National training provider Boss Training Ltd has announced a partnership with PLT training to provide new facilities for trainees.
The partnership will see the relocation of Boss Training’s current Wednesbury training centre into more modern facilities at Showell Road in Wolverhampton, currently operated by PLT Training.
The move means that Wolverhampton will have a one-stop-shop for a huge variety of health and safety training courses, with Boss Training bringing its first-rate IPAF, PASMA, UKATA and CITB Training Courses to the centre. PLT Training currently offers NEBOSH, Confined Spaces, Forklift and First Aid training courses.
Boss Training Managing Director Andrew says,“We are very much looking forward to moving into such a thriving area as Wolverhampton and excited at the opportunities this will bring.“PLT are a fantastic company with a similar outlook to ourselves. With a combined 60+ years in the construction industry, we will be able to offer customers old and new an even greater level of service and a wider range of courses.”
By forming the partnership, Boss Training Ltd are bringing better facilities to their trainees, where they will deliver vital manufacturing and construction industry training.
The opportunities for upskilling staff at local firms will be improved in an area where development is on the rise.
Wolverhampton has seen a wealth of new developments in recent months, including the Brewers Yard regeneration project in Culwell Street, which will see 300 new homes for the area, the rejuvenation of Heath Town Estate where 200 new homes will be created, and eight tower blocks will be improved.
In addition, the refurbishment of Bond House will create 34 supported living apartments and services for individuals with a history of rough sleeping and homelessness.
The Showell Road training centre will provide purpose-built classrooms and fantastic transport links for people from the wider West Midlands area to access the training offered by Boss Training and PLT Training.
Boss Training will move into its new space at Showell Road on April 1st 2022.
A team of scaffolders from Brighton have shown support for Ukraine as the unprovoked war continues in the country.
Workers from Yates scaffolding have wrapped one of their latest jobs in blue and yellow netting to mirror the Ukrainian flag. The huge netting flag covers the full scaffold erected for refurbishment work on a pub in London Road, Brighton.
Credit: The Argus
Speaking to The Argus, Alfie Yates founder of Yates Scaffolding said: “A project in the centre of Brighton like that, we thought we’d do a little tribute for all the Ukrainian people living in our city.”“It’s just a nice little touch.”
The pub is one of the first landmarks people see when travelling into the city.
“We had to order the ‘Brighton stands with Ukraine’ banner on the front. But we didn’t want to upset anybody, so I did have to ask the painter and the landlord of pub, and they ok’d it and said it was really good.”Credit: The Argus
The project took approximately 12 days to complete and has already received a fantastic response from residents, and people visiting the area.
It will remain in place for around six weeks for the duration of the outer refurbishment.
Scaffolders and other construction workers in crisis are being urged to use a new free counselling service that has been set up by a national builders charity, after its inaugural Big Brew fundraising campaign raised enough cash to run the service for the next two years. Band of Builders (BoB) is reaching out to tradespeople who are experiencing anxiety, depression, loneliness, relationship issues, self-harm, feeling suicidal or any other trauma to encourage them to take the all-important first step of seeking help, which is tailored for those in the construction industry.
Tradespeople can self-refer themselves through the charity’s website and receive confidential counselling in person (dependent on location), by phone or online via a video call service such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom.
Band of Builders – a registered charity which helps members of the UK construction industry battling illness or injury through the completion of practical projects carried out by volunteers using donated materials – is also funding the training of 150 mental health awareness courses – designed primarily for builders merchants staff across the UK, as they are often the first line of support for tradespeople.
The introduction of the counselling service and the drive to make mental health awareness courses available is the charity’s response to tackling the mental health crisis within the construction industry, where the suicide rate of UK construction workers is estimated to be as high as two people every day. UK construction workers are also nearly three times as likely to die by suicide than their counterparts in other industries.
Peter Cape, Big Brew lead at Band of Builders, is keen to encourage any construction worker in need – or even an immediate family member of a tradesperson – to access help and support through the new counselling service.
“Band of Builders has a very active community of nearly 50,000 tradespeople across the UK and they share so many heartbreaking stories of people who are struggling, or facing some very serious situations,” he said. “We hope that our new counselling service can be a real lifeline for people who think they have nowhere else to turn. “Whilst there are some incredible organisations out there doing fantastic work to support people across the spectrum of mental health and wellbeing, we hope that the fact we’re a charity for builders, run by builders, might make it ever so slightly easier for people in crisis to reach out to us.”
Mr Cape also thanked all those who supported the charity’s first inaugural Big Brew event – which was sponsored by Resideo – in October 2021 which raised far more than the charity had hoped for.
“The Big Brew was conceived as a way to encourage tradespeople to open up about their mental health over a cuppa. The builders merchant sector in particular really got behind this and during the month there were nearly 200 events that were hosted across the UK,” he said. “The campaign was run in conjunction with Resideo – and events were held at the likes of Jewson, Talasey, Lords, DEWALT, Graham’s, Plumb Centre, Wolseley and many more – because we know that many tradespeople feel isolated and a visit to a merchant to get materials may be their only human interaction during a day. This is why the funding of mental health first aiders for merchants is equally as important to BoB and because counter staff will be trained to spot telltale signs of builders who are struggling. They can also talk and potentially offer support.”
The counselling service can be accessed from https://bandofbuilders.org/pages/apply-for-help and clicking the Wellbeing Service where there is more information about the service and self-referral form. This is also signposting for people in immediate crisis.
Peter added: “We’d much rather support lots of people who are in crisis, than even just one family who have been left bereaved because a tradesperson has taken their own life.”
Big Brew will be running again this October and BoB has set its sights on doubling the amount of events across the UK, so it can fund even more mental health provision for the construction industry.
Infiniti Scaffolding has kicked off 2022 with a bang winning a series of new scaffolding contracts including projects for Keepmoat Homes, Lindum Homes, and Formes Construction.
Scarborough-based Infiniti Scaffolding has won a contract to scaffold the 94-plot Phase 4 of Keepmoat Homes’ Capella 588-home new build housing development at Middle Deepdale. Infiniti has already completed three phases of the Keepmoat Homes site that is providing two-, three- and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached homes four miles from Scarborough.
In Pickering, Infiniti Scaffolding is working on a Lindum Homes site at Outgang Road for 20 new build flats, semi-detached and townhouses; while on Filey Road, Gristhorpe, the company has been contracted to provide scaffolding for 25 new build two-, three- and four-bedroom bungalows, detached and semi-detached homes, following the 41 plots of Phase 1.
“These wins are another testimony to the hard work and skill of our scaffolders and our investment in training and safety and mark a fantastic start to the new year for us, ” said Joe Naylor, director Infiniti Scaffolding.
The company has recently completed large scaffolding contracts including for Sheffield Children’s Hospital NHS Foundation, Termrim Construction in Scarborough and Filey, the Department for Works and Pensions and William Hare, the UK’s largest independent steel company.
The privately-owned business continues to have a large presence in North Yorkshire working on residential projects for householders and local tradesmen providing a fast and efficient service.
Last year Infiniti Scaffolding won a significant feather in its cap, gaining the coveted National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) Full Contractor Member accreditation, making it the only NASC-approved scaffolder within a 50-mile radius of Scarborough.
Infiniti Scaffolding directors Joe and Lisa Naylor have recently attended the NASC Spring 2022 Regional Meeting held in Durham, and this was the first Regional Meeting of 2022 and was very well attended. Lots of new projects being launched in relation to recruitment and supporting new membership schemes. Take a look at www.nasc.org.uk
As one of the UK’s access and scaffolding national trade body, NASC is regarded as a benchmark for quality, safety, and professionalism, with its accreditation accepted as the highest industry standard by the Health and Safety Executive and other government and public sector bodies.
The global scaffolding access solutions company has donated 150,000 SEK to the United Nations Refugee Agency to support Ukraine.
HAKI, known across the world from its original base in Sweden and with a site here in the UK have also released a statement reaching out to all those currently suffering in the most serious European crisis since the Second World War.
In doing so they’ve also sent out a powerful message across the industry with both operations, suppliers and transportation in mind, in the light of the Russian invasion.
HAKI CEO Thomas Schuller.
CEO Thomas Schuller exclusively revealed to us: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the humanitarian crisis in Europe has caused unspeakable suffering to innocent people with millions feeling its impact. We are very concerned about the situation in Ukraine and stand with the Ukrainian people and those around the world condemning the Russian invasion, and we support the global demands for peace.“Supply chains globally, and especially in our industry were already in disarray because of the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in massive shortages, disruptions and price inflation. The war and resulting sanctions have immediately put further strains on supply chains, prompting sky-rocketing energy prices, and even worse, fear of famine.“HAKI have no direct operations in Ukraine or Russia, and we do not procure raw material from these countries. However, we do have operations and suppliers in neighbouring nations and we are in close contact with our partners, trying to fully grasp the direct consequence of the invasion.“In the short-term HAKI has enough inventory to fulfil immediate needs and though we are looking for alternative suppliers, some disruption will be inevitable. At this point in time, it’s impossible to predict how this will affect our business in the long-term.“The war in Ukraine could drastically reshape the global transportation industry even more than the pandemic did. There will be an increased demand and limited supply that may result in goods being re-routed or having to use slower or more expensive modes of transportation.“Due to the uncertain situation, we have decided not to update our annual price list as of 1 April this year. We will keep the temporary surcharge in place reserving the right to adjust this with short notice due to the crisis.“We have made a donation of 150,000 SEK to UNHCR as a starting point, and the strong commitment and willingness to help people in need from all colleagues makes me proud as CEO.“This will have long term consequences for humans and businesses and we are carefully monitoring the situation. I ask you to stay in close contact with your HAKI representative so that we together can try to find the best solution in these turbulent times.”
For HAKI, sustainability is an integral part of their trans-global business. Always striving to provide safe and healthy working conditions, HAKI plays a key role in environmental progress and continues to strive to be a role model for high ethics and equality within the industry.
HAKI, the access solutions company, Today, in the UK, there remains not only a focus on the areas in which they operate, but also crucially in other areas where the company, as an industry leader, believes it can also have a positive impact.
Several tombs and a leaden sarcophagus likely dating from the 14th century have been uncovered after teams of scaffolders prepared to erect a huge internal scaffold for workers to rebuild the ancient church’s spire.
According to reports workers were digging the footings for the scaffold directly below the centre-spot of the spire when the tombs were discovered.
Archaeologists say the burial sites located where the transept crosses the nave are “of remarkable scientific quality.”
Among the tombs was the “completely preserved, human-shaped sarcophagus made of lead,” they said.
The coffin might have been made for “a senior dignitary” and likely dated from the 1300s — the century following the cathedral’s construction.
As well as the tombs, elements of painted sculptures were found just beneath the current floor level of the cathedral, identified as parts of the original 13th-century rood screen — an architectural element separating the altar area from the nave.
Workers at the site are currently racing against a tight deadline to reopen the devastated cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris by Easter 2024—after it was nearly destroyed in a fire sparked by an electrical short three years ago.
The benefits of Layher scaffolding systems – particularly in terms of installation efficiency and the creation of clear walkways – has been clearly demonstrated in Edinburgh.
Hard Rock Scaffolding Ltd. have made extensive use of the Layher Allround Lightweight system to provide multi-level façade access for main contractors, Graham Construction Ltd. for the new build student accommodation at Westfield Road in the city.
“The facility is designed to provide 396 rooms over seven floors, including ground level, and will be operated by Watkin Jones,” says Robert Hutchison, Graham Construction Project Manager. “The facility comprises a series of façades, many of which include recesses, so the need for the scaffolding to follow this layout is paramount and is being fully met by the Layher equipment.”
Layher’s stair access systems to all levels are designed into the structure which also benefits from the use of steel decks and toe boards throughout. Significantly, the wide choice of Layher deck designs has helped to accommodate the precise dimensions of the building, ensuring potential gaps are filled throughout.
Additionally, pedestrian walkways below on two of the adjacent main roads have been created using a combination of protective fans constructed from the Layher deck system and the company’s Protect panels to create a barrier between public access areas and the working site.
“Critically, Layher scaffolding design requires only minimal cross bracing to be installed so we have been able to include virtually clear walkways throughout,” adds George Brown, Contracts Manager at Hard Rock Scaffolding. “This is of particular note where sizeable components, such as window frames, have to be brought onto the scaffold and then moved to the correct position for fixing.” “While our scaffold systems are able to meet the installation needs of a range of structures – from bridges to industrial plants – the benefits offered are always in the spotlight with façade installations,” adds Sean Pike, Layher’s UK Managing Director.
“The installation at Westfield Road in Edinburgh is a prime example and we are delighted that the team at Hard Rock Scaffolding have been able to make full use of our Allround Lightweight system to meet clear access objectives on the project.”
A multi-disciplined roofing company has been sentenced for breaching safety regulations after an employee fell through a gap in scaffolding and sustained multiple injuries, whilst working on a building in Scarborough.
York Magistrates’s Court heard that in November 2017 a labourer working for Scarborough-based Infiniti Roofing and Construction Ltd fell three meters onto an office roof below causing injuries to his left wrist.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that when the labourer was moving insulation panels on the roof, he stumbled and fell through the gap.
Although Infiniti Roofing and Construction Ltd had taken measures to reduce the risk of a fall the scaffolding did not fully extend along the roof in the area where the insulation panels were stacked and stored.
The fall caused the labourer to sustain a dislocation to his left wrist and a broken bone in his hand which has required him to undergo several operations.
Infiniti Roofing and Construction Ltd of Cayton Low Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire pleaded guilty to breaching the Health & Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company has been fined £22,667 and ordered to pay £7,228 in costs.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Jayne Towey commented: “The accident could have been prevented if edge protection, constructed and installed to industry standards, was in place where there was a risk of a fall from height.”
The Link is one of the many residential buildings in central London undergoing remediation since the new building regulations regarding cladding were brought into action.
Scaffolding contractor, Legion Scaffolding, required access to the facades to remove and replace existing cladding. The desired access solution had to accommodate the building’s curved geometry and be mindful of spatial limitations around the site, including live traffic flow on the main road.
Following the success and speedy installation of the PERI UP Easy system on Blake Tower, Legion Scaffolding appointed PERI to supply the same façade access system on a larger scale for this project.
The solution consisted of a full wraparound, providing perimeter access across 10 levels. Varying lift heights were accommodated by integrating PERI UP Easy and PERI UP Flex components, with PERI UP Flex enabling 1m lifts for greater flexibility.
UPD 100 cover plates were used to fill voids between decks to create seamless access platforms around the curved façade.
The main benefit of the system is its advanced guardrail, which was advantageous on a project of this size. The feature, exclusive to the PERI UP Easy system, enables scaffolders to erect the guardrail for the next working level from the platform below, preventing the risk of leading edges.
Fast connections like the guardrail combined with system integration helped outperform the estimated tube and fitting assembly time by 12 weeks.
Shaun Somerton, Director of Assemble Scaffold Solutions Ltd said: “Normally we’re averaging about 10 to 13 sqm a day to install independent scaffolds with tube and fitting. With the PERI UP Easy system, we were able to erect 35 to maybe even 40 sqm a day, making all the difference to prelims and other project costs. The splay plates in the PERI UP range worked perfectly to accommodate the curved façade, allowing us to achieve a nice flush finish at the front of the building which was important considering the site’s busy location. The way the plates could be adapted and erected around corners is actually unique and something I’ve not seen anywhere else.”
The Construction Leadership Council has issued its latest statement that warns that Steel and Timber prices are set to ‘rise significantly’.
The statement confirmed, price inflation largely caused by a shortage of raw materials, rising energy, freight, and labour costs are contributing factors. But the war in Ukraine is also likely to have an impact, particularly on the supply of raw materials used in the manufacture of steel.
Bosses from the scaffolding trade body the NASC and other trade associations met earlier this week at the Build UK Trade Association Forum to discuss the crisis.
Members reported that steel and timber prices were expected to ‘rise significantly’ as a result of direct or indirect Russian links to product production.
The CLC Product Availability Group’s co-chairs released a statement on Monday that warned: “The worldwide condemnation and imposition of sanctions on Russia and Belarus in response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine will likely have enormous implications and an impact on global trade, particularly on commodities, for years to come.“The effect of the war on the building material supply in the UK is still to be determined. The region including Russia, Ukraine and Belarus accounted for only 1.25% of building products imported into the UK last year.“However, there are likely to be higher levels of direct and indirect exposure to some product components either through raw materials such as aluminium, copper, bitumen, and pig-iron and iron ore used in the manufacture of steel, or through higher prices in more exposed European markets. In addition, sanctions against individuals with links to the regime in Russia and firms with Russian ownership may affect the UK supply chain.”ALSO READ: Major UK scaffolding materials supplier takes a stand against the Russians
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