London tower crane collapse kills woman

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London tower crane collapse kills woman

A woman was pronounced dead and four people were injured after a tower crane suddenly collapsed onto a row of houses in east London yesterday.

The 20-meter tower crane was working on a construction site when it came crashing down onto nearby houses in Bow, east London. A woman was found dead on the first floor of one of the houses hit by the crane, London Fire Brigade confirmed. Firefighters attended the science and spent several hours freeing people trapped inside the demolished buildings. Assistant Commissioner for London Fire Brigade Graham Ellis said: “A 20-metre crane collapsed onto a block of flats under development and into two terraced houses on Compton Close. “Our Urban Search & Rescue crews undertook a complex rescue operation and used specialist equipment to search the properties.
tower crane collapse London
Image credit: Sky News
“Sadly one woman died at the scene. The London Ambulance Service have confirmed that two people were taken to hospital with head injuries and a further two were treated at the scene.” The crane was being used by Swan Housing Association/NU Living on the construction of social housing. Swan Housing Association said: “Swan/NU living are saddened by an incident at our Watts Grove site today. Our thoughts are with those affected at this difficult time. We thank the emergency services & everyone for their dedicated response. Our staff are supporting this emergency and the investigation.”

Unite calls for an urgent investigation

Jerry Swain, The national officer for construction at the Unite the union, said: “Yet again we have seen a crane collapse on a construction site. Our thoughts are with those injured in this accident and we hope that no one has been seriously injured and that there has been no loss of life. “Unite is in the process of contacting the company to discover more details about this accident. There must be an urgent, full and complete investigation into the circumstances that led to this accident. The preliminary findings of which must be released in weeks, rather months or years, in order to ensure that similar accidents are avoided in the future.”

NASC Backs Talent Retention Scheme

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NASC Backs Talent Retention Scheme

NASC has welcomed the launch of the Construction Talent Retention Scheme, which will help keep scaffolding workers in the industry.

The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) have said it backs the new scheme which was in today’s announcement by Chancellor Rishi Sunak. The scheme aims to protect jobs in the construction sector and will match workers displaced as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic with employers seeking new staff.

David Mosley, NASC Training Director, said: “The NASC wholeheartedly welcomes the introduction of the Talent Retention Scheme.

“Considering the time and investment our sector puts into creating a fully-trained and competent workforce it would be disastrous to lose such skilled workers at this challenging time. We will be encouraging our members to make full use of all of the support available.”

The Scheme, which will formally launch later this month, will be an online portal that supports redeployment of staff at risk of redundancy across the sector, while also enabling temporary employee loans between businesses.

The not-for-profit programme now has funding secured until the end of the financial year, providing a free online platform for any organisation looking to hire, while ensuring that candidates’ skills and experience are given a prominent platform within the industry.

Businesses can register their interest in the scheme at: www.trs-system.co.uk/construction

£1,000 payout for each worker brought off furlough

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£1,000 payout for each worker brought off furlough

The Chancellor has today unveiled plans to retain UK construction jobs and help to get youngsters into the industry.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has promised UK firms a £1,000 payout for bringing each staff member back into work and off furlough. The money will be paid out to businesses who still have the furloughed staff in full-time work at the end of January 2021. Sunak also set out plans to encourage construction firms across the board to take on more young people. He pledged to subsidise six-month work placements for people on Universal Credit aged between 16 and 24. He told MP’s in the commons firms are set to receive a grant of £6,500 for each new placement. Furthermore, the Chancellor promised to provide employers with £2,000 for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, over 25 employers will receive £1,500. Eligible employers must hire the apprentices between August this year and January 2021.

Demo trade body launches new safety guidance video for scaffolding

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Demo trade body launches new safety guidance video for scaffolding

National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) has produced a scaffolding safety guidance video for demolition contractors.

The video published today aims to predominately educate demolition contractors and comes in response to a spate of demolition related scaffolding incidents in 2019. The NFDC has worked with a team of experts including the NASC to create the seven-minute-long animated video. The film shows a walk-through and thought-provoking process to follow when determining risk control measures. Clarifying the purpose of scaffold in demolition, it also explores the hazards and alternatives to be considered to reduce or eliminate risks. NFDC has said it’s distributing the new video guidance to its membership of 145 UK demolition contractors and made available to anybody working in demolition via the Federation’s website. Spearheading the new Safety Guidance initiative is Nick Taylor, Demolition Director at McGee, an NFDC member company with over 60 years of demolition expertise and thousands of demolition projects successfully delivered. Following an incident on site in 2019, the team at McGee have played an instrumental role in the production of new best practice guidance. Nick Taylor commented, “Safety in our industry is paramount, which is why it’s critical that on the extremely rare occasion an incident occurs, we all learn from them. Not just demolition engineers but an industry as a whole. The comprehensive NFDC video guidance for Use of Scaffold in Demolition has been developed with a team of experts including the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) and other NFDC accredited demolition contractors. It is our aim to circulate the new guidance as far and wide as possible, in order that future incidents may be prevented.” Howard Button, CEO at NFDC, summed up; “This video guidance is another excellent deliverable in NFDC’s Safety Guidance series and I would like to thank all those who have played a role in its development. The Federation is committed to increasing the sharing of knowledge and best practice with the wider demolition industry through the provision of quality safety guidance that helps contractors to assess and reduce risk when carrying out demolition works. A written guidance will follow in due course.”

What is going up, down under?

Simon Boyes
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What is going up, down under?

Since the beginning of time, scaffolding has been used around the world to provide safe access for multiple uses.  We venture ‘down under’ to understand the Australian market landscape to understand who and what is driving the market, Simon Boyes reports.

The Australian Scaffolding Industry is on the verge of a technology boom that is going to change the industry forever. Like most other service-based trades around the world, the scaffolding market has been left behind in the technology and manufacturing boom that we have seen over the last decade. Old fashioned materials and methodologies that have been used since the beginning of time are still being used across the world and the scaffolding industry in Australia is no different. But that is all about to change…..

The Australian market

Being hidden away (down under) from the rest of the world without direct connection to other countries, can be both positive and negative regarding industry growth and evolution.  The Australian market continues to grow and is projected to increase from $1.19 billion industry in 2018 to $1.56 billion in 2025. It is dominated by multi-national companies who hold a combined market share of approximately 48%.  The smaller scaffolding companies (0-15 employees) hold the second largest market share with 33%. The rest are made up of mid to large size companies that are multi-disciplined trades, and scaffolding is just one of the services they offer. Historically, the Australian market has been dominated by larger national or multi-national companies who have the resources and financial support to deliver larger projects. Often, smaller companies were overlooked or viewed as high risk to work on larger projects.  Over the last 5 years, smaller companies have found ways to evolve their businesses and offer alternate services (or solutions) by finding new ways to solve old problems. By harnessing technology and innovative methodologies, the smaller companies have been able to evolve faster and are more flexible than the larger companies who are traditionally very structured and systemised.

Systems of choice

The introduction of new scaffolding systems and new materials is changing the approach of not only the scaffolding companies but also the approach of their clients.  As a result of a combination of the GFC hangover and now the COVID-19 pandemic, the customers are now looking to the scaffolding contractor to tell the customer the best way to deliver the project and suggest ways to reduce costs and installation timelines.   The mindset of the industry is slowly evolving from the traditional Contractor VS Sub-Contractor mentality to a partnership approach where both businesses are mutually invested to achieve the best outcome for the project. Kwikstage type scaffolding is still the most used system in the country, accounting for over 80% of the total market usage.  The residential and small commercial markets are dominated by Kwikstage contractors. However, there is an increasing appetite on the larger (often more complex) commercial projects to use At-Pac or similar ring-type scaffolding systems.  The industrial sector (mining, oil & gas) is serviced by a combination of different scaffolding systems, however, Layher is the most used for complex projects. The Peri Up range of products is beginning to increase its market use, especially when combined with its formwork systems. There will also be a place in the market for Tube & Couplers, however, it is becoming less and less common. With 3D printing and other modern manufacturing techniques already being used across other industries, the coming years will begin to see the introduction of new lighter and stronger products made from different materials and properties.  

What the future holds

The best part about a career in scaffolding is you can’t replace the human element of the trade with machines or robots.  If you could, then you wouldn’t use scaffolding in the first place. In many instances, the use of boom lifts, scissor lifts and cranes are not the most practical way to access the work front and scaffolding is the best option.  What we will see though, is more and more mechanical aids to help with materials handling, such as hoists, lifts, and other robotic equipment to help deliver the scaffolding components to the work front. The biggest risk in the scaffolding industry always has been and always will be human error.  It is the biggest risk but also the biggest asset. You can never replace the human mind and the ability to think outside the square to come up with the best outcome in different situations.  Scaffolding projects often change and evolve over the course of the installation and robots can’t think outside of what they have been programmed to do. So, for now, our jobs are safe, but evolution is coming and if we don’t move with the times and harness the technological boom, we will be left behind wondering what happened to our industry and our jobs.

PERI UK bags scaffolder training accreditation

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PERI UK bags scaffolder training accreditation

PERI UK has received CISRS accreditation for its first-ever scaffolder training facility.

PERI’s Construction Training Academy, at its newly redeveloped office in Brentwood, has been awarded its CISRS accreditation. This will mean that the centre, which is the UK subsidiary’s first-ever training facility dedicated to scaffolding and formwork, will have the capacity to deliver all of PERI’s scaffolding training courses under one roof.

PERI says this is a big milestone for the company and believes its Construction Training Academy will enable it to address and support the demand for skilled workers in the industry, ensuring the UK remains a leader in scaffolding training.

The company’s commitment to the scaffolding sector has already involved collaborations with industry partners and customers to deliver some of the sector’s most sought-after courses, such as the BASE, and Inspection course.

The accreditation is timely, as scaffolding trainees will receive a comprehensive learning experience within the latest social distancing guidelines. With a 600 sq m footprint, the training facility provides a generous space for scaffolders to train safely, without compromising how on-site scaffolding scenarios are replicated.

The stand-out feature of the facility is its 15m-high exposed concrete wall built using PERI systems, reminding visitors of the seamless integration between PERI’s system scaffolding and its formwork components.

Although purpose-built to support increasing demand in the south region, the facility is equipped to meet a variety of training requirements for customers around the UK.

Training Academy Manager, Mark Holmes, said: “We are very excited to be able to offer the same high-quality course content we have delivered so far, now in our very own training facility. It’s a fantastic opportunity for PERI to be able to deliver its scaffolding expertise alongside its formwork offering, making trainees aware of just some of the benefits of our systems.

Receiving accreditation means we can now focus on customising our training services, with the support of our fully-equipped facility, to ensure we deliver an experience our customers will benefit from the most.”

48.3 Increases North UK Market Share After Acquiring Alwyn Richards Ltd

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48.3 Increases North UK Market Share After Acquiring Alwyn Richards Ltd

Market-leading temporary works specialist 48.3 has just announced its acquisition of South Yorkshire-based scaffolding and temporary works design consultancy, Alwyn Richards Ltd.

Following 48.3’s merger with Richter just 12 months ago, this latest business expansion is yet another strong development for the 48.3 brand. 48.3 – which celebrated its 10-year anniversary earlier this year – has long maintained its drive to transform the landscape of the scaffolding industry. With multiple offices conveniently located across the UK, 48.3 provides fully integrated temporary and permanent works design services across the nation, leveraging additional resources and service offerings from powerhouse parent company, Richter Associates. Alwyn Richards Ltd is a well-established scaffolding and temporary works design consultancy which has been in operation since 1998. Its working portfolio includes impressive projects for well-known clients such as ITV – specialist film sets for TV programme ‘Emmerdale’, BAE Systems – scaffolding for an astute class submarine project, and Shell International – multi-level scaffolding access for its FPSO (floating production, storage & offloading) vessel in the Niger Delta.  This strategic acquisition will enable 48.3 to strengthen and expand its market share in the North UK region, where Alwyn Richards’ presence and success has always been substantial. The unrivalled network that Alwyn Richards Ltd’s Managing Director, Alwyn Richards, has established throughout his long-standing career will bring invaluable growth opportunities to the ambitious engineers at 48.3.   Alwyn will be joining the 48.3 team on a permanent basis bringing with him nearly 50 years of industry experience, knowledge and expertise. As part of his role at 48.3, Alwyn will deliver valuable mentorship and training to colleagues, in line with 48.3’s dedication to developing the next generation of design engineers. “Having been in the industry since 1973 and after building Alwyn Richards Temporary Work Design from the ground up, I am extremely proud that the business is joining forces with an industry leader such as 48.3. I am completely confident that all of our clients will prosper with the direction that 48.3 will guide them in,” comments Alwyn. “I’m thoroughly looking forward to working with the innovative team behind 48.3 and helping to develop the next generation of leading temporary works engineers.” Due to their close proximity, over the coming months the Alwyn Richards office will be merged into 48.3’s Leeds branch. The team will be overseen by 48.3 Director, Ivik Masek, who spent nearly 10 years as a Design Engineer at Alwyn Richards Ltd. The two companies have a proven track record of collaborations in the past, with Alwyn Richards using 48.3’s reputable design checking services on various projects. This well-established working relationship is something that will benefit all parties involved during the business merging process. “This is a really significant move for us, Alwyn is one of the pillars of our industry and has an unrivalled depth and breadth of experience in his field. He will offer tremendous value to our team and our clients as we utilise his experience in delivering our design solutions, training and team development,” comments Ben Beaumont, 48.3 Managing Director, who started his career with Alwyn Richards Ltd in 2004. Roger Tice, Managing Director of Richter Associates and a Director of 48.3 added: “Alwyn Richards’ integration into our business will be an entirely seamless process due to the values we both believe in and a working culture we are both proud of. This is a fantastic opportunity for both clients and the team; our newly-welcomed clients will profit from a more versatile range of fully-integrated services and expertise, whilst our expanded team will benefit from the sharing of knowledge and best practice.” 48.3 will be keeping the industry updated of more details on this acquisition from their LinkedIn page.

No Freeze On Kindness in Watford

Grahame Anderson
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No Freeze On Kindness in Watford

A scaffolding company is continuing to mark out their cones in the new spirit of giving following the coronavirus pandemic.

During the recent UK heatwave, Hertfordshire based scaffolding firm Watford Scaffolding Ltd wanted to thank the fantastic NHS by hiring an Ice Cream van and dish out free Ice Creams to NHS Keyworkers. Managing Director Tony Shehu takes up the story: “We’d been looking for local charities that we could help during this difficult time. With the recent heatwave, we decided upon an Ice Cream giveaway to the local hospital nearest our yard, Watford General Hospital. “Having decided, we started to look into the logistics of this and how it could be organised. We contacted Watford General on Wednesday 24th June and spoke to a lady called Zoe Nicholls, the PA to Charity Director, who made all kinds of enquiries before giving us permission to make the necessary arrangements.  “We were aware the weather would be at its hottest on the Thursday so made last-minute arrangements with Mister Creamy Ice Cream Van Hire. He was very helpful and held all the relevant Insurances and Hygiene ratings required. The following day from noon he’d be able to supply a  pre-paid number of ice creams to NHS key workers. Arrangements were finalised with all parties concerned and everyone was looking forward to a successful day.” Then at 5pm it seemed their plans had been licked somewhat when Zoe contacted their offices to explain they were unable to accept ice creams unless ‘it was a Level 3 Heatwave’. At that time the temperature stood at level two. Disappointed but undaunted, the company cancelled arrangements for the following day. This is Britain of course, and wouldn’t you know it – nature was set to play a helping hand with our inconsistent weather. Tony added: “At 9.00 am on Thursday morning a lady called Freya Hollingsworth called from Watford General explaining we had now hit a Level 3 heatwave, and could they please rebook the Ice Creams. Next step … back to Mister Creamy who so kindly managed once again to refit us into his schedule. We attended Watford General Hospital that afternoon and gave away more than 600 ice creams to the NHS Workers – a great response from everybody.” There are certainly no coneheads at Watford Scaffolding, so given their previous success, it was time to visit the other two sites of NHS West Herts. This time both St Albans City Hospital and Hemel Hempstead Hospital were the lucky recipients the next day to the tune of 600 more ice cream treats. And at no risk of ‘flaking out’, the team also managed to pop into one of their own sites to help cool the cream of their tradesmen at Watford Cross, Weston Homes. Tony said: “This has been a very difficult time for us all, we consider ourselves very lucky to be in the position to help these wonderful people who have put themselves at risk to care for others.  “To highlight our thanks for the NHS, we have had a batch of “Thank You NHS” signboards made up. These are now adorning all our live jobs.” Well, you know what they say – ‘charity begins at cone’ – or is that home? Well done Watford Scaffolding Ltd.

HSE: Death rate in construction on the rise

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HSE: Death rate in construction on the rise

Latest statistics from the Health and Safety Executive reveal death rates in construction have increased.

The figures show 40 construction site workers were killed as a result of injures sustained while at work in the year to 31st March 2020. The sector is one of the few industries that saw an increase in the results and is 22% above the record low of 31 seen in 2019/19. Although construction has the largest share of deaths the HSE says that over the last five years the number has fluctuated. The annual average for the past five years is 37. But the annual average rate over the last five years in construction is around 4 times as high as the all industry rate. The three most common causes of fatal injuries continue to be; workers falling from height (29), being struck by a moving vehicle (20) and being struck by a moving object (18), accounting for 60 per cent of fatal injuries in 2019/20. Following the release, HSE’s chief executive, Sarah Albon, said: “No one should be hurt or killed by the work they do. In these extraordinary times, we have seen many workers risking their lives to help others during the coronavirus outbreak. Although these statistics are not a reflection on Covid-19 related loss of life, it is a pertinent time to reflect. “Every workplace fatality is a tragedy and while we are encouraged by this improvement, today’s statistics is a reminder that we cannot become complacent as we look to continue to work together to make Great Britain an even safer place to live and work.”

Latest SOP version says site canteens can reopen

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Latest SOP version says site canteens can reopen

Belly busting breakfasts are back after the CLC publishes its latest version of the Site Operating Procedures, allowing site canteens to reopen.

In line with the recent government’s revision to social distancing guidance, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published Version 5 of its coronavirus Site Operating Procedures (SOP). Although minimal changes in other areas from Version 4 the latest SOP version has given the all-clear for contractors to reopen site canteens across Britain. Previously, unless workers were attending large remote sites the majority of smaller site canteens were closed across the construction industry when the lockdown came in. Now hungry workers can rejoice with the news that they can use the site canteen, but a checklist of rules must be observed by sites according to the CLC.
  1. Consider increasing the number or size of facilities available on site if possible
2. The capacity of each canteen or rest area should be clearly identified at the entry to each facility, and where necessary attendants provided to supervise compliance with social distancing measures 3. Break times should be staggered to reduce congestion and contact at all times 4. Drinking water should be provided with enhanced cleaning measures of the tap mechanism introduced 5. Frequently clean surfaces that are touched regularly, using standard cleaning products e.g. kettles, refrigerators, microwaves 6. Hand cleaning facilities or hand sanitiser should be available at the entrance to any room where people eat and should be used by workers when entering and leaving the area 7. A distance of two metres, or one metre with risk mitigation where two metres is not viable, should be maintained between users. Seating and tables should be reconfigured to reduce face to face interactions 8. All rubbish should be put straight in the bin and not left for someone else to clear up 9. Tables should be cleaned between each use 10. Crockery, eating utensils, cups etc. should not be used unless they are disposable or washed and dried between use 11. Payments should be taken by contactless card wherever possible 12. Canteen staff should wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling food 13. Canteen staff and workers may use the same rest areas if they apply the same social distancing measures 14. Consider arrangements for monitoring compliance. Download Site Operating Procedures Version 5
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