Scaffolder, Pacific Scaffolding

Carl Staite says scaffolders need to be physically fit, well organised, problem solvers and willing to learn. Picture / Phil Walter

Name: Carl Staite
Age: 34
Working hours: vary, approximately 7.30am to 4pm five or six days a week.
Average pay: $15 to $25 an hour, depending on experience and company.
Qualifications and institution: National Certificate in Scaffolding (basic and advanced) from Tai Poutini Polytechnic at Mt Wellington campus.
Career prospects: Scaffolding supervisor of residential and commercial work, including jobs on television and movie sets. "Ticket" recognised in England, Australia and America. 

Describe what you do:

We construct temporary work platforms for other trades who need to reach heights to do their job. The platforms are made from steel tubes joined by steel couplets with planks on top. We have to make them multi-levels and sizes and make sure we have the right size at the base. We build above ourselves and wear a harness clip while climbing or when on an exposed edge. I've never seen anyone fall off a scaffolding and don't want to, either. The highest building I've put scaffolding around was a 450 ft (120m) building in England.

Why did you choose this line of work?


I started scaffolding when I was in London doing my OE. A job came up and I thought it sounded good because it was physical, active work. At that time you didn't need a ticket over there. When I came back to New Zealand I got a qualification and carried on. I started off as a labourer, then got my basic ticket and now have my advanced which means I'm doing more interesting work.

What kind of clients do you have?


We put up scaffolding for anyone and everyone. At the moment we're doing a lot of residential. We do camera towers for sports events, scaffolding for the naval base boats so they can carry out maintenance and in factories during shutdowns for repairs and maintenance.

We put up scaffolding on a movie set so they could build and paint a huge rock.

We also do stages and camera towers for events in clubs and stadiums.

What sort of training or experience do you need for the job?


The basic certificate is really important. You learn practical things like directing cranes but also a lot of theory, including maths, reading plans, trigonometry and the safety issues involved. There are essential rules to follow when constructing scaffolding and people have had accidents on scaffolds because they've not been built properly.

You start in a job by labouring on the ground where you're taught how to carry the gear and where to place it. This is really important because we work in sequence and pump the gear up. The job becomes longer and dangerous if the sequence isn't followed. Then you go up the scaffolding under the direction of a ticketed scaffolder.

What skills or qualities do you need?


You need a head for heights because you're often 50 to 100m off the ground creating a platform. You need to be physically fit, well-organised, a problem-solver and willing to learn. You also need to know how to communicate with the clients.

Best part of the job? There is a lot of variety. I like working with a team and travelling all over the place. It keeps me fit and I enjoy the practical problem solving.

What are the biggest challenges?


 Suspending scaffolding from the top of the building down is challenging and usually required when the ground has to be kept clear. Factories also can require scaffolding built off gantries. Some architecturally designed buildings are difficult to scaffold in a safe and useful way because of their shape. And we are often working to tight deadlines.

Any interesting one-off projects?


In England, I worked on camera towers in football stadiums and the London Eye ferris wheel. In New Zealand, I've worked on movie sets which are interesting because we see what goes on behind the scenes.

Advice to someone wanting to do same thing?


Go for it if you've a head for heights, are fit and want to do something practical and challenging.

Career hopes for the future?

I'm setting up a branch for the company in Hamilton. You can travel anywhere with the ticket, including overseas. Internationally, they can't get enough ticketed scaffolders.