The Benefits of Using a Licensed Rigging Service
Businesses dependent on working at height for construction, installation, or maintenance of any kind, know that rigging is a part of daily life. The system that allows workers to be attached at a height to a stable structure is similar in nature and used on boats to scale and maintain sails.
It can be tempting, especially for smaller businesses, to try and take this process on themselves. The costs of bringing in an outside contractor to set up a few ropes, pullies, knots, and nets may be seen as unnecessary when there are people already on staff.
Safety first
Above all, safety of workers must be paramount. The greatest benefit of using a licensed rigging service is the assurance that workers will be able to carry out their duties in a safe and secure environment. Companies who invest in the training and specialization of rigging are aware of dangers and pitfalls that most workers, whose focus is not rigging, will not even consider.
When a worker is suspended high above the ground, in particular in urban construction sites, the danger of a fatal fall is very real. The cost of this in human terms, in emotional terms, and eventually in monetary terms, would far outweigh the cost of the service.
Experience
Businesses grow based on experience and skill anda business cannot be perfect at everything. Engaging a company to take care of one aspect of a business that has the potential for significant impact if things go wrong, is considered sound business sense.
Licensed rigging services focus on the aspects of rigging that most businesses neither know about, nor need to know about. This lack of knowledge is not a problem in the running of their daily business, but needs to be managed in specific situations.
Management
Management of rigging is unlikely to be a high priority for most companies. In-house project managers are often distracted by the day to day running of projects and quite literally do not have the opportunity to simply look up. This means the impact of climate or human error on the rigging is likely to be lost in what a business sees as more important considerations. Outsourcing the management of rigging to a licensed specialist offers the security of sound project management in any circumstances.
Responsibility
As an employer, business owners are obligated to ensure the safety and security of their workers. In most scenarios, in-house management is more than sufficient. However, when employees or subcontractors – and in rare occasions clients – are required to potentially place their lives at risk – it is vital a business employ a ‘better safe than sorry’ approach.
Contracting a licensed rigging service to install, control, and manage, what may seem a minor detail, can make a major difference. In a wider business plan this can mitigate potential legal and safety issues and have a significant impact on the final profitability of a project.
