia, glass costs approximately $200 per square metre, while granite costs $250–500 per square metre. Racking up bills for damages will result in severe losses of money and morale. Sourcing replacement materials will take time and throw the project off schedule. If the clients seek an explanation for the delay, it would be embarrassing to admit that the methods were wrong and efforts were in vain. Devices like cladding lifts keep things from breaking and people from breaking into a cold sweat when things go downhill.
Less Time-Consuming
Machinery eases and partially eliminates the need for manual work. You can get more work done with fewer people in less time. As lifts are engineered to ensure impeccable precision, the team will not have to fritter away time correcting or redoing faulty installations. Checking major tasks off the list is infinitely more satisfying than staring at words like “pending,” “incomplete,” and “overdue.” Finishing projects will make room on the company’s calendar for other projects.
Integrative
Lifts for cladding materials can be independent workers or team players. If their reach and range are adequate, you can use them as they are. Suppose you need to reach new heights or install cladding in awkward environments or uneven surfaces. In that case, cladding lifts and forklifts are a trusty twosome. Pair them up and put them into action.
What to Enquire About Before Purchasing Lifts for Cladding Materials
Carrying Capacity
Carrying capacity is the weight the lift can bear. Some lifts can bear as little as 50 kg (the weight of a bag of cement), while others can bear a whopping 800 kg (the weight of an adult giraffe).
Number of Suction Cups
The number and placement of suction cups influence the lift’s grip on the cladding material.
Tilt and Rotation
The arms of the lift should have a good tilt and rotation range. 90° and 360° are ideal ranges for tilt and rotation, respectively. Find out if you have to perform these functions manually or with remote control.
Material Compatibility
Some lifts are suitable for transporting and installing only one cladding material, while others can be versatile, supporting overlays made of stone, laminate, plastic, wood, and glass.
Wrapping Up
Get lifts to install your layers. With them on the scene, you won’t have to worry about broken backs, broken hearts, or broken glass.
The use of cladding lifts is becoming increasingly popular in many diverse industries, from commercial construction to home renovations. Cladding lifts are a simple and efficient way to produce a variety of projects in a workable timeframe, with a multitude of benefits. Read on to find out more about the various advantages cladding lifts can provide and how they can help your next project.
A cladding lift is essentially a type of raised platform with adjustable heights and secure guard rails that can be used to facilitate access to high areas. This makes them incredibly useful for a wide array of activities; window cleaning and painting, exterior repair, building maintenance and even roofing projects can benefit from the use of a cladding lift.
The primary advantage of a cladding lift is the vastly increased safety standards it provides. Working from heights without a sufficiently secure platform carries a high risk of injury and great expense to any building or commercial project. Since a lift includes strong guard rails, a well-positioned ladder, and secure anchoring systems, the risk of a fall is greatly reduced. Furthermore, since cladding lifts can be lowered when required, a user can be sure of maximum safety when using a lift.
Additionally, the use of a cladding lift can greatly reduce any disruption. In some industries, such as painting and repair, disruption can be incredibly costly, meaning jobs can take far longer than expected. Cladding lifts are an effective way to reduce the disruption any work will produce, helping to keep projects on track and on time.
They also reduce the need for manual labour, since a cladding lift can be quickly and easily maneuvered into the correct position. This means fewer people are needed to carry out the task, with increased safety, speed and efficiency.
Finally, cladding lifts are incredibly versatile, with a wide range of sizes and configurations available, meaning they can be used for a variety of tasks in a variety of different contexts.
In conclusion, the use of cladding lifts has numerous advantages for a variety of industries, from greatly improved safety standards to reduced disruption and minimal manual labour. With so many benefits, it should be no surprise that cladding lifts are becoming an increasingly popular choice for many projects.
