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Cracking The SYSTEM
Layher
Haki
Cuplok
Plattec Metrix
Kwikstage
The Future is System
I sit in a lot of pre-tender meetings with main contractors and the same question keeps popping up: can we build this in system? My answer is always yes, although some projects lend themselves to tube and fit better. The conversation that inevitably follows is the shrinking of the tender pool. The reality is, not all scaffold contractors will carry system …. yet. Like most things in business, innovation starts with a whisper, then progresses to a shout. For all us diehard tube and fitting supporters, there’s an uneasy transition ahead. System scaffolding is coming faster than you think and it’s not a question of “if” but “when.” Are you ready to crack the system? This article was first published in the Summer 2018 issue of the ScaffMag magazine.Layher Scaffolding Impressess During Historic Castle Refurbishment
Scaffold Sales Manager Injured In Dramatic Rescue
Scaffold Sales Manager Tony Stevens is recovering in hospital following a dramatic rescue having risked his life to save his pet dog.
The operation involving fire crews, paramedics and Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service’s Urban Search and Rescue Team, took place last Saturday afternoon in Kings Lynn. With 30 responders at the scene on the Lynnsport playing field, both the 59-year-old and Tibetan terrier, Bramble, were hauled to safety from a storm drain ledge 20 feet below ground. Mr Stevens looked on in horror as his three-year-old pet unwittingly plunged into the drain which had its manhole cover missing. The father of two dashed to the hole to see his furry friend struggling in the dirty water below, howling in obvious discomfort. His wife Karen takes up the story: “While walking our dogs Bramble and Poppy, we came across the open manhole and I stopped to phone the council to tell them about how unsafe it was. “All of a sudden, Bramble ran past me and went into the hole. I immediately dialled 999 to ask the fire brigade to bring a ladder and get her out. When I put the phone down, I turned around and realised Tony was lowering himself down the hole. He then dropped himself in and landed on the concrete below. “He reached into the water and pulled Bramble out, but then he shouted back up that he thought he had broken his ankle. Tony sat there holding Bramble – but there was no ladder to get them out. In the end, the emergency services came here with 14 vehicles. It was quite a complicated operation. “I dread to think what would have happened if someone had fallen in and had been on their own. They would have been stuck down there with nobody to hear them. The drain cover must have come off in the heavy rain about 24 hours earlier, it could easily have been a child falling down the hole. I am surprised nobody else had fallen in.Foreign workers in New Zealand’s construction industry at all time high
The number of foreigners traveling to New Zealand to work in scaffolding and construction has reached a new record.
According to figures obtained by Newshub show in the year to May 2018, 8089 work visas for construction jobs were approved. Of those, 2231 were carpenters, followed closely by scaffolders at 2195 and steel fixers at 1192. Geeves Scaffolding Ltd Director Tim Geeves says right now, the demand is as high as it’s ever been. “There’s a lot of construction activity going on. Not only in residential, but in the commercial sector as well.” On their current site, there’s an even split when it comes to worker nationality. “There would be probably 50-50 at this stage, Kiwi workers to guys on overseas visas.” One country that dominates the numbers of approved construction job work visas is the Philippines with 4,608 followed by the UK with 798, 618 from China and 252 from Ireland. But while foreigners are traveling to New Zealand in droves, the number of young Kiwis wanting to work in construction is also breaking records. New Zealand Certified Builders chief executive Grant Florence said it’s interesting it’s at an all-time high. The problem is the Kiwi trainees won’t be on the tools for a few years yet. Scaffolding, Rigging & Access NZ chief executive Graham Burke said “it does take five years to become a good scaffolder or any trade, and we’ve got an urgent need.” “A lot of them are now actually in positions where they’re helping young Kiwis learn their job,” Mr Burke said. Foreign workers are rising up on commercial building sites across the country – and not going home any time soon.Isle Of Wight Council Launches New Scaffolding Initiative
Scaffold firm refuses to take down job over pay dispute
A scaffold firm owner is refusing to remove scaffolding from a newly-redeveloped city centre apartment block in a dispute over pay.
Norwich Evening News reports that Russell McVey claims he is owed more than £21,000 by the developers of Grosvenor House on Prince of Wales Road in Norwich. The 31-year-old’s company was contracted by Intro Developments in 2017 to erect scaffolding around the former office block. But following completion of the work to turn it into 80 flats, he claims he is still owed money by the Manchester-based firm. And he is now refusing to remove scaffolding from the property in protest. He said to local media: “If we leave the scaffolding up our hope is that they will realise that they need to pay us. It should have been down weeks ago and everyone should have been paid by now. But they are saying they won’t pay me another penny.” In response, Intro Developments, which is part of MCR Property Group, said it had paid what was owed to Mr McVey and his company Aboveall Scaffolding Services. Chris Taylor, fund manager for MCR, warned if the scaffolding was not removed, his company will take it down.Mr McVey said Intro Developments had so far paid £269,261 for the work. But he claims he is yet to receive an additional £21,584 for the cost of scaffold and hoist hire between April and May this year. The original fee was £157,368, but Mr McVey said it became more expensive due to changes with the project. VPH Roofing and Scaffolding, based in Watton, owns the existing scaffolding on the side of the property. The company was brought in by Mr McVey to help with the work. A spokesman for VPH said the company had “no intention” of taking the scaffolding down. Mr Taylor, from MCR Property Group, said: “As per Intro Developments’ business relationship with Aboveall Scaffolding Service, we have four purchase orders on record. “The four purchase orders were paid in full, including all costs, and there is no amount owing.” He said if Intro Developments has to remove the scaffolding, Mr McVey’s company would be charged for the work. “If they cannot pay then we will sell the scaffolding, take out costs and return the balance to Aboveall,” Mr Taylor said.Partnership brings first CISRS approved training centre to Saudi Arabia
A new CISRS approved scaffolding training facility in Saudi Arabia has been launched by TAFE Arabia (Technical and Further Education) in partnership with Simian Skill.
At the new training facility, located in Dammam, operatives will be able to undertake CISRS Overseas Scaffolders Training Scheme (OSTS) Level 1 and 2, Basic Inspection, Scaffolding Supervisor and OSTS CPD courses. Abdulghani Alrumaih, CEO of TAFE Arabia, said: “TAFE has been providing high quality training in this region for over a decade. When we considered offering scaffold training we were only interested in delivering CISRS OSTS approved programmes. “We are very proud to be the first CISRS OSTS in Saudi Arabia and sure our partnership with Simian Skill will be a great success, improving the skills of the scaffolding sector and helping to establish a robust and recognised qualification across industry.” Dave Mosley, CISRS Scheme Manager, and Ian Fyall, Operations Director at Simian Skill, travelled to Saudi Arabia for the accreditation audit at the new training centre. Whilst in the Region CISRS, TAFE and Simian took part in Scaffold Safety Awareness Workshop arranged by multinational oil and gas company Saudi Aramco, attended by more than 100 delegates from across the province. Dave Mosley said: “I was very pleased to take part in the Scaffold Safety Awareness Workshop and would like to thank Saudi Aramco for the invitation. While CISRS UK has historically been recognised in Saudi Arabia, the development of OSTS will allow the scheme to be delivered to the sector locally, reaching a much larger proportion of the industry.” Ian Fyall added: “Simian has had a lot of interest for training in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have previously met with a number of providers. TAFE stood out from the crowd as they shared our ambition. “We’ve worked together during the past 12 months to get this centre up and running to KSA standards. From our meetings with Saudi Aramco we are feeling positive for full training courses.”Altitude Scaffolding reaches new heights with two new Volvo trucks
Hull-based, Altitude Scaffolding has added two Volvo FE 26-tonne rigid trucks to its own account transport fleet.
The trucks are the first brand-new heavy vehicles bought by the company, in addition to being the largest types operated to date. From its base in Freightliner Road, Hull, Altitude Scaffolding predominately works across central England, but the company does, as with previous contracts, operate across the UK and Ireland. Supplied by Pete Atkinson, Area Sales Manager at Crossroads Truck and Bus Limited in Hull, the two Volvo FE rigids are powered by Volvo D8K Euro-6 engines rated at 320hp. Behind the power plants, Altitude Scaffolding opted for Volvo’s award-winning I-Shift automated transmission system with 12 gears. The low height chassis are fitted with drop-side scaffold bodywork, which was specified with a 9,000mm length and a width of 2550mm. Malcolm Black, Operations Manager at Altitude Scaffolding has a long career association with Volvo trucks that stretches back to the F12 and FL10 models. “We have a mixed marque fleet, but the Volvo trucks we’ve previously bought second-hand have always been reliable,” he reports, explaining, “The company required vehicles with a larger payload capacity to deliver bulk supplies of scaffolding to out of town jobs.” “The 26-tonne Volvo FEs tick a lot of boxes for us. We can deliver enough supplies to keep a team of scaffolders busy for days and the optional third cab seat means we can also move crew members if required,” continues Malcolm adding, “the scaffolding equipment we carry is heavy, but fully-loaded, the FEs will only be operating at around two thirds of their maximum gross operating weight. This means less wear and tear on the trucks and of course, keeps us right with legal compliance.” “Our drivers are ‘over the moon’ with the FEs and are a massive step up from what we had,” Malcolm concludes.ScaffMag Issue 3 Out Now
Summer is officially here…The long-awaited summer issue of ScaffMag has now been published online.
Spread over 66 pages our Summer issue features an array of fantastic articles concentrating on the rise of system scaffolding that is currently driving change within the UK scaffolding & access industry.
We look at the current high profile project at London’s Big Ben and we find out what makes the world largest system scaffolding manufacture Layher tick when we visited their factory in Germany. Our new writer Andrew Kitley ‘Cracks the system’ as he shares his opinions on the various types of systems on the market and we find out why the relatively new system Plettac Metrix is a real tower of strength. Plus much more…