The ONS recently reported that there are an estimated 60,000 brickworkers in the UK, a shortage of around 15,000 according to the report.

But as the construction sector slowly bounces back following a tumultuous two years, gains need to be made. Only through this approach will you find to increase productivity growth and make sure the shortage isn’t felt industry-wide.

One such way is finding options that help improve the overall effectiveness of construction projects.

But is there a means by which days on-site can be slashed while work is completed to a high and less time-consuming standard?

A mast climber is one way this can be achieved, but is this form of vertical access suited to brickwork and this trade’s requirements?

Mast Climbers Help Brickworkers Work at The Right Height

The health and safety of construction workers is of central importance to all industry participants and brickworkers are no different. In a trade that relies on bending, stretching and other physically challenging movements, it’s no surprise that a large number of construction workers are affected by musculoskeletal disorders.

The access equipment you select can have an impact on limiting that.

With scaffolding, there are fixed levels, and as the brickwork moves up the façade, workers have to stretch, stoop and bend, putting their bodies as risk. This problem is removed with a mast climber making it an ideal vertical access option for the bricklaying trade.

Allowing precise height positioning ensures brickworkers are operating at the optimal height, minimising the risk while also ensuring work is completed much quicker. Compare that approach with having to rely on navigating up floors of scaffolding and you can see why a mast climber makes brickwork much quicker.

You can read more about brickworkers and why they are beginning to use mast climbers on more brick working projects.

Mast Climbers – Quicker To Load & Unload

One key bottleneck in any construction project is the logistics of loading and unloading materials. These logistical conundrums are always faced despite your choice of vertical access, but it’s important to find the option that can help you and the trades on-site make the most of their time.

After all, the less downtime and less waiting around, the more productive your project will be, slashing the overall time spent on site.

Consider traditional scaffolding for a moment. On a tight construction site, loading points can be hard to navigate at the best times, let alone when you’re trying to get pallets of bricks and tubs of mortar to the workers.

Then, after the bricks have been unloaded at the right level, they still need to find their way to the section of the façade being worked on. Loaders will have to navigate the tight walkways and low ceilings of scaffolding, carrying through the required equipment before work can even continue.

Compare this with a mast climbing work platform and you can start to see why brickworkers in the north of England are seeing them as a viable choice.

Because a mast climber is a single platform, accessible from the ground floor, elaborate handling equipment isn’t required. Instead, bricks and mortar can be loaded on by less expensive equipment such as telehandlers, forklifts or even by hand. This is far less expensive than something like a crane, which is required as scaffolding extends upwards.

If you synchronise your loading of bricks with the descent of a mast climber, you are helping slash the time spent on your construction project, ensuring you meet your financial targets.

And BFT Mastclimbing doesn’t have to tell you how much time costs.

Mast Climbers For Brickworkers

Just because you’ve used a certain form of vertical access for so long doesn’t mean that you should stick to it. Like all aspects of construction, technology and tools continue to develop.

Mast climbers are just as viable an option as scaffolding, in fact, the two options are best when working together. Scaffolding is a fantastic public protection solution, while mast climbers are suited to the preferred choice for vertical access.

While mast climbing work platforms are suited to 85% of construction projects, the easiest way to discover if they can be used on yours is by speaking to vertical access experts and designing a bespoke solution.