Access Tower Specialist

Make towers your career

Duration: 6 days
Practical: Yes
Standards: EN 1004, BS 1139-6
Most people put up towers because they’ve got a job to do. But for you, putting up towers is the job. It's your vocation. You’re already trained on all standard configuration towers, now it’s just non-standard towers to tackle and you’ve completed the set. These bespoke structures can fit around the needs of a site, however tall, wide or awkward it may be.
It won’t be easy – it’s PASMA’s most challenging course ever. But you’ve been working towards this for a while and are ready to take the final step on your training programme.

Get trained

Access Tower Specialist training

PASMA’s Access Tower Specialist training course will equip you with the knowledge you need to work safely with non-standard towers. After a day of theory online, spend a pretty full-on and physically demanding week at a training facility and then head back to work – now a more valuable teammate than ever! You’ll be capable of leading a bespoke tower scaffold build from start to finish:

  • Plan a non-standard tower build
  • Select safe equipment
  • Follow design drawings
  • Assemble and dismantle
  • Make designer-approved adaptions
  • Tie structures into buildings
  • Inspect non-standard towers
  • Collate all paperwork
  • Conduct safe handovers

You’ll also have an in-depth understanding of the most relevant product standards and work at height legislation/regulations, as well as technical knowledge of design constraints, loading criteria, enabling components, component lifting techniques, tying in, design drawings, assembly use and dismantling plans, hazard identification and safe assembly techniques.

You’ll be building towers that can go tall and wide, around, over and under obstacles, give access to multiple levels or stairwells, provide large (and mobile) deck areas, squeeze into tight spaces and be altered as requirements evolve.

Doing all of this with lightweight, prefabricated aluminium components is a specialist skill that is not taught anywhere else.

Book your Access Tower Specialist training or read on to learn more about the course.
Member bookings / Non member bookings
Expert instructor
Hands-on
Formally assessed
Accredited
Industry backed

What's covered?

Through a combination of theory and practical work, you will learn about:
  • Laws, regulations, guidance, and good practice relating to work at height
  • An employee’s responsibilities
  • Your responsibilities
  • Differences between standard and non-standard configurations
  • Where to find crucial safety information
  • Site surveying
  • Identifying hazards
  • Application of enabling components
  • Planning a bespoke tower scaffold build
  • Reading and using an assembly use and dismantling plan
  • Reading design drawings
  • Types of ties
  • When and where it is appropriate and safe to use ties
  • Ties bespoke tower scaffolds
  • Inspecting equipment
  • Making approved adaptions
  • High-level and buttress tower scaffolds
  • Inspecting bespoke tower scaffolds
  • Handing over bespoke tower scaffolds
  • Dismantling safely and to plan

A new PASMA card

On successfully completing all theory and practical segments of the course, you’ll receive a new Access Tower Specialist PASMA PhotoCard.

This card lets people know that you’re competent to erect, dismantle and inspect all types of towers, including bespoke structures designed to suit the needs of a site.

You can demonstrate that you’ve been formally trained on working with non-standard towers safely.

Your card will include a holographic CSCS logo (Construction Skills Certification Scheme), providing a familiar and reliable way for construction clients, employers and contractors to verify your qualifications and training.

This partnership between CSCS and PASMA signifies industry-wide recognition of the Access Tower Specialist vocation and agreement the PASMA Access Tower Specialist course is the required standard of qualification and skill for anyone erecting, dismantling or inspecting complex access towers.

Pre-requisites

Is this the right course for me?

This course is suitable for anyone who will be working with non-standard tower scaffold designs. It’s aimed at experienced tower operatives whose job involves erecting towers that allow others to work safety at height.

Linked towers

Course details

Assessment details

Location

This course is delivered by PASMA at the Test & Research Centre in Cambridgeshire, UK, a dedicated facility for work at height testing and training.

Accommodation

On confirming your booking, you’ll receive details of how to book a nearby hotel a preferential rate.

Price

The regular price for this qualification is £3,000 + VAT.

PASMA Hire & Assembly members can book for the discounted price of £1,800 + VAT.

Book your place

It's time to reach new heights

Climb the final rung in your tower training and gain your Access Tower Specialist card.

Until 2020, this course was known as ‘Towers for Professional Riggers’.

Photos: thanks to our members for providing photos for this page