Time to have your say on the future of the scaffolding industry, says trade body
The Scaffolding Association has made a plea to the industry, to participate fully in CITB consultation on National Occupational Standards and specific Training Standards.
A leading trade body for the scaffolding sector, the Scaffolding Association is making a strong plea to its members and the wider industry, to fully participate in the CITB consultation on the review of the current National Occupational Standards as they affect the scaffolding industry.Time is short
All offers of support for the consultation need to be registered with the CITB by Friday 20th September. All companies that believe they have a valid input to defining the new industry standards, or who simply have views they wish to express about the current standards and how they might be improved in the years ahead, need to go to the CITB web site and complete a brief form that confirms how you or your company wish to be involved in the process. The Scaffolding Association’s Head of External Affairs is Stacey Underhill: “This consultation process is vital for our industry sector and gives everyone involved in it the chance to contribute to improving the quality of scaffolders that the existing programmes produce. For those who don’t believe the current standards are fit for purpose, this is their chance to refocus, redefine and upgrade the standards that underpin our sector. But, if industry don’t take part, they cannot complain if the outcome of these consultations results in standards that we all feel are too low, poorly targeted and likely to give rise to more problems and on-going issues within the sector.” It’s clearly vital that the standards set by the CITB to judge training and competency in the sector are fit for purpose. They will only be so if the experts in the industry stand up and are counted when the discussions take place. The process involves both online consultation with those registering their interest in helping to improve standards, and through steering groups that will meet and discuss the issues raised through the consultation process. Rob Candy, Chief Executive of the Scaffolding Association, is keen to see as many businesses in the industry as possible on the steering groups to ensure that they have their voices heard: “Of course being involved in this process will require some time and effort, but it would be criminal if we do not share our views as a sector, argue for what we want to see changed and continue to raise industry standards.. There are a number of options for people in the industry to get involved and I am issuing a plea to everyone in the industry to take advantage of this opportunity to make things better for the sector. We need to have a range of individuals from the sector willing to stand up for the changes we need to see, including individuals that may not have been involved in this kind of process before. It’s so important that it’s not just the usual voices that we hear. This is the time for everyone to make themselves heard..” The first action required is for all those in the sector willing to be involved register: www.citb.co.uk/standards-and-delivering-training/training-standards/consultation-form-for-standards and complete their details, followed by ticking all the boxes on the form that cover how they can be involved. It’s vital that there is representation from every level of the industry to ensure that the requirements of all participants – from the major national players to the small regional ones – are represented. “It really is vital that as many people from the scaffolding industry as possible get involved in these consultations,” repeats Stacey Underhill. “It’s our chance to have a say and change things for the better for the next five years. Please support your industry and get involved so that we can improve our sector in a way that sees it moving forward.”Worker dies in scaffold ladder fall
A contractor has been fined after an employee fell to his death from a ladder while exiting a scaffold at Jute Street, Aberdeen.
Aberdeen Sheriff Court heard that on 21 September 2016, Joseph Kane, an employee of roofing contractor Henderson and Aitken Limited fell from the top rungs of a ladder when it slipped sideways on the scaffold. Mr Kane died of multiple injuries. The scaffolding had been erected by the roofing firm and the ladder was tied, using a blue nylon cord, to the scaffold ledger at only the left stile. An HSE inspector that carried out the investigation estimated the lateral movement of the ladder due to the lack of fixings was approximately 20cm. HSE found that Henderson and Aitken Limited employee had erected the scaffold even though he was not a qualified or competent scaffolder. He had been asked to do this by the company director who was aware he was unqualified. The director then allowed three people to access the scaffold. The scaffold was not erected to the correct standard.
Henderson and Aitken Limited, Aberdeen, pleaded guilty to breaching the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Sections of HSWA and was fined £53,000.
Speaking after the hearing HSE Principal Inspector Niall Miller said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known.
“This tragic and preventable death highlights the need for those undertaking work at height to ensure that it is carried out safely, that industry guidance is followed and that the relevant regulations are complied with. It is vitally important that those planning and arranging for such work give sufficient regard to the risks posed to workers and members of the public through their actions.” CITB issues scaffolding training update
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has issued an update on its scaffolding training reform progress.
The CITB has highlighted its commitment to ensuring that the construction sector maintains access to a good supply of skilled scaffolders in the wake of the transfer of its training establishment to alternative training providers, as part of its reform programme, Vision 2020. CITB’s reform program ‘Vision 2020’ aims to streamline the business, it included the closure of the Bircham Newton Construction College in Norfolk which trained thousands of scaffolders over its 50-year history. Graham McPhail, CITB Head of Education and Training, said: “CITB has been working with the training sector to secure alternative scaffolding training providers for the National Construction College. “We are fully committed to ensuring the continuity of scaffolding training while we negotiate agreements that will be for the good of the wider construction industry. We have been working closely with CISRS to provide reassurance that no scaffolding training capacity or quality will be lost in delivering this commitment as part of our reform programme.” David Mosley, NASC Training Director and CISRS Managing Director, said: “Both NASC and CISRS have been working closely with CITB over the last 12 months to ensure the scaffolding provision at NCC continues as normal. We would like to reassure the Scaffolding sector that CITB has made a commitment to us – and the wider industry – that no training capacity or quality would be lost as a result of their Vision 2020 programme and we are certain that remains the case. “It is essential to ensure the existing high standards are maintained throughout and training courses continue to be available until the alternative provision has been established.”Worlds biggest crane starts work at Hinkley Point
‘Big Carl’ The world biggest crane has been shipped over from Belgium to help build the new power station.
Construction work at Hinkley Point in Somerset is now well underway, with thousands of workers building a new EDF power station at the site. But amongst the people, vehicles and machines at the site, one structure is dominating the Somerset skyline. The worlds biggest crane, the Sarens SGC-250 (or ‘big Carl’ as it has affectionately been called) was shipped over to the site from Ghent in Belgium to assist in the construction. Although it it does not have the traditional look of a crane, Big Carl is a monster of a machine.
No edge protection lands roofers in court
Both partners of a roofing firm have been sentenced after working unsafely on a Bowls Club in Salisbury.
Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard how between April and May 2018 employees of CB Roofing were seen working on the roof with unsafe access, no edge protection and nothing to prevent falls through the fragile roof material. An investigation by the HSE found that the partners failed to ensure that the work at height was properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely. Philip Robert Stanley Spring of Blyth Way, Salisbury pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and has received a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, in which time he must undertake 250 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1836.31. Christopher James Barham of Hughendon Manor, Salisbury also pleaded guilty to breaching Regulations of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and has received a six-month custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, in which time he must undertake 250 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay costs of £1836.31. Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Sue Adsett said: “Falls from height remain one of the most common causes of work-related injuries in this country and the risks associated with working at height are well known. “Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards.”‘That’s a Wrap’ – Generate more money from your scaffolding
Building wraps are becoming big business which scaffolding contractors like yourselves are perfectly positioned to take advantage of. By teaming up with Lavastar, you can begin offering building wraps to all of your clients, making their lives easier and earning you more money.
We offer an attractive commission rate and do all of the work ourselves, all you need to do is plug our figures into your tenders and reap the rewards.
What is a building wrap?
A building wrap is a large printed banner which covers the exterior a scaffolding. The banner is fixed into position and then stretched tight around the scaffold, creating an impressive drum-skin-like finish. Building wraps fix to an additional framework which can be installed onto any type of scaffolding. The banners are printed on a mesh or solid PVC material, depending on the application, and have an endless range of design possibilities.
There are a number of reasons that your client may want to install a building wrap onto their scaffolding. To list only a few advantages, building wraps:
- Hide ongoing works behind the scaffolding
- Improve the presentation of the site
- Reduce noise coming from within the site
- Reduce dust escaping from inside the site
- Create space for advertisement and branding
- Improve considerate contractor scheme rating
- Protect the site from harsh weather conditions
Our method
Lavastar offers a simple pricing structure based on the size of the building wrap, meaning you can provide accurate estimates right from the word go. Should your client be interested in a building wrap based on these estimates, we can conduct an unbranded site survey completely free of charge. This allows us to take all the necessary measurements and calculate the exact cost for you to present to your client. At this point, we can also make suggestions on how to maximise the visual impact of your building wrap should you wish to pass this information on.
Once costs are approved, Lavastar take care of everything in house. To give you an idea of what goes into a building wrap, we would typically:
- Produce a design for the additional framework which will house the banner
- Provide wind loading calculations to ensure the scaffold can support the banner
- Install the framework to the existing scaffolding
- Liaise with marketing departments to produce designs free of charge
- Print the banner in-house using ultra UV-resistant inks
- Provide detailed risk assessments and method statements
- Install the banner
Make more from your projects by offering the services of Lavastar
It is becoming increasingly popular for contractors to combine their services in order to boost each others businesses. By offering our services, you are able to upsell your product and make each project more profitable.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have a project you would like us to get involved in, call 01252 850818 or email [email protected]. You can also visit our website, www.lavastar.co.uk, where you can view some of our previous building wraps.
View Lavastars Directory listing here
Palmers bags Heathrow Design & Quality Award
Palmers Scaffolding UK has been awarded a Balfour Beatty Design & Quality Award for its complex work at Heathrow Airport T4 roof lights project.
Palmers Airport Divisional Manager, Tony Mileham was presented with the award by Balfour Beatty’s Aviation Framework Director, Paul Woodhams (& Steve Collinson, Head of Integrated Services Heathrow), at a supply chain event with 70+ delegates recently.
Tony Mileham said: “We are very pleased to receive such a great award in a sea of quality sub contractors and amongst many top projects at T4 – and especially as the award is for design quality, which is something we pride ourselves on at Palmers.
“The project was 18 months in the making with our engineering and design teams and working collaboratively with Balfour Beatty. It has challenged us technically and operationally (with it being a live airport, with temporary works done in night shifts), but our experience and expertise has shone through.
“This highly technical and impressive roof lights job – or the ‘mobile factory’ as the client called it due to its highly functional interface with all trades – has attracted a lot of positive attention from everyone on site. It’s clearly something Balfour is proud of… almost as much as we are.”
Palmers CEO Colin Butt added: “Very well done to everyone who’s worked on this superb project at Heathrow. This award is very good news for us.”
Common Sense Prevails As Reverse Charge VAT delayed till 2020
The Government’s decision to delay by one year the implementation of potentially damaging VAT changes for construction companies is a victory for common sense, says the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Reverse charge VAT was due to come into force from 1st October 2019 but the Government today announced its decision to delay implementation until 1st October 2020 after a coalition of construction organisations, led by the FMB, wrote to the Government to point out the damaging impact this badly-timed policy would have on the sector.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “I’m pleased that the Government has made this sensible and pragmatic decision to delay reverse charge VAT until a time when it will have less of a negative impact on the tens of thousands of construction companies across the UK. To plough on with the October 2019 implementation could have been disastrous given that the changes were due to be made just before the UK is expected to leave the EU, quite possibly on ‘no-deal’ terms.
The situation hasn’t been helped by the poor communication and guidance produced by HMRC. Despite the best efforts of construction trade associations to communicate the changes to their members, it’s concerning that so few employers have even heard of reverse charge VAT. Indeed, according to research by the FMB published in July, more than two-thirds had not heard of the VAT changes and of those who had, around the same number hadn’t prepared.”
Berry concluded: “It is reassuring that the Government has listened to the construction industry, which has come together to make clear to the Government that sticking to the October 2019 timetable could lead to a loss of productivity, reduced cashflow and in the worst cases, lead to a hit on jobs, tipping some companies over the edge. What’s required now is for the Government and industry to work together to deliver a sector-wide communications campaign, which must include plain English guidance on the changes. We also want to work with the Government to deliver workshops aimed at construction employers, held in locations across the country, to explain what’s happening and why.”
Scaffolder Left Paralysed After Freak Accident
A scaffolder from Lancashire has been left paralysed from the chest down after a terrible motocross accident.
Josh Holmes, who recently set up his own scaffolding company was thrown off his motocross bike and landed in a ditch after the throttle on his bike got stuck on Sunday, August 25.
The 29-year-old father of three was airlifted to hospital where doctors confirmed he had broken his back and his sternum and had to have two ribs removed.
Following an eight-hour operation to straighten his spine back into position and put a protective cage around it, it was discovered that Mr Holmes had been left paralysed from the chest down.
The amount of damage done to his spinal cord is currently unknown.
His family has set up a fundraising campaign via a Go Fund Me page to help him while he receives medical treatment.
Writing on the page his aunt Lisa Grieg-Holmes said: “Josh had started his own company in recent years scaffolding around Lancashire. With the accident he can no longer work for the foreseeable future, but will still have bills and children to pay for this is obviously a worry for him.
“We would like to raise money for Josh so he can concentrate on getting back to full fitness without the stress of how he will get money for the essentials in life.”
To help scaffolder Josh Holmes visit: www.gofundme.com/f/euhtc-help-josh-get-back-on-his-feet
