PASMA Towers for Users
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PASMA Towers for Users is the training course for people who assemble, use, alter and dismantle mobile access towers - often called tower scaffolds - in the workplace. PASMA describes itself as the international not-for-profit association for the mobile access tower industry, representing manufacturers, suppliers, specifiers and users, providing and overseeing the industry standard training scheme and publishing safety-related knowledge, information and guidance. The course is aimed at operatives who erect towers, and it appears in PASMA's training list alongside specialist options such as Combined Low-level Access and Towers for Users, Towers on Stairways, Cantilever Towers, Linked Towers, Towers with Bridges, Large Deck Towers and Access Tower Specialist. Expect the assessment to draw on the topics PASMA publishes under its tower guidance: product standards, buying and hiring safe towers, safe use of a scaffold tower, guardrails, toe boards and platforms, and inspections together with assembly methods including the 3T and AGR approaches. Preparation should centre on those published guidance pages and the PASMA Operator's Code of Practice, plus the safety features of an EN 1004 scaffold tower and instruction manuals for the equipment you actually use. PASMA also offers quizzes at beginners, intermediate and 'tower nerds only' levels for testing tower knowledge. Training is delivered through PASMA training members; use the find-a-training-centre tool to locate one. This page is independent study material and is not affiliated with or endorsed by PASMA.
What you'll study
About PASMA Towers for Users preparation
Who is the Towers for Users course intended for?
It is listed under PASMA's training for tower operatives, so it suits people whose job involves assembling, moving, using and dismantling mobile access towers. PASMA also lists related courses for low-level access, managers, work at height novices and instructors if your role differs.
Which topics should I revise first?
Start with the areas PASMA publishes guidance on: product standards, buying a tower, platforms, inspections, guardrails, toe boards, assembly including 3T and AGR, and safe use of a scaffold tower. Reading the PASMA Operator's Code of Practice first gives you the framework the other topics hang on.
Is the assessment multiple choice?
The available source material does not state the assessment format, question count or pass mark, so treat any specific claim you see elsewhere with caution and confirm with your chosen training centre. What PASMA does publish is a set of online quizzes at beginners, intermediate and 'tower nerds only' levels for testing tower knowledge.
How long does the course take and how long is the certificate valid?
Course duration and certificate validity are not given in the source material available here, so they are left unstated rather than guessed. Ask your training centre directly, and note PASMA publishes a 'Lost your PASMA Card?' page and a card-checking service for verifying cards.
Where can I find a course near me?
PASMA provides a find-a-training-centre tool and a directory of training members, so the reliable route is to search that directory for a centre running Towers for Users. Centres listed as training members are the ones delivering the scheme PASMA oversees.
How hard is the assessment?
Difficulty is not published, but the content is practical rather than theoretical: standards, platform and guardrail requirements, inspection regimes and assembly sequences. Candidates who have never handled a tower often find assembly terminology the hardest part, so spend most time there.
What are the most common mistakes candidates make?
The recurring weak spots are mixing up the components that make up a safe platform edge, and not knowing what an inspection should cover and when one is needed. Learn the safety features of an EN 1004 tower as a checklist rather than a list of isolated facts.
Can I retake the assessment if I fail?
Retake policy is not stated in the source material, so it is not asserted here. Ask your training centre before booking so you know the terms, and use the free PASMA online quizzes to identify weak areas before you sit the assessment.
How should I structure my study time?
Work in passes: first read the Operator's Code of Practice and the safe use guidance, then the standards and EN 1004 material, then platform, guardrail and toe board detail, then inspections and assembly methods. Finish with the online quizzes to expose gaps.
Is this study page official?
No. It is independent study material written for candidates preparing for the course. PASMA is the association that provides and oversees the training scheme and publishes the guidance; this page is not affiliated with or endorsed by it, and official questions are not reproduced here.