New guidance from PASMA is helping managers and health & safety professionals keep scaffold tower users safe during the coronavirus outbreak, whether they’re off on a training course or using towers in the workplace.
In the new document released free-of-charge to the industry, PASMA offers its advice on the challenges being faced by those responsible for the health and safety of tower users as they plan a return to work.
The guidance also covers issues such as how long the virus lasts on aluminium, how rescue plans will be affected, and how workers can avoid passing instruction manuals around.
“We recommend ways to assemble a tower while keeping your distance from everyone else, suggesting that the most reliable method could be buying or hiring one-person towers, which are specially designed to be built and dismantled by one individual working alone,” PASMA said.
As training starts to resume in some areas, PASMA has also addressed the need for people to be protected from coronavirus during their course.
“We’ve taken the opportunity to reassure managers of the protective measures they can expect to be in place during these vital courses, from e-learning to increased hygiene and cleaning. We also explain how PASMA cardholders can get an extension if their qualification is due to expire before it’s safe for them to visit a training centre.”
Roger Verallo, PASMA Chairman and Managing Director of Euro Towers, added: “Keeping tower users safe now means protecting them from coronavirus as well as falls and other injuries. Businesses are facing the unprecedented challenge of getting people safely back to work during a pandemic.
Scaffold towers are only a small part of what they’ve got to consider, but scaffold towers are what PASMA knows best. We realised we could use our expertise to support all those whose workers will be heading back up towers and need to ensure every safety angle is covered.”