A steeplejack is a craftsman who scales tall buildings and structures to carry out repairs or maintenance. They are sometimes also involved in new construction, as well as demolition.
Once ladders have been erected, the next stage is usually to suspend a bosun's chair (a strong wooden plank on which the steeplejack can sit, pull themselves upwards or lower themselves downwards, or sit in a stationary position), but Abseiling equipment is replacing the bosun's chair on many operations because of its lighter weight.
Once this has been done it is possible to use this access to begin building scaffolding to carry out any repairs which may be required. This is done by fixing anchor plate into the wall (whether concrete, stone, or brick) and "kicking" the scaffolding off from there.
It is also possible to carry out repairs from "suspended access cradles". These are the same type of rig window cleaners use on . The cradle is suspended from four wires. Two of these run through an electric motor which can "climb" or "descend" the wire, and the other two run freely through a box which allows the cradle to travel upwards with no obstruction, but will stop it instantly if it starts to fall. These "suspended access cradles" are popularly called "swing stages" by their crews.
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