Scaffolding boss receives suspended jail sentence for scaffolders death

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Scaffolding boss receives suspended jail sentence for scaffolders death

A scaffolding boss has received a suspended jail sentence and a roofing contractor has been fined after a scaffolder was killed falling through a fragile roof during construction work at a factory in Staffordshire.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how on 19 September 2015, at the Norton Aluminium foundry site in Norton Canes, a scaffolder was fatally injured after falling approximately 11.5 metres through a fragile roof. The scaffolder was working on the corrugated asbestos cement roof to move and fit temporary scaffold guardrails as part of a larger roof refurbishment project at the site.

An investigation led by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the scaffolding boss, trading as ** Scaffolding, failed to ensure the health and safety of his employees in relation to the work taking place on the fragile roof at the site. The investigation also found that Sandwell Roofing Limited, a contractor in overall control of the roof refurbishment project, failed to ensure that people not in its employment were not exposed to risks arising from work on the fragile roof.

The scaffolding firms boss, from Birmingham, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment suspended for two years, 180 hours of unpaid community service and ordered to pay costs of £14,000.

Sandwell Roofing Limited of New Wood Farm Stourton, Stourbridge, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. The company was fined £41,125 and ordered to pay costs of £33,000.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Bowker said:

“Falls through fragile roof materials remain one of the most common causes of work-related fatalities during construction work. These risks are well known, and the required control measures well documented in both HSE and industry guidance. This was a tragic and wholly avoidable accident that led to the death of a young man. This death could easily have been prevented if suitable safe systems of work had been in place.”

An Avontus Cambridgeshire Coup

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An Avontus Cambridgeshire Coup

Avontus Software has expanded into a new, larger UK office location.

As a colourful Cathedral city in Cambridgeshire Ely is a wonderful place in which to both live and work. It’s also the UK home of ‘Avontus’, a world-class provider of industrial scaffolding software.

It’s barely a year since this dynamic company announced expansion into bigger office space in the heart of Berkeley. Now, the move to Ely shows how quickly the company is growing, part of its strategic plan for talent development and overall advancement in the field. With a powerful presence in three continents and a leading reputation across the globe, scaffolding is in safe hands moving forward.

Constructing Something Big

A spokesperson told ScaffMag: “When we founded Avontus two decades ago, we knew we were doing something big. We developed software that can solve some of the big inefficiencies in the typical scaffold work-flow. Laborious hand-drawn designs, manual estimating processes, and un-trackable inventory—conventional scaffold design and management processes cost businesses time and money.

“Since day one, our goal has been to modernize how scaffolding is designed, planned, and managed. With Avontus’ Scaffold Designer, Scaffold Viewer, and Quantify software, we’ve helped our customers win more bids and improve profitability through state-of-the-art scaffold design, visualization, and inventory management tools.

“Ely is a prime location for expanding our international operations. It offers convenient access to the most important cities around Europe, the Middle East, and South Africa. And it enables us to tap into the world-class resources and talent at nearby Cambridge University.”

An inside look at Avontus’s new office in Ely

A Leading Role

It’s a fact today, approximately 80 percent of the refining capacity in the US, the majority of the top 10 industrial scaffolding companies, and hundreds of other global businesses depend on Avontus software to modernize their operations and take control of their profitability.

The UK market has begun a transition from traditional tube-and-clamp scaffolding, and the system scaffolding market has begun to take off. This change has been accelerated by limited labour availability, as well as evolving scaffold technologies, like Scaffold Designer and Quantify solutions created by Avontus.

System Scaffolding

Given the ever-increasing pressure on the UK construction market, companies are turning to system scaffolding to reduce the demand for skilled labour and improve efficiency in scaffolding operations.

Avontus tells us: “As system scaffold is often four times the cost of tube-and-fitting, it’s imperative for businesses to manage their inventory effectively. This is what Quantify does best – giving businesses complete control over their valuable inventory, while automating back-office functions like estimating, invoicing, and re-rental.

“Likewise, the move to system scaffold is increasing the adoption of Scaffold Designer and Scaffold Viewer. These products take the guesswork out of scaffold design and estimating, enabling system scaffold companies to reduce drawing and estimating time by up to 90percent, while making bid presentations, planning reviews, and client-handovers a breeze.

“The EMEA system scaffold market is poised to reach new heights. And so is Avontus, with our new office and expanded operations in Ely.”

Avontus Headquarters at 2150 Shattuck in Berkeley, CA.

World Class Tools For The Industry

The talented Avontus team has expanded from four to 19 employees – their office at Shattuck, an iconic building in the heart of Berkeley, California, offers access to the latest tech trends around Silicon Valley. It means they are also able to draw talent from nearby UC Berkeley, one of the most prestigious institutions in the US, to help these clever bods re-imagine the future of the scaffolding industry. Their expansion in the UK represents the industry evolution as a whole.

www.avontus.com

Kier top the contractors league table for May with highest value of projects awarded

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Kier top the contractors league table for May with highest value of projects awarded

Kier is at the top of the contractors’ league table for May 2019, thanks to 12 contracts awarded with a total value of £397 million. Construction of the new HM Prison Wellingborough contributed £253 million, while the Paisley Town Hall regeneration also contributed £22million to the total amount. In joint second place were Hill Partnerships and Ardmore Construction with the total value both at £154 million and considerably fewer contracts awarded each at four and three projects respectively.

The latest edition of the Top 50 League Tables has been published by industry analysts Barbour ABI, which highlights the number of contracts awarded and the total value. This month shows that the combined value of contracts awarded to the top 50 was £2.6 billion and a total of 141 projects.

Other notable contractor activity for May came from Galliford Try Construction, who were particularly active, being awarded eight projects at a total cost of £116million boosting them up 12 places from last month, finishing in sixth place for May 2019.

Kier is the only contractor to again feature in the top three this month – they sat in second place in April, behind ISG, who have now dropped 25 places to finish in twenty-sixth position for May.

Kier’s activity this month has further cemented its top position for a rolling 12-month period with 155 awards totaling £2.27 billion. Wates Construction are experiencing a busy 12-month period with 48 awards at a value just over £1.6 billion and Mace Limited with 22 awards at a value of £1.2 billion excluding their joint venture with Dragados on the Euston Super Station.

Tom Hall, Chief Economist at Barbour ABI said, “The top 50 contractors league table provides interesting analysis on construction activity throughout the UK. Even though this month we see Kier dominate the league tables, activity can change dramatically month on month by the top contractors, generally resulting in a change in the top three positions each month. In May we saw a total value of £2.6 billion contracts awards, a decrease of 22% on April 2019.”

Download the full report here: https://ubm.io/2MFRcko

SCA Group awarded fuel storage build project

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SCA Group awarded fuel storage build project

The Dorset based multi-disciplined contractor SCA Group has been successful in securing the new build Fuel Storage at the Ministry of Defence’s project in Gosport.

Working for the Murphy Group SCA has been contracted to provide all the access Scaffold requirements for the duration of the build. Murphy is set to remove and replace the depot’s riveted plate steel fuel tanks, which are more than 100 years old and are approaching their end of service life.

SCA will support Murphy for the duration of new tank development which is being constructed to support the new Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers in Portsmouth Naval Base.

The SCA Group are also the main contractor to BAE in providing all access scaffold for the ongoing maintenance of the Fleet.  SCA Group is highly experienced in working in sensitive environments and industrial locations.

Underscaffold App building a bridge to tourists

Grahame Anderson
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Underscaffold App building a bridge to tourists

New app for frustrated tourists plots popular sites across the globe with scaffolding erected on them.

For anyone frustrated on reaching an iconic building only to discover it shrouded in scaffolding, there’s a simple solution to the problem. A revolutionary new app called ‘Underscaffold’ has come to the aid of anyone wishing to pinpoint major tourist attractions and architecture across the globe.

Innovative App

The app has been designed to search for tourist sites anywhere in the world and check if they have scaffolding on them. Big Ben and The Elizabeth Tower are proving very popular at the moment, and all eyes will shortly be on the Taj Mahal, due to start its restoration this June. You can rest assured ScaffMag will be keeping a close eye on that one.

Users of this smart application can help others by warning them of scaffolding on tourist sites. In fact, Site operators can also provide the latest official information for anyone making travel plans. Users can also:

• Provide pictures and comments, good or bad.
• See all the photos and comments provided by users.
• Submit five reports and become a Star reporter.
• See their one-word scaffolding summary based on latest reports: None, Some, Lots.
• Submit new tourist sites that may have been missed from the app.

Listed Sites

Underscaffold already has more than 1,000 sites listed, but only 10 percent have reports to go with them. As word spreads, this is expected to fill up considerably. It’s amazing just how many people are reporting disappointment at a famous landmark covered in scaffolding when they arrive at tourist destinations.

Just Getting Started

A spokesperson for Underscaffold told me: “We are just getting started so it’s certainly early days, and people really do look forward to seeing buildings and landmarks in all their glory. It can prove a big turn off when they arrive to see a full scaffolding system in place. 

“The app does need as many reports as possible to become useful whether there’s scaffolding or not, so please get the word out. We love Big Ben right now. Just use the “Add Report” button, on a site’s page in the app. Users can also add sites we have not yet listed via the app.”

Free To Use

It’s completely free to use, compatible with all devices and constantly updated by both users and operators of the sites in question. It’s available from The App Store or Google Play.

So remember, when it comes to viewing your favourite places on holiday or anywhere else in their usual full glory – ‘Avoid disappointments. Help Others. Its’ free’. 

www.underscaffold.com

Partnership secures scaffolding apprenticeships

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Partnership secures scaffolding apprenticeships

Nine North East residents have secured apprenticeships or employment through a partnership between Thirteen, the largest housing association in the North East, and expanding local company, J Mac Scaffolding and Safety Systems.

As part of its social value commitment as a Thirteen contractor, J Mac partnered with Thirteen’s employability team to fill its apprenticeship vacancies and six Thirteen customers have been successful.

The Stockton-based company also approached Thirteen to support recruitment for a full-time administrator vacancy and has also employed two further job-seekers who have been working with Thirteen’s offender employment coordinator.

Karen Kenmare, Thirteen’s senior housing related support manager, said: “Thirteen invests extensively in supplier contracts and social value is a really important part of the tender process. Our work with J Mac is an excellent example of the process exceeding our ambitions.

“We work with some of the hardest to reach people in the region and being able to offer opportunities like this, with hands-on practical work experience and good career prospects, is invaluable to us and to our customers. J Mac has shown its commitment to supporting the local labour market and community.”

Thirteen is continuing to engage with the apprentices with six months of in-work support and is continuing to work with J Mac to identify future apprenticeship opportunities.

Luis McCarthy, managing director at J Mac said:

“We are delighted to be working with Thirteen’s Employability Team. They have already identified nine great candidates for us who are all now busy learning their trades. We are proud to offer a programme that really gives the trainees a proper understanding of our business as well as the importance of their role as the next generation of scaffolders. I think that ‘homegrown’ staff are great for us, because they are really committed and will help us continue to grow.”

Via: Business Up North

Trade body to hold Working at Height panel discussion at Safety & Health Expo

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Trade body to hold Working at Height panel discussion at Safety & Health Expo

The Scaffolding Association will again be holding another industry discussion at the Excel in London, during the Safety & Health Expo.

A specialist discussion panel is set to come together at the UK’s leading Health & Safety event to talk about the “Roles and Responsibilities for Working at Height.” Lead by The Scaffolding Association the session aims to talk through topics and best practices from the perspective of clients and contractors to give an informed overview for all those involved with working at height contracts.

The discussion will take place in the Operational Excellence Theatre on Wednesday 19th June 11.30am to 12.15pm. Robert Candy, Chief Executive of The Scaffolding Association will be joined by Matthew Gowen, Legal Director (Barrister) for the Regulatory and Corporate Defence Team at Birketts LLP, Craig Varian, Head of Estate Policy and Compliance, Department of Work & Pensions and Adrian Marsh, Director at Campbell Marsh Communications.

The Scaffolding Association said, The purpose of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 is to prevent death and injury caused by a fall from height. If you are an employer or you control work at height, such as a facilities manager or building owner who contracts others to work at height, then the Regulations apply to you. You must make sure work is properly planned, supervised and carried out by competent people, including using the right type of equipment for working at height.

This session will look at how you meet your responsibilities under the regulations and explore the impact and consequences of non-compliance. A must-attend event for anyone who has to deal with this area of the Construction Industry.

Find out more: The Safety & Health Expo | The Scaffolding Association

The True Cost of DIY

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The True Cost of DIY

Having a go at home improvements may be more costly than we think, according to a recent study by construction supplier Burton Roofing.

By analysing monthly housing data from the Office of National Statistics and talking to 1,000 UK homeowners, the investigation found that the average UK household will spend £1,150.24 every year on their DIY attempts. This equates to a total of more than £31billion (£31,229,016,000) estimated to be spent on putting up shelves, refitting kitchens and hanging picture frames every year.

Londoners are revealed to be the most hands-on when it comes to their home improvements, spending £2,626 every year on their DIY attempts. On the other hand, Belfast came out as the most content with their surroundings, spending just £462.80 a year on home alterations.

  • London – £2,626.00
  • Southampton – £1,960.40
  • Bristol – £1,606.80
  • Norwich – £1,570.40
  • Liverpool – £1,326.00
  • Manchester – £1,326.00
  • Nottingham – £1,310.40
  • Leeds – £956.80
  • Sheffield – £956.80
  • Birmingham – £712.40
  • Cardiff – £629.20
  • Newcastle – £603.20
  • Edinburgh – £603.20
  • Glasgow – £603.20
  • Belfast £462.80

DIY projects don’t only have the potential to cost our wallets however, with the latest figures from NHS Digital showing that there were 62,895 hospital admissions in 2017-18 related to DIY accidents. Falling from ladders, contact with non-powered hand tools and falling through floors were just some of the injuries listed where the UK’s home improvement ambition has exceeded its skill.

diy related accidents

Other findings suggested that:

  • Men are more than twice as likely to be injured in DIY related accidents, with 43,495 men admitted to hospital for DIY related accidents (compared to only 19,400 women)
  • The most dangerous age to attempt DIY is 43 years old.

It seems the adage of ‘measure twice, cut once’ need to be followed most by UK males, with 69% of all DIY related injuries being suffered by men. The age to avoid any jobs around the house is 43 years-old, with this being shown as the most likely time to suffer an accident when doing work on the home.

Given the excessive spend and apparent danger that is associated with ill-planned DIY projects, Burton Roofing set out to find the UK’s biggest DIY disaster through a photo submission competition. With entries spanning from hammers falling through ceilings, mismatched brick effect wallpaper and flooded kitchens requiring a call to the fire brigade, it’s clear that planning is not always at the forefront of people’s minds when it comes to DIY.

Top 10 entries can be found here: https://www.burtonroofing.co.uk/news/post/diy-disasters.html

Paul Hattee, Managing Director at Burton Roofing, commented on the findings:

“Whilst it is heartening to see so many people trying their hands at DIY, it is important to keep in mind the importance of properly planning out a project, however big or small.

“As our competition has highlighted, there are a number of ways a DIY project can get out of hand, with the possibility of damage to property as well as injury to those involved.

“To avoid living with half a kitchen for six months, mismatched brick effect wallpaper or having to buy a new television after your light fitting comes crashing down, ensure you have properly thought through your household alterations and use the correct protective equipment.”

Scaffolding contractor fined after scaffolder falls 40ft at steel plant

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Scaffolding contractor fined after scaffolder falls 40ft at steel plant

Rowecord Total Access has been fined £9,600 and £100,000 costs after a scaffolder suffered “catastrophic, life-changing” injuries in a fall at Port Talbot steel plant.

In January 2014 Stephen Kift fell 40ft onto a steel girder at Tata’s steelwork site. He suffered “multiple catastrophic life-changing injuries,” a court heard.

His employers, Swansea based Rowecord Total Access appeared in court on Monday pleading guilty to ensure the health and safety of its staff. Tata Steel was cleared of breaching safety legislation.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Stephen was part of a crew dismantling a 70ft-high scaffold structure at the Port Talbot site. Workers removed a hatch in the scaffold to allow them to remove debris from the structure below and erected a temporary barrier around the hole. Stephen fell through this hole plunging 40ft and landing on a steel girder.

The court heard Stephen’s safety line had not been attached at the time of the fall although the reasons for that are not known. Stephen now relies on crutches to walk, is in constant pain and unable to sleep for more than four hours at a time.

It was the prosecution case that Rowecord Total Access had failed to properly plan for the work being undertaken, that the work was being done on an “ad hoc” basis with the company relying on the experience of the scaffolding crew, and there was not proper safety supervision at height.

A previous trial was halted at the end of last year when it emerged Stephen had been signed in at the morning’s safety briefing, despite not being present. “It is clear that a briefing took place, but it is clear that Stephen was not present and someone falsely signed on his behalf,” said the judge.

Rowecord Total Access was fined £9,600 and £100,000 in costs that included £32,544 in Health and Safety Executive investigation costs.

Scaffolding on Big Ben inspires new sauce label

Grahame Anderson
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Scaffolding on Big Ben inspires new sauce label

It’s time to forget Brexit as we celebrate the 160th anniversary of ‘Big Ben’s Great Clock’ at The Houses of Parliament. But thanks to our journalistic ‘sauces’, ScaffMag can also reveal another Great British institution is being celebrated across the land.

HP sauce named after The Houses of Parliament is giving everyone food for thought, presenting a new label for the first time in 123 years. Famous London landmarks including the Elizabeth Tower (housing Big Ben), the House of Commons and Westminster Bridge previously adorned the label, everyone knew and loved.

Now, of course, Big Ben is getting a face-lift. So to reflect our modern times HP Sauce has decided to update their label to show him in all his scaffolded glory. As a long time favourite of our construction and scaffolding workers, what better way is there to share the joys of both the condiment and the industry. And it’s not costing them a sausage.

Joel Hughes, spokesperson at HP Sauce poured over the announcement saying: “Big Ben is the most Instagrammed landmark in the UK and decorates millions of bottles of HP Sauce every year. While Ben has a face-lift, and because we’re a good and honest sauce, we thought it was high time we showcased the true view and created a label that showcases parliament and Big Ben in their scaffolded glory. The 160th anniversary of The Great Clock at the end of May seemed like a great opportunity to launch, so we’re celebrating its momentous anniversary with our new label that we’ll keep until the old guy rings out across the land again in 2021.”

In fairness to the bods at HP, such a move takes a lot of bottle. Mind you, it was named HP after it was reported Ministers were enjoying it in the Westminster restaurant. In fact, the original recipe was invented and developed in 1896 by Frederick Gibson Garton, a grocer from Nottingham. Fred invented the recipe in his pickling factory at the back of 47 Sandon Street, Basford. When the current owner of no. 47 moved in, he threw out a skip-full of original HP Sauce – which could have been worth a fair bit of money today! Garton sold the recipe for the sum of £150 to settle a debt with Edwin Samson Moore, the founder of the Midlands Vinegar Company, who launched what we know and love today as HP Sauce. It was granted a Royal Warrant in 1951.

HP Sauce label shows scaffolding on Big Ben.
New HP Sauce label shows scaffolding on Big Ben.

HP Sauce History

You may not know The HP Sauce recipe is so secret when it was sent to Canada during WW2, it was sent in code in two separate envelopes, with a third envelope containing the instructions. HP now sells 24 million bottles a year, with the average British citizen consuming a kilo of HP Sauce annually. If those 24 million bottles were stacked on top of each other, they would reach the same height as 5,304 Houses of Parliament!

There’s much more however in our quest to bring you spicy news, as ScaffMag has learned the late Prime Minister Harold Wilson’s wife told the press he smothered HP Sauce on absolutely everything. This lead to the sauce being dubbed ‘Wilson’s Gravy’ for a while. The name arose after Wilson’s wife, Mary gave an interview to The Sunday Times on his saucy habits – the full English if you like.

And if you want the ultimate tribute – HP sauce features in John Betjeman’s poem ‘Lake District’ – “I pledge her in non-alcoholic wine / And give the HP Sauce another shake.”

In 1984 however the French paragraph on the label was removed from the bottle – provoking fury from this Times reader: “Sir, Am I alone among your readers in deploring the loss of that much loved and most piquant of French primers – the label on the HP Sauce bottle?

“If unfortunate circumstances decreed that there was nothing else to read at the breakfast table one could always turn to the HP Sauce bottle for a little French revision. It will be sadly missed.” Dr. JH Hunter, Frampton On Severn, Gloucestershire.

More recently, the Brown Sauce range has seen the addition of HP Reduced Salt and Sugar, with 25 percent less salt and 30 percent less sugar, for the more health conscious HP lovers. Fortunately, if we ever do leave the EU, our continental friends will still agree on one thing – we have the world’s best label when it comes to our parliamentary sauce.

It’s time for scaffolders to raise a bottle in café’s and service stations across the land as we wish both Big Ben and the new HP sauce label, a happy fruity future. Other varieties are available of course.

Grahame Anderson – written on his lunch break

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