Northstar Access is thrilled to announce our latest milestone: the acquisition of Access Rigging Services Inc, effective April 5th, 2024! This strategic move sees two industry powerhouses joining forces to enhance our service offerings and continue our growth towards becoming the leading scaffolding and access solutions provider in Canada. Access Rigging, renowned for its excellence in scaffolding and access solutions, brings with it a team of 45 skilled professionals, bolstering our Ottawa team to approximately 80 employees. This expansion allows us to better serve clients ac ..read more

In the world of construction, where precision and speed are paramount, the impact of scaffolding design on project efficiency cannot be overstated. From skyscrapers to intricate renovations, Northstar Access can supply and install the right scaffolding system which can significantly streamline operations, ensuring a seamless workflow from start to finish.   From shoring to swingstages, pedestrian and public protections, weather enclosures and containments, Northstar Access has the equipment and personnel your build needs to succeed – It’s our business!   The Impact of Scaffolding Des ..read more

A Big Congratulations to Our Team! We’re honoured to accept the UBC Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Award, recognizing our commitment to fostering an inclusive, diverse, and respectful work environment for our apprentices. Our participation in the Apprenticeship Service Program is a testament to our dedication, and we thank all involved for their work and contribution in creating a safe and welcoming workplace. Thank you to the United Brotherhood Carpenters’ Regional Council for this incredible recognition! Working At Northstar Access We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer, we e ..read more

Northstar Access believes in supporting women in construction, and especially in the scaffolding industry.  We are lucky to have quite a few very talent women on our teams across Canada. Women are no strangers to the construction and building industries, yet it’s not often you hear about women who work in scaffolding. However, more and more female professionals are breaking into this historically male-dominated field – both on and off the job site – demonstrating their abilities as skilled professionals who can handle any assignment. In light of International Women’s Day and Women in Cons ..read more

A scaffold inspection is a careful examination of any scaffold being erected or that has been erected to ensure that it is safe to work on for both the safety of construction workers and passers-by.  Keeping workers and bystanders safe on construction sites is paramount. That’s why an essential part of any scaffolding set-up procedure involves a thorough inspection. According to the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association, the following must be completed during a general inspection of a scaffold:  Confirm that erectors followed the design drawing before the scaffold is used&nb ..read more

Northstar puts safety first! Our Winnipeg team recently held their Annual Scaffold Safety Day, a day in which the branch shuts down all yard and job site tasks to participate in extra safety training demonstrations and workshops – all for 8 hours of extra pay. This year we gathered a team of 24 participants and 9 presenters, making our safety meetings bigger than ever! We already had an online HRdownloads program to take care of the annual WHMIS refresher, so this scaffold safety day focuses on interactive and educational workshops, including a mobile hearing testing truck for all participants ..read more

Our Toronto team took great pride in providing safe and reliable access to this multi-million dollar estate home located in Toronto, ON. This residential scaffold project involved a large-scale replacement and restoration of an old slate roof, over 8,000 square feet, in fact! Given the large project scope and tedious roof waterproofing process, the project was completed in multiple stages. To tackle such a large residential scaffold project, our teams designed and installed a scaffold access system using multiple stair towers and three debris chutes. It was designed as to act as one continuous ..read more

How do you build a theatre stage with scaffold? It’s not as simple as putting up some boards and calling it a day. You need a scaffold system that can support the weight of actors, musicians, and props. This past spring, in preparation for the highly anticipated upcoming production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in Toronto, Northstar provided the design and scaffold gear along with supervision to build the practice stage at the Elgin Theatre. Scaffold Stage Build Challenges The new practice stage required some tricky build work. The sloped floor towards existing stage and it needed to be ..read more

Northstar Access is excited to announce it is now COR Certified in Ontario! With this certification Northstar is now COR certified Canada wide. This accomplishment could not been achieved without the great effort and commitment to Health & Safety from all Northstar employees in Ontario and throughout Canada. The Certificate of Recognition (COR) program is a voluntary audit-based employer certification program intended to motivate employers to take a proactive role in occupational health and safety. COR ensures companies have a health and safety management system (HSMS) that meets all legis ..read more

Scaffold enclosures are used in a variety of situations and as the cold winter weather arrives here in Canada, more and more enclosures are being erected. Enclosing a scaffold structure offers protection from rain, snow and windchills for personnel, gear, and can prevent weather delays. But there are serious safety issues that need to be addressed when installing scaffold enclosures. Scaffold Sheeting is used for covering scaffolds and offers many jobsite benefits: Enhances the security & safety for the workers on the scaffold Serves as a climate shield to protects workers, machinery and ..read more