Materials falling from height, no matter how small, from scaffolding platforms present a serious risk and we understand the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) are becoming increasingly stringent about gaps in scaffolding platforms.
A small gap is a particular issue when Ready Lock transoms are used and where standard toe board clips are not an adequate solution leaving other, more complicated and costly ways of filling the gap such as cutting strips of board, fitting plywood or running a secondary ledger would need to be employed.
The Tamer fitting offers a cost effective, reusable solution to the toe board gap issue and is manufactured under the Forgeco/MS (Metal Spraying)-UK banner. We asked the driving force behind the development of the Tamer fitting, Nick Flynn managing director at FlynnDS Ltd. and a director of Safelinx Ltd. about the fitting’s development and properties.
“The Tamer was born from my day to day use of the Ready lock transom (Animals where I come from – hence ‘Tamer’) and being constantly frustrated by the resulting platform,” said Flynn. Although setting the toe boards at an angle seemed to work for a while, in the long run, movement on the platform led to board movement and the dreaded gap appearing time after time. I’ve never personally laid a tube in the gap but am aware of its use – again unsatisfactory,” said Flynn.
“The Tamer rids the platform of the gap and keeps the boards aligned in a simple clip design, from the few incarnations came the final design we have released into the market.”
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Flynn said that the concept was one thing, “The design process to get a cost effective yet functional product, was the real issue. Many long hours were spent in joint efforts with Matt Shore and the MS-UK development team, their overseas manufacturing group, and various Patent Attorneys before the final multipurpose design you see today was ready for launch.”
The fitting has been tried and tested on site. Flynn said, “Mark Parkin and Barry White of Tiger Scaffolding in Whitby were the guys who gave us the feedback on the design from use in their own projects. Their excellent feedback left us in no doubt to push the button on the mass production of the Tamer and release the fitting as soon as possible.”
There was more usability to the fitting, “The bonus came when we tried the Tamer on Cuplok at the Forgeco base and it fit like a glove, when using 38mm boards and intermediate transoms,” said Flynn. “The unique way in which it holds the toe board proud of the standard cleared the cups and locks again, tidying the platform beyond recognition. AT-PAC kindly offered to try the same cross system use with their Ringlock system and again the results were great.”
Flynn is confident that the Tamer fitting will at £1.45 prove its worth on site. “The primary benefits of the Tamer to the scaffold contractor are that the platform is a much more user friendly place to work,” he said. “Gaps no longer appear over time leaving the client very happy and the general appearance of the completed scaffold is improved overall. Benefits that will be felt over time are the lack of site visits to reseat or replace moving boards.”
According to Tamer fitting documentation the fitting is available exclusively from Metal Spraying (UK) Ltd and their nominated distributors.
