The Nexus Extreme Mips helmet is the first in the world to include the ‘ground-breaking’ Multi-directional Impact Protection System.
Working in partnership with Swedish helmet safety technology company, Mips, Centurion Safety Products has unveiled the next generation of above the neck safety technology: its cutting-edge Nexus Extreme Mips helmet.
The ground-breaking helmet is the first in the world to incorporate the Mips Elevate (cradle solution) Multi-directional Impact Protection System into an industrial hard hat that incorporates a cradle and is designed to provide increased protection against rotational motion.
Traditionally, hard hats have been designed to protect against linear impacts, however, the patented Mips technology was developed in recognition of the fact that the most common type of accident to occur on-site is a slip, trip or fall, which is much more likely to cause a rotational injury.
Mips helmet technology is based on more than 25 years of research and is already popular in the sports market, however incorporating the Mips Elevate cradle solution with Centurion’s existing Nexus product line is the first time this patented technology has been applied to an industrial hard hat.
The helmet’s launch is the product of more than three years’ work by Mips, with support from Centurion in the latter stages, studying data and industry accident statistics to develop a better understanding of the kinds of accidents occurring and the resultant head injuries.
The helmet has been designed to incorporate a four-layer cradle system, including the Mips Elevate cradle solution that builds in a low-friction layer that allows the head 10 – 15mm relative motion in all directions inside the helmet. This redirects harmful rotational motion that would otherwise be transferred to the head, potentially causing traumatic brain injury.
Commenting on the launch, Centurion CEO Nick Hurt said: “Since we began operating in 1879, Centurion’s focus has been on continually pushing the boundaries for above-the-neck safety. Our products always go above and beyond conforming to safety industry standards, and that’s why partnering with Mips to bring their technology to market felt like such a natural fit. “Working alongside Mips to bring the Nexus Extreme Mips to market has been an exceptionally exciting process for us and is just the latest step in our commitment to ensuring our safety products are market-leading. The risks associated with injuries caused by rotational impact need to be more widely understood across the safety market, and we’re delighted to be at the forefront of bringing that message to industry.”
Max Strandwitz, Mips CEO added: “We are very proud to see the launch of the Centurion Nexus Extreme Mips. Centurion is the first British manufacturer to incorporate the Mips Safety System in a hard hat, and the first company globally to incorporate the Mips ‘cradle solution’ rotational impact protection system into their safety helmets.“After evaluating European industry accident statistics and also performing real accident testing, we found that for severe head injuries, the head is often exposed to tangential forces that could transfer rotational energies to the head. Employees that are exposed to risk when working, should make it a top priority to wear the best possible head protection and add protection against rotational motion to their safety helmets.”
Major contractors are now adopting the Common Assessment Standard.
Build UK has announced that the new industry-wide pre-qualification (PQ) system is now fully up and running, simplifying a complex system for the benefit of everyone in the construction sector, they said.
The organisation hope the rollout of the Common Assessment Standard will significantly reduce the duplication of time, effort and resources that are costing the sector up to £1 billion a year.
Major contractors and clients – including Balfour Beatty, Costain, HS2, Mace, Multiplex and Skanska – have all adopted the Common Assessment Standard meaning that members of their supply chains will need to obtain just one certification to tender for work with them. This follows the recent implementation of a new data sharing solution, which enables contractors and clients to obtain key PQ data from any one of three Recognised Assessment Bodies: Achilles, CHAS or Constructionline.
The Common Assessment Standard is an industry-agreed question set with two levels of certification – desktop and site-based – and companies can apply to any Recognised Assessment Body to get the appropriate level dependent upon their trade, size and requirements of their clients.
Created by Build UK with the support of CECA, the Common Assessment Standard is endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), which is actively seeking its adoption throughout Government construction procurement, including the Construction Playbook.
Jo Fautley, Deputy Chief Executive of Build UK, said: “We’re delighted that the new system is now fully up and running and already being used by major contractors and clients. It’s been a collaborative effort, involving companies across the whole sector, and the new system is a huge step towards more efficient working, which is more important than ever in the current challenging economic climate.”
Neil Mant, Chair of the Interim Cross Industry Body, which has overseen the development of the new system, said: “The new PQ system is a huge step forward for construction. With a single Common Assessment Standard and data sharing now in place, we have not only eliminated a huge amount of costly duplication of effort but also raised the bar in assessing the competence of the supply chain. Supply chain companies will need certification from only one of the three Recognised Assessment Bodies, and contractors can continue to deal with the body they have an existing relationship with.”
Andy Mitchell, Chair of the CLC, said: “The CLC is delighted to endorse the Common Assessment Standard which is set to transform the construction PQ process. It is a real and practical way of reducing bureaucracy and improving quality in the industry and it comes at just the right time. Companies will be able to demonstrate that they meet an agreed industry standard, and clients and contractors will be able to rely on the certification. The CLC will be encouraging the adoption of the Common Assessment Standard throughout public and private sector procurement.”
A German fall protection systems manufacturer has officially opened its UK subsidiary that promises the next generation of safety products to fit the sophisticated British construction market.
Leeds based Vivatec Safety Ltd also promise to deliver faster while leaving a smaller carbon footprint than their competitors due to more local materials sourcing and one-location design, manufacturing, and testing.
The firm boasts they uniquely design, manufacture, and test all their products at their Germany factory using materials 100% sourced in Europe. The result of this they say is not just quality, but faster delivery due to not using Middle or Far East sourced materials.
Vivatec Safety’s mission is to supply its ‘next generation’ of safety products. Supplying all types of work at height and site safety products like steel mesh barriers and safety net catch fans, the company is announcing one new product and a new key development of another for their UK launch.
New Products
The VT Push UP Post saves time and creates a safer environment. Unlike other barrier posts, it doesn’t require any drilling, site operatives simply extend it from floor to ceiling in under a minute. As well as quick erection, the VT Push UP Post creates the opportunity for full height edge protection to be securely attached all the way up. The post is compatible with many different barrier manufacturers and is fully BS EN 13374 Class A compliant.
The VT Edge Protection range uniquely includes dedicated tether points on all components making the installation and dismantling much safer.
Greener
The company has challenged itself to become carbon neutral by 2025 and become not simply a construction, but environmental pioneer. All steel is at least 60% recycled. All materials are sourced from as local as possible to the company’s HQ in south-west Germany to minimise transportation. The benefit of such an approach is not just a cleaner environment, but a faster turnaround for product design and delivery.
Oliver Gwinnell, the UK Managing Director of VivaTec Safety
Oliver Gwinnell, the UK Managing Director of VivaTec Safety said, “The British market is very demanding – customers want a good price, quality materials and service, and finally speed of delivery. Everybody can claim to be the biggest, the best, the fastest. We want to be smarter for our customers and kinder to the environment.“Constant innovation is the norm. We tick this box, with the likes of the VT Push Up Post but we want to do more differentiating ourselves from our competitors. In-house design, testing and production makes better products and provides a better, faster service and at the same time is better for the environment.”
Gunnar Monheimius, VivaTec Safety GmBH Managing Director said, “I have worked with many UK construction companies over the years. It’s a very sophisticated market, ahead of the curve compared to other markets in many respects. I think the British market is a perfect fit for an engineering company like VivaTec Safety, we all know what detailed, precision people the Germans are.“German engineering is renowned throughout the World for its precision and quality, VivaTec is no different. Our mission is to create the best through constant innovation and remaining steadfast to our commitment of 100% European sourced materials, design, manufacturing, never wavering, always delivering. BMW, Audi, Mercedes…these brands inspire us, and we want to be seen as the same sort of company in the safety equipment industry. But we aren’t the petrol or diesel variants of these amazing cars. We are the future-proof, latest technology, clean and green electric roadsters.”
Gwinnell has spent two decades in fall arrest and prevention roles including Combisafe before joining Trad as National Sales Manager. Asked why VivaTec Safety were launching now in the middle of a pandemic, Gwinnell said, “VivaTec has a long-established pedigree across Europe – due to its products and its approach to the supply-chain, its staff and the environment. We are convinced the UK construction sector will grow stronger over the coming years and we want to be at the heart of it.”
System scaffold provider HAKI will be relaunching its HAKI Design Tool to further provide its customers with the very best experience when it comes to designing HAKI scaffold structures in 3D models.
The relaunch will see the HAKI Design Tool webpage refashioned into an easier-to-navigate page that hits the marks on visuals.
Modules in the cloud-based HAKI Configurator will also be updated. The HAKI Configurator is a new facility under the HAKI Design Tool umbrella that is designed for HAKI customers to better visualise and estimate their simple HAKI scaffold structures.
The latest module upgrades – including the popular HAKI Universal module – will enable immediate updates to the 3D scaffold models so that customers can design at a far quicker pace. Clients will have the possibility to export an estimated bill of materials (BoM), and will be able to export the 3D model to a 3D programme to collaborate on the model with different customers and partners.
Additionally, the HAKI Configurator tool will allow increased interaction with 3D models on the HAKI Universal module and more. In the previous iteration of HAKI Configurator, customers had to manually enter in product details to add the scaffolding. With the latest updates however, customers will only have to click on the desired system for it to appear where it needs to be on the model. This update will be hugely beneficial to HAKI Configurator users.
Commenting on the relaunch and updates, Mattias Kuduk R&D/VDC and Innovation Manager at HAKI said: “We are very excited to unveil the HAKI Design Tool webpage’s new look. The webpage will feature two main categories: HAKI Configurator and HAKI BIM. The benefits for our customers will be in terms of pace, interaction and visualisation. The biggest change will be in terms of the modules. Not only will our modules update at greater speeds, customers will be able to interact more with the 3D models.”
This is an automatic update for all current users of the HAKI Design Tool. HAKI BIM – an Autodesk Revit plugin – will also be upgraded so it is compatible with the latest Revit 2021 edition. HAKI BIM enables scaffold designers and contractors the ability to improve cost, time and project management in more complex temporary works. The accuracy of HAKI BIM minimises the risk of error to ensure scaffold solutions are safe and fit for purpose.
Altrad has appointed Simon Davies as the companies decommissioning manager, to develop its decommissioning growth strategy.
Simon joined Altrad from Veolia and brings with him a wealth of experience from the offshore and onshore decommissioning markets in both the UK and Norway.
Upon joining Altrad, Simon said “I am delighted to be joining Altrad at such an exciting period in its development and I am looking forward to using my skills to further develop Altrad’s position in decommissioning sector”.
The firm said in a press release that Simon’s appointment builds on a number of investments Altrad are making to support the delivery of its 2026 strategy – ‘It all begins with a desire to create a better tomorrow’ – which will see Altrad transform into a business that is 75% larger in 2026 than it is today.
Chris Garland, Altrad’s Director of Upstream Operations UK, Ireland & Nordics added “I am pleased to welcome Simon into Altrad, wherein he will play a leading role in further developing our decommissioning activities”.
Two construction companies have been sentenced following an incident were a plastic working platform failed and a bricklayer using the platform was injured.
Durham Crown Court heard how, on 1 July 2019, Dere Street Homes Limited was acting as principal contractor and provided components for a proprietary polypropylene working platform at a new build at Marley Fields, Wheatley Hill, County Durham.
SGS Construction & Design Limited were acting as a contractor and supplied workers to erect the working platform. The working platform failed and a worker was injured.
An investigation by the HSE found that a number of components were missing from the working platform. Although previously workers supplied by SGS were formally trained in the erection of the components to form a safe working platform, the worker who erected the failed platform had not received adequate training.
The signing off as a safe working platform had earlier been undertaken by a site manager working for Dere Street Homes. When this manager left, a number of months prior to the incident, the inspection and signing off of the working platform was no longer undertaken.
Dere Street Homes Limited of The Farm House, Hedley Hill Farm, Cornsay Colliery, County Durham pleaded guilty to breaching the CDM Regulations and was fined £38,000 and ordered to pay costs of £5,367.30.
SGS Construction & Design Limited of County Durham also pleaded guilty to breaching CDM Regulations and was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,683.60.
After the hearing, HSE principal inspector Rob Hirst commented: “Although the worker did not suffer life-changing injuries, there was a potential for more serious injury.“Those in control of work have a responsibility to ensure that workers are adequately trained, properly supervised, and work activities are appropriately monitored.”
Tony Seddon, Managing Director of FASET, the established trade association and training body for the temporary safety systems industry. Commenting on the recent accident, Tony said: “Having looked in detail at what happened at the site in County Durham it is clear that the accident didn’t occur because of a fault in the material of the platform. “This is the result of a lack of adequate training, supervision and crucial missing components. We cannot stress enough the vital importance of only ever using an installer of working platforms who is fully trained. Furthermore, the working platform must be proven and tested and it is vital never to mix components from two or more systems as this could have serious safety implications. “Ideally, we advise that contractors use a FASET-trained installer, working for a FASET Corporate Member and using a proven and tested FASET Member’s system.”
Challenges include TRAD Group CEO walking 300km during March – finishing with a marathon distance!
TRAD Group (‘TRAD’), one of the UK’s leading scaffolding and access companies, has reached a milestone in its year-long charity fundraising to mark its 50th anniversary.
As previously reported the Group is raising money for three charities chosen by its staff: MIND, MS Society and The Royal British Legion.
During the month of March, MIND is their focus charity, which is a leading Mental Health Charity. The company is particularly aware of mental health issues in the workplace – CEO Des Moore has spoken about his own experiences in the past – and so the work done by MIND for individuals and to support organisations is very important to TRAD.
During March, TRAD employees have been encouraged to undertake some personal challenges to help raise money for this important cause. Staff members have been walking, cycling and running long distances over the month, starting at 50km and rising TRAD 50K FOR 50 YEARS (paypal.com)
In fact, Des Moore, the company’s CEO set himself the target of walking 300km during the month – all whilst continuing to run the business from his lockdown home office. On Saturday 27th March, Des completes his walk with a marathon distance of just over 26 miles from start to finish in one day, and is hoping to raise some extra sponsorship by finishing with this challenge.
Des is no stranger to marathons, over 40 years ago he ran a marathon and completed it with a great time of 3 hours and 45 minutes! Unfortunately, fast approaching 65 in a couple of months however, Des thinks it’s going to take him at least twice as long to walk his marathon on Saturday.
“The past year has taken a toll on our mental health in lots of ways,” he said. “Whatever our and your circumstances are, we have all had to deal with a situation that we were completely unprepared for. There are many people who have really struggled, and will continue to struggle when Lockdown ends and are likely to for many more months to follow; therefore without charities like MIND, they can face real trouble. The work that MIND does to help individuals is invaluable, and we are proud to be supporting them through completing our own personal challenges.”
Benefitting from sponsorship for these challenges and individual donations, TRAD has already raised nearly £20k for its chosen charities. The group hopes, with the help of industry colleagues and fellow Scaffolding companies and organisations within the industry in general, that it will immeasurably reach its target of £75,000, and with the help of others even hopefully surpass it by the end of 2021.
Any support that you can provide is extremely beneficial for TRAD’s three chosen charities and you can support Mind, MS Society, The Royal British Legion, Des and the TRAD team by donating here: TRAD 50K FOR 50 YEARS (paypal.com) with the message ‘Moore’s Marathon’.
Tamworth-based NewCo Scaffolding has completed the first phase of the scaffolding works on the A52 Clifton Bridge repair scheme near Nottingham.
The company told Scaffmag its scaffolding package involved designing and erecting a tube and fitting birdcage from spans 1-3 erected from ground level. There were various interfaces with the public including a 22m beamed access scaffold over the main carriageway of the A52 Nottingham.
The second phase involved using Peri Up for the suspended sections of scaffold erected over the River Trent. The work is being carried out by a team of 10 skilled scaffolders and they are currently ahead of the original program set out by the client.
Danny Golden, commercial director at NewCo, said: “Pre-planning and attention to detail are critical parts of this contract. We developed a design with Creator, our retained design consultants, and devised a solution that is safe and efficient. During the course of the work safety management and training has been an absolute prerequisite to manage the risks of working alongside busy main roads and at height over the River Trent.”
The A52 Clifton Bridge Repairs contract is being carried out for Highways England, the main contractor is VSL Infrastructure Services and the scaffolding design for NewCo was provided by Creator Scaffold Designs. The programme runs for 52 weeks.
CITB has shelved plans to sell off the National Construction Colleges at Bircham Newton, Norfolk and Inchinnan, Glasgow after failing to find buyers.
CITB is to retain its remaining National Construction Colleges (NCC) but sale talks with a training provider will continue for Erith NCC in Kent, the training body confirmed today.
They did manage to agree on the sale of its Midlands NCC at King’s Norton to Wallsaw College in November last year.
The decision comes after three years of Vision 2020 reforms of CITB to better meet industry needs. The programme of change has seen CITB hand over direct training to other providers and give a stronger role for employers in its governance.
CITB’s administrative functions were outsourced, various card schemes were transferred to new owners or service providers, and the number of offices were reduced to one, centrally located head office in Peterborough.
CITB said: “A key commitment was to ensure that employers would continue to have training provision that was not readily available in the wider training market and it has not been possible to find suitable buyers for all the training businesses, particularly for specialist trades.CITB has had active discussions with potential buyers of these businesses for the last two years but COVID-19 has now reshaped the long-term economic landscape for everyone and meant that potential new owners were reluctant to proceed to purchase. In light of this and the commitment made that these services would not be lost, the CITB Board has decided to retain NCC East (Bircham Newton) and NCC Scotland (Inchinnan), though discussions with an alternative training provider for NCC South (Erith) will continue. CITB will also retain other training services provided remotely.”
Peter Lauener, Chair of CITB’s Board, said: “In 2017 the Government and construction industry were clear that reform of CITB had to be delivered. We committed to delivering that change while making sure that industry did not lose training capacity, especially in specialist areas, in cases where it was not possible to find a new training provider. “The Vision 2020 reforms, and other changes made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, have successfully realigned our business to make us better able to support employers investing in skills. CITB operates colleges which provide vital and valued training where we have not been able to find suitable buyers that could continue to deliver the scope of high quality training the industry needs. The continuing uncertainty is damaging for employers who need to be sure they can get their staff trained, as well as for CITB colleagues who have supported their customers and learners throughout.“The right course of action to support industry now is to provide stability and assurance. The Board has therefore decided to retain NCC East and NCC Scotland. This decision gives employers and CITB colleagues confidence and clarity and enables us to plan for the future, having realised the core ambitions of reform. We will of course keep these businesses under close review as we do for every aspect of our operation and this might lead in due course to alterations in our approach to NCC but we have no plans at present to return to market.”
CITB is gradually reopening the National Construction Colleges (NCCs) in England as per Government guidelines, with apprentices being welcomed back from the week beginning 22 March. NCC Scotland (Inchinnan) remains closed for face-to-face learning though the intention is to reopen in April.
The HSE is working with Manchester City Council to carry out spot check calls, visits and inspections on businesses in Manchester to check they have COVID-secure measures in place.
To protect workers, visitors and customers, businesses must make sure they have put measures in place and everyone is following them to manage the risk from coronavirus.
HSE will be calling and visiting businesses from all different sectors in the area to check they are following the government guidelines, this will be starting today (Monday 22 March.)
These inspections will focus on office workspaces in the centre of Manchester. HSE will work alongside local authority health and safety officers, to effectively assess the COVID-secure measures in place to protect workers.
Manchester City Councillor, Councillor Bev Craig, Executive Member for Adult Health and Wellbeing, said: “We will be talking to local businesses and visiting and inspecting sites across Manchester to understand how they are managing risks in line with their specific business activity.
“All business should have COVID-secure measures in place. It is a legal duty for businesses to protect their workers and others from harm and this includes taking reasonable steps to control the risk and protect people from coronavirus.“This means making business adjustments to be COVID-secure. We advise employers to work with their employees when implementing changes, to help increase confidence with workers, customers and the local community.“As changes come throughout the next few months and businesses reopen, our responsibility is to make sure that all measures continue to be taken to keep workers safe as they return to the workplace. Following the government roadmap, we can see how Manchester can and will reopen safely.”
Being COVID-secure means businesses need to keep up-to-date with the latest guidance and put measures in place to manage the risk and protect workers, visitors and customers.
During the calls and visits, HSE provides advice and guidance, but where businesses are not managing the risk, immediate action will be taken.
Angela Storey, Director of Transformation and Operational Services at HSE, said: “Across the country we are working with local authorities, like Manchester City Council, to check businesses are COVID-secure and providing guidance and advice where needed.“Our spot checks and inspections support the cross-government work in helping employers and employees at work during the pandemic.“All workplaces are in scope for spot checks which means businesses of any size, in any sector can receive an unannounced check from HSE or an inspection from the local authority, to check they are COVID-secure.“If you are contacted by the HSE or your local authority, please engage with us.“By making sure that businesses have measures in place to manage the risks, we can benefit the health of local communities as well as support the local and national UK economy.”
Ensure your workplace is safe by following the guidance on being COVID-secure. Further information on spot checks and inspections are available on the HSE website.
The helmet has been designed to incorporate a four-layer cradle system, including the Mips Elevate cradle solution that builds in a low-friction layer that allows the head 10 – 15mm relative motion in all directions inside the helmet. This redirects harmful rotational motion that would otherwise be transferred to the head, potentially causing traumatic brain injury.
Commenting on the launch, Centurion CEO Nick Hurt said: “Since we began operating in 1879, Centurion’s focus has been on continually pushing the boundaries for above-the-neck safety. Our products always go above and beyond conforming to safety industry standards, and that’s why partnering with Mips to bring their technology to market felt like such a natural fit.
“Working alongside Mips to bring the Nexus Extreme Mips to market has been an exceptionally exciting process for us and is just the latest step in our commitment to ensuring our safety products are market-leading. The risks associated with injuries caused by rotational impact need to be more widely understood across the safety market, and we’re delighted to be at the forefront of bringing that message to industry.”
Max Strandwitz, Mips CEO added: “We are very proud to see the launch of the Centurion Nexus Extreme Mips. Centurion is the first British manufacturer to incorporate the Mips Safety System in a hard hat, and the first company globally to incorporate the Mips ‘cradle solution’ rotational impact protection system into their safety helmets.
“After evaluating European industry accident statistics and also performing real accident testing, we found that for severe head injuries, the head is often exposed to tangential forces that could transfer rotational energies to the head. Employees that are exposed to risk when working, should make it a top priority to wear the best possible head protection and add protection against rotational motion to their safety helmets.” 
The VT Push UP Post saves time and creates a safer environment. Unlike other barrier posts, it doesn’t require any drilling, site operatives simply extend it from floor to ceiling in under a minute. As well as quick erection, the VT Push UP Post creates the opportunity for full height edge protection to be securely attached all the way up. The post is compatible with many different barrier manufacturers and is fully BS EN 13374 Class A compliant.
The VT Edge Protection range uniquely includes dedicated tether points on all components making the installation and dismantling much safer.
The A52 Clifton Bridge Repairs contract is being carried out for Highways England, the main contractor is VSL Infrastructure Services and the scaffolding design for NewCo was provided by Creator Scaffold Designs. The programme runs for 52 weeks. 
