Over 190 people attended the Layher Partnership Open Day on Thursday 10 October. Image: ScaffMag
Five new products launched at Layher’s Partnership Open Day held in Hertfordshire.
LAYHER the world’s largest system scaffolding manufacturer officially launched a flurry of new products to the UK market on Thursday.
The new UK product announcements came as Layher UK showcased its latest developments at its biannual Partnership Open Day held at Layher UK’s Headquarters in Letchworth.
Over 190 invited guests consisting of its customers, clients, Layher Germany shareholders and members of the construction media came together for an informative day.
The key announcement of the day was the official UK launch of the impressive Aluminium FlexBeam that we originally saw at Bauma in Munich, Germany back in April.
The new Layher Aluminium FlexBeam is SEVEN times stronger than standard steel 450 beams. Image: ScaffMag
The revolutionary new beam has been designed for use with surface scaffolds that are either suspended or upright. Available in 3-7m lengths it is seven times stronger than a 450 steel beam and doesn’t normally require bracing, its German makers have boasted.
Sean Pike, Layher UK’s Managing Director who unveiled the new beam to the UK market, said the FlexBeam can be connected directly to its flagship Allround Scaffold System and emphasised among other solutions, it could be an ideal alternative to simplifying the installation of street-level scaffold gantries that we see in big cities today.
Scaffolders demonstrating the benefits of the new Layher Aluminium FlexBeam. Image: ScaffMag
Sean Pike said: “The success that we have enjoyed worldwide over seven decades has always been based on a key consideration – a commitment to harnessing both inspiration and innovation to move the modular scaffolding and weather protection industry forward.”And he made it quite clear that the company’s ongoing commitment to product development is evidence of its pioneering role in the industry. “Developing new concepts and answering questions that have often come directly from our customer base has helped us to become the benchmark for our particular sector of the construction industry,” he added.
More New Products Launched
A Layher client testing out the new Layher SIM in VR. Image credit: Royle MediaLayher SIM(Scaffold Information Modelling) Layher’s SIM is also another hi-spec product that we originally spotted at Bauma in April, it’s a new sophisticated design tool that builds on the company’s LayPLAN and LayCAD facilities. It enables the creation of 3D visualisations either on screen or via a VR headset that takes the user into a digital world. On entering, the user can rotate and fly through scaffold designs identifying issues before being built in the real world.
The new Layher Lightweight Steel Deck. Image: ScaffMagA new Lightweight Steel Deck – The new ‘less is more’ deck reduces component weight by up to 12%, as well as reinforcement webbing, strengthening strips and comfort handling enhancements.The new Aluminium Solo Tower provides easy one-person transportation and tool-free erection. Image: ScaffMagAluminium Solo Tower – Layher’s direct response to the increasing restrictions on the use of ladders on site. This easy one-person transportation and tool-free erection to a working height of up to 6.15m.
Layher Power Tower XL. Image: ScaffMagPowerTower XL – A new heavy-duty tower that is a combination of shoring and working scaffold that can take a huge load of up to 200 tonnes (2MN).
Consumer demand for new homes has fallen by 8% over the last year to its lowest level since 2013.
The news comes after the Federation of Master Builders’ (FMB) published its results of its House Builders’ Survey, – the only annual assessment of small and medium (SME) house builders in England.
Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB, said: “Small house builders are starting to see the effects of Brexit uncertainty taking its toll on consumer confidence. Many prospective homeowners are clearly holding off buying until there is more political and economic certainty. Hopefully this is just a short-term pause, and that post-Brexit, demand will pick up once again. If not, and we enter a downturn period, the Government will need to consider how best to support SME house builders to avoid many firms leaving the sector.”
Berry continued: “The main barriers facing small house builders have started to ease but they are still present. This is the fifth consecutive year that small house builders have cited lack of access to available and viable land as the number one barrier. Small sites are the bread and butter of SME development, but unfortunately local authorities’ Local Plans are still far too focused on large sites.”
Berry concluded: “The increases in planning fees by 20% in January 2018 were supposed to lead to increased speed and delivery of planning services, but only 3% of our members have seen any improvement since the rise. In fact, 38% of small builders have seen the performance of planning departments worsen. Builders are now paying more for an inferior service which needs to be addressed urgently as part of the Government’s proposals to accelerate the planning system.”
The aim of this contract is to support the in-house repairs team to provide an efficient and effective roofing repairs service. The service will apply to residential properties and communal areas. Scaffolding (when required) will be provided and maintained by the contractor, in accordance with legislative requirements. Where scaffolding can not be used, the contractor will arrange access by abseil. Further information is available on the London Tenders Portal.
About the buyer
Contact Name: Daniel Brown
Address
7 Newington Barrow Way
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N7 7EP
United Kingdom
The access and scaffolding industry is being called upon to improve awareness and understanding of mental health by Coventry-based Godiva Access and Scaffolding, as part of World Mental Health Day on Thursday 10 October 2019.
One in four people in the UK will have a mental health problem at some point and anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems. Incidents are often a reaction to a difficult life event, such as bereavement, but can also be caused by work-related issues. Recent surveys suggest that three out of every five employees experience mental health issues because of work.
Karl Degroot, managing director at Godiva Access and Scaffolding, said: “Physical health still predominates in our industry. Signs remind workers to wear personal protection equipment and we hold regular safety talks and training courses. We need to strengthen the debate around mental health and its importance.“Scaffolding specialists often experience periods of intense pressure and let’s not forget that suicide kills more men under 45 than falls from height. All employers should have a greater understanding of mental health and take steps to eradicate the stigma associated with it.“It is so important that we recognise the dangers to the wellbeing of all employees and develop strategies to maintain a healthy work/life balance, for themselves and the teams we lead.”
Godiva will be holding special drop-in sessions for its employees at its offices in Coventry and Manchester as part of its commitment to raise awareness of a sensitive issue on World Mental Health Day.
Scaffolding and special access providers, Palmers Scaffolding UK Ltd has reached an epic milestone in its rich and long-standing heritage – achieving 100 years since it was incorporated as a business brand, back in 1919.
A century ago this month, Palmers Scaffolding founder, Edwin Palmer took the decision to transform the well-known scaffolding and access family business name into a company – formally founding it as the legal business structure it still is today, now under British ownership with CEO, well-known scaffolding man and entrepreneur, Colin Butt at its helm.
Palmers Scaffolding UK Ltd CEO, Colin Butt said: “I am delighted to be involved in this marvelous anniversary and particularly to have returned ownership of this long-established business to British hands.”
Palmers Managing Director, Donald Morrison added: “I wonder what hopes and dreams Edwin Palmer had when Palmers was incorporated 100 years ago; having been trading since 1880?
“Then, as now, I believe we have built a reputation for excellence in the provision of our services, working safely and with a commitment to our clients. Of course, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve this success without our whole team; past and present. We have really excellent staff retention rates as a business and are delighted to say more than 10% of our workers have over 15 year’s service with us. Here’s to the next 100.”
And Ian McFarlane, Palmers Director of Business and Project Development said: “Palmers is a trusted and historic scaffolding brand, whose employees are rightly proud to be associated with. Over the last century and beyond, we have established excellent, pre-qualified working relationships with some of the country’s leading clients & contractors who continually support us by awarding Palmers repeat business.
“And yet despite our rich heritage, at Palmers we are always looking forward to the most modern special access and scaffolding solutions. And we are actively supporting our employees and customers moving the Palmers brand forward by continuing to work to the very highest safety standards on some of the biggest, most important projects in Britain, now and for the foreseeable future.”
Formed in 1880, Palmers Scaffolding UK Limited have become specialists in providing long term infrastructure & industrial service maintenance contracts and fast track construction solutions, specialising in scaffolding and access contracts.
The newly restored roof and spire on London’s iconic Elizabeth Tower will be revealed to the world after two years undercover.
Over the course of five weeks from today (Monday 7 October) an expert team of scaffolders from PHD Modular Access will start to take down the top section of scaffolding surrounding the Elizabeth Tower, known as Big Ben.
The scaffold will only be removed from the very top at this stage as conservation work continues to the rest of the tower.
The Elizabeth Tower is undergoing a major restoration project and while safely covered behind the scaffolding, extensive work has now been completed on the roof.
Around 3,433 cast iron roof tiles were meticulously removed and repaired. The towers’s signature metal cross and orb which sits 96 meters above ground level, has also been repaired. While a team of gilders has spent weeks gilding the ornate details to match the original design from 1859.
The project, which is just over halfway through, began in 2017 and is due for completion in 2021.
Charlotte Claughton, Senior Project Leader, said:“Removing the scaffolding in stages is part of our commitment to make sure as much as possible of this iconic landmark is visible to the public.
We share the world’s love of the Tower and the Clock and I know the whole team feel so privileged to be part of this project. And now we get to show everyone a bit more of what we have been working on.”
UK Parliament has said ‘It’s a significant moment in the Elizabeth Tower conservation project’, it’s the most extensive programme of works ever carried out to the Tower.
“The first section of scaffolding coming down is a key moment in the project,” said Adam Watrobski, Principal Architect on the project.
“It means that we are getting nearer the end and that people can again enjoy this symbol of our nation and of democracy. A lot of hard work and ingenuity has brought us to this point and while there is much work still to be done, it is worth pausing to appreciate how far we have come.”
A highly anticipated hot new 2020 Crossway Scaffolding Charity Calendar is finally available to be purchased by the public.
Released to coincide with World Mental Health Day on 10th October, this latest creative offering has been carefully constructed to both bring delight and raise much-needed funds for Andy’s Man Club.
“A spokesperson told ScaffMag: “This calendar was the brilliant idea of one of our long-serving scaffolders Andy Butterworth and has been eight months in the planning. Special thanks to the fourteen amazing Crossway employees, Andy, Ben, Dave, Simon, Jack, Brandon, Ian, John, Sean, Matt, Kevin, Peter, Lee and Joshua who volunteered to bare all, in order to raise mental health and well-being awareness and monies for Andy’s Man Club.”
This invaluable club is run exclusively by unpaid volunteers each day from central Halifax in West Yorkshire. Born from Social media it enables people to get together, able to talk with like-minded souls about mental health and the day to day problems it can bring.
Every penny donated to Andy’s Man Club goes directly into the movement helping create new groups. It’s now a registered charity and growing nationally and internationally all the while.
The calendar follows on from what was a successful fashion show organised back in May with the result, £2,500 was raised. It carries a theme this year of ‘suicide prevention’, with the aim of gently spreading the message, we need to do much more about the problems of mental health.
Its official launch of the calendar will take place on World Mental Health Day –a day for global mental health education, awareness and advocacy against social stigma. It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, a global mental health organization with members and contacts in more than 150 countries. Thousands of supporters come to celebrate this annual awareness program to bring attention to mental illness and its major effects on peoples’ life worldwide.
The calendar is set to prove extremely popular, so the advice is get your order in as quickly as possible.
To pre-order or purchase calendars, please contact Crossway Scaffolding on 01422 370033 or email [email protected]
Infiniti Scaffolding’s focus on continuous improvement has seen the Scarborough group achieve the ISO 45001 accreditation, marking another milestone in its growth.
Alex Willgrass, Infiniti Scaffolding director, said “This is a significant occupational health and safety management systems benchmark which shows how importantly the Infiniti Scaffolding group takes its employee safety. “Before anything here at Infiniti Scaffolding, health and safety is the absolute number one priority – that means the health and safety of all our employees, not only reducing workplace risks but creating the best, safe working conditions, based in an integrated, functioning holistic approach that aims to look after the mental and physical health and well-being of our employees and contracted staff.”The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) accreditation enables organisations to put in place an occupational health and safety management system to help improve health and safety risks while developing and implementing effective company policies and objectives. “Creating and reinforcing our health and safety culture, employees are encouraged to work with us to take an active role in their own health and safety,” added Mr Willgrass.“We already have an excellent safety record and high-quality staff relations, but we expect ISO 45001 to further to feed through into reduced workplace incidents, reduced absenteeism and staff turnover, while increasing productivity and reducing insurance premiums.”This is the latest feather in the cap of Infiniti Scaffolding which incorporates Infiniti Roofing and Infiniti Building, as the group continues to win top quality construction-related contracts across Yorkshire and the North of England.It recently unveiled its new headquarters, a 10,000sqft site that includes new offices, warehouses and storage yard, while also opening its first depot in Leeds.Its new North Yorkshire HQ, at the Olympian Trading Estate, Eastfield, is now home to a company that employs about 40 staff including skilled scaffolders, scaffold inspectors, expert builders, roofers, general labourers and drivers, as well as an experienced administration and office team.
New data has revealed that nearly half of all construction sites in New South Wales (NSW) have non-compliant scaffolding.
The NSW government has put the industry on ‘notice’ after a safety blitz on more than 700 building sites by SafeWorkNSW.
Inspectors shockingly discovered that 44 per cent of scaffolds had missing components, while 36 per cent of scaffolds had been altered by unlicensed workers or removed components.
Since the tragic death in April of Christopher Cassaniti a teenage apprentice who was crushed to death in a scaffolding collapse, SafeWorkNSW has been targeting unsafe scaffolds.
To date the government agency has handed out 832 notices, including $109,000 (£59,512) on-the-spot fines.
Ms Cassaniti has become a workplace safety advocate since her son’s death and said change could not come quickly enough.
“To me it is not surprising to find that the statistics have come back so bad,” she said.
“I heard the workers complain a lot when they are on site and in dangerous situations.”
She said she did not want her son to become “another statistic”.
“Scaffolders put their scaffolds up, they tag it and then the workers go and use the scaffolding but some remove parts they should not, just to get the job done quickly,” Ms Cassaniti told ABC News.
NSW Minister for Better Regulation and Innovation Kevin Anderson said: “It is clear that more needs to be done to get the safety message through to people, which is why this month the NSW Government will be rolling out a number of new initiatives which aim to protect workers from serious injury or death.”
The construction industry is experiencing a skills shortage and unsurprisingly industry leaders are concerned. The problem isn’t new but it has been exacerbated in recent years by a number of factors. Primarily Brexit and an ageing workforce in the industry. A large proportion of British born construction workers are nearing retirement age (three in 10 British-born construction workers are over 50).
One approach to addressing this shortage is to encourage more people to consider the benefits of an apprenticeship as a route to a long-term career and to encourage employers to plan ahead and recruit apprentices sooner rather than later, so they have skilled trained employees in place when they need them.
The Apprenticeship Levy, which was introduced in April 2017, has gone some way to raise awareness and encourage employers to consider offering apprenticeships. Although apprentice numbers jumped following the introduction of the levy, they did in fact drop by a quarter this year which is frustrating.
The levy aimed to create 3 million apprenticeships by 2020 but it looks unlikely that this target will be hit.
It is my belief that more needs to be done to raise awareness of the benefits of apprenticeships and to communicate this to employers and young people.
As someone who started out as a labourer in the scaffolding sector and has worked my way up, I see examples every single day of people who have progressed in their careers following an apprenticeship. Apprentices contribute massively to the construction sector and yet this contribution is rarely recognised.
Apprenticeships have always offered a great career path but now more than ever it offers an attractive proposition for young people considering their career options. No university fees, real life work experience, training which leads to recognised qualifications and pay from day one.
If you are an employer in the construction or scaffolding sector and aren’t currently offering apprenticeships then now is the time to reconsider. The benefits are vast and it is one clear step that you can take to begin to futureproof your workforce.
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