railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings

[JACEK1]

Hello one more time!

• railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings in case of higher work’s risk.

Since my knowledge about scaffoldings is very limited, I would be very grateful for help in understanding "railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings". It seems to me that "railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings" means "railings shall be also used in order to lower scaffoldings".

Thank you. The sentences are taken from the same manual about scaffoldings.

P.S. I don't know if scaffoldings can be lowered.

To lower scaffoldings = preposition "to"

or

To lower scaffoldings = "to infinitive" (purpose) in order to?

[Raymott]

Hello one more time!

• railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings in case of higher work’s risk.

Since my knowledge about scaffoldings is very limited, I would be very grateful for help in understanding "railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings". It seems to me that "railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings" means "railings shall be also used in order to lower scaffoldings".

Thank you. The sentences are taken from the same manual about scaffoldings.

P.S. I don't know if scaffoldings can be lowered.

To lower scaffoldings = preposition "to"

or

To lower scaffoldings = "to infinitive" (purpose) in order to?

It's not proper English, though I suppose you know that. Yes, it seems to mean what you think it does.
"If there is a higher risk to workers, use railings to lower the scaffolding."
Note: It's more common to write "...shall also be used..."

[SoothingDave]

I don't understand how railings would make scaffolding lower.

[bhaisahab]

Railings do not make scaffolding lower. It should say "railings should be used on lower scaffolding", that's to say not just on higher levels. In the UK all scaffolding at whatever level has to have railings.

[BobK]

Exactly! The writers of Builders' Regulations (or 'Regs', as they're more commonly known) have a funny way with 'to' (and builders generally do - invoices from builders are generously spattered with 'to's, with a bewildering range of meanings.) The bit quoted means precisely what you've said, bhai: 'railings should be fitted to lower levels of scaffolding, as a guard against risks from work on higher levels'. The 'lower' in this case has no implication of making anything lower.

b

[JACEK1]

That was tricky. Small wonder I was in two minds about the exact meaning of the phrase. So to sum up:

"railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings" should be understood to mean ""railings shall be also used ON lower scaffoldings".

Could you confirm? It is very important to me.

[bhaisahab]

That was tricky. Small wonder I was in two minds about the exact meaning of the phrase. So to sum up:

"railings shall be also used to lower scaffoldings" should be understood to mean ""railings shall be also used ON lower scaffoldings".

Could you confirm? It is very important to me.

Yes, that's right.

[JACEK1]

Could you provide some examples of the word 'to' being used in building terminology or could you give me free websites where I could learn such examples?

[BobK]

I think by the time text gets onto a website it's probably had the stranger language sorted out. I'll have a look...

b

[BobK]

In the post this morning I received an estimate for work on my house. The first line is

To strip off felt to flat dormers front and back of property and clear away.

Builders have a strange attitude to prepositions; they seem to think 'Should there be a preposition there? OK, I'll put "to"'. In translation, the estimate means 'For stripping off the [roofing] felt from flat dormers [and it used to be attached to them]...

b