Video Credit: Newsflare
A video showing the aftermath of a scaffold collapse on the side of a boat in the Philippines on the 12th May has been published.
At a drydock in Zambales, Phillippines four workers were working on the side of a cargo ship when the scaffold collapsed. The collapse resulted in the death of one contractor while three others were left dangling.
Footage taken after the first man died shows the three remaining workers desperately clinging on – with two being caught by colleagues and a third being plucked to safety with a crane.
According to reports they were rushed to hospital and treated for minor injuries while colleague Ferdinand Leuterio was later pronounced dead. The injured men were Gerry Bayuta, Johnny Alegre and Vailian Dela Cruz.
Zenaida Angara-Campita, regional labour department director, said: ”Clearly, there was an unsafe working condition because of an overload of workers and their equipment on the scaffolding, causing its sudden collapse.
”Aside from this, unsafe acts were also observed because of workers’ failure to use safety harnesses, as well as their supervisor’s failure to control them on the adherence to safety practices.”
This Premier League season kicked off with several stadium expansion plans. These large-scale, high profile projects rely on scaffolding contractors who can complete the works swiftly, safely and to a high standard. TRAD Scaffolding is no stranger to stadium developments. As one of the UK’s leading scaffolding suppliers, it previously secured the package for a pioneering lighting system around the roof at Stamford Bridge, home of Chelsea FC. The club was the first to meet new league regulations for lighting evening matches. TRAD was challenged with difficult access into the ground, and under seven weeks to erect over 28,000 cubic metres. It opted for system scaffolding to meet the tight timeframe.In the three years since, TRAD has introduced Plettac Metrix system scaffold. TRAD says it is proven to be the fastest ring-based system to erect and also outruns traditional tube and fitting scaffolding. This makes it a top choice for complex structures such as sports stadiums, which need to be erected quickly and cost-effectively. “When it comes to speed, safety and flexibility across all scaffolding operations, Plettac Metrix ticks all the boxes,” says Peter McShane, TRAD Southern’s Divisional Director.“German-engineered, it features unique divisibility. This means you can use extra vertical members within the bay length and width. So the system is far more adaptable and faster to erect than other scaffolding systems,” Peter adds.Plettac Metrix also has unique perforated steel decks with built-in lifting handles, to let more light through the structure. Plus, there are wind locks and anti-tilting devices, and an optional permanent advanced guardrail.
1 of 5
Combined, these features save on materials and labour, cut assembly times, and improve safety. The system is also CISRS-approved and NASC-compliant.TRAD and Plettac Metrix are firmly at the top of the table for scaffolding stadiums, and other prestigious projects in the UK. Over the past four decades, TRAD has been involved with the Royal Albert Hall, Olympic Park, Holborn Bars, and the Royal Festival Hall. It also supports major air, rail and civil engineering infrastructure projects.“We receive a significant amount of repeat business due to our reputation for safety, high service levels, and quality of build. We also have the expertise to quickly resolve complex issues, and deliver on time and budget,” Peter says.TRAD Scaffolding Contractors operate across the UK as TRAD Southern, TRAD Midlands and TRAD Southern, and are part of the TRAD Group. With a nationwide coverage, the group holds over 19,000 tonnes of system scaffold and 66,000 tonnes of traditional tube, fitting and boards. No other UK scaffolding contractor can match TRAD’s capacity and equipment – making it the top choice for building large and complex projects.
The price of steel has fluctuated over the past 12 months causing a bit of a headache for scaffolding firms and suppliers.
The reason for the quick changes in steel prices has been predominantly attributed to currency fluctuations over the past year – yet, its causes may be more wide-ranging than currency fluctuations alone. Working out when to buy and at what price to sell has been the main concern facing business owners wanting to avoid shortchanging themselves and keep their balance sheets looking healthy.
The steel industry has faced numerous obstacles since the 2008 recession and unstable demand for steel worldwide appears to have become the status-quo. Another problem is that China has had their own financial crisis meaning domestic demand is low and have instead opted to export their steel worldwide. Consequently, British manufacturers and suppliers have entered into competition with their Chinese counterparts, and have even started buying steel from China in abandonment of the British steel industry.
Despite this somewhat ongoing crisis, it is possible to improve sales and turnover during this unsettling period and the proof is in the pudding. Based in Netherton, George Roberts is an established supplier of scaffolding equipment supplying to some big names throughout the UK such as Balfour Beatty, Network Rail, and Wimpey, as well as supplying within an array of other sectors. Despite the problems caused by inconsistent steel prices, they have managed to financially progress as a business.They managed to turnover £33.3m up from £28.96m over the last year and their pre-tax profits also increased by an impressive £200,000. A spokesman for their company stated:
‘’…purchasing at the right time and anticipating market conditions is key to our success’’
The company have said that their success is based on heavy planning, a strong focus on providing quality, and making sure their most sought after stock is always available. Not to mention, an injection into marketing strategies and introducing fresh products. It is quite evident that their success comes off the back of investing in themselves and showing their confidence of the service they provide and will continue to offer.
If businesses alike George Roberts can invest a lot of time into planning and analysing steel price forecasts, there is no reason why they cannot overcome the unstable steel market.
Their success should give encouragement to other scaffolding firms who operate during trying times and steel price fluctuations.
Ever been told that too much exercise is bad for you?
Well, in a way, they might have been right. Researchers have found new evidence to suggest that males who have highly physical jobs – such as scaffolders – are at an increased risk of dying earlier than those that do not have to undertake physical activity during their working day.
Image Credit: CN
The general guidelines suggest that everybody should complete at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on a daily basis. However, these guidelines have never considered the general amount of physical activity that is done over a (working) day and therefore the distinguish between what constitutes your required 30 minutes a day is ambiguous.
The research was conducted by Dr. Pieter Coenen of the medical department at the Free University of Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam). They conducted a meta analysis of 33 other studies involving just under 200,000 subjects by using their data to get a big picture of the consequences of highly physical jobs – or ‘’occupational physical activity’’. Their findings indicated that males who work in manual and physical jobs are 18% more likely to die young than those that do not. In practice, this means that due to the amount and/or intensity of physical activity that scaffolders put their bodies through in a working day could cause complications in the not so distant future. Interestingly, the same was not found to be true with female workers and actually pointed to the opposite being true.
This would mean the recommended amount of physical activity should be offset for those working in construction, factories, and even healthcare to accommodate their working exercise i.e. those with physical jobs should have a lower recommended amount of weekly exercise than those that do less strenuous jobs. It could even suggest that it is possible that too much exercise is not just bad for us, but could be fatal.
However, the study has received a bit of a battering within the academic community and academics have pointed to numerous other reasons why this finding may be misleading. One argument against the results was that jobs such as construction include a lot of risks and potential accidents. Accidents can occur from factors other than the required physicality of the job such as working at heights and using machinery which can lead to poorer health. Another argument against the study was that such roles are occupied by working class people who may be under other stresses such as financial worries, or worrying about their job security.
It is nothing new to test the health consequences of specific jobs and plenty has also been suggested about low amounts of physical activity within the workplace may also lead to health complications.
The full study can be found in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
In a bid to tackle the stigma surrounding mental health in the scaffolding industry, the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has announced the unveiling of the Head for Heights campaign, which it hopes will assist sufferers of mental health issues in having more confidence to discuss their problems.
With mental illness such as depression and anxiety becoming more acceptable to discuss in everyday life, there has been a wave of advocates hoping to make it the norm, as well as urging businesses to show more compassion in dealing with their employees who suffer from such issues.
The initiative has been designed to help raise awareness about mental health sufferers and encourage them to feel safe and free to discuss their problems with friends, family, co-workers and employers.
There is also a goal to demonstrate to companies what steps they can take to create safe and positive environments for their employees as well as identifying and introducing solutions to take a proactive approach to helping anyone suffering from mental health problems overcome them.
Mental health problems affect one in four people every year and, according to Time to Change, half of those believe that the stigma and following isolation caused by a culture where discussing mental health is considered taboo exacerbates their troubles and can be more harmful than the condition itself.
In the construction industry, where there is a pronounced macho culture, mental health can be even more troublesome to experience. According to statistics published in Lexology, site workers are three times more likely to commit suicide than the average UK male.
It is not just the culture that makes industry workers feel powerless to discuss their problems though. Issues can also arise due to long hours, homesickness and uncertainty over job security.
Furthermore, surveys taken earlier in the year revealed that two-thirds of workers claim to want more wellbeing support. If anything, this is an indication that Head for Heights came at exactly the right time.
Working alongside mental health advocacy organisation, Time to Change, NASC is imploring its members to sign the Employer Pledge which is a social movement striving to eliminate the discrimination and social stigma surrounding mental health.
In a press release discussing the announcement, NASC Managing Director Robin James said: “We are delighted to launch our Head for Heights campaign and also sign the Time to Change Employer Pledge, demonstrating our commitment to addressing how mental health is viewed in the industry.
“There is a stigma surrounding mental health, one that is felt particularly keenly in a male-dominated industry such as scaffolding and access. That’s why we’re so keen to support people and help them find the confidence to speak up, and also support businesses looking to step up their mental health and wellbeing support.”
It can be a challenge to open up to others when you are suffering from mental health problems, but there are organisations such as Time to Change that are endeavouring to help make the struggle more manageable. To learn more about how Time to Change is making an impact, or to read and sign the Employer Pledge, please click here.
A Demolition firm has been fined after a scaffolder suffered multiple injuries when he was struck by a falling concrete panel.
Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how Vale Park Demolition Services Limited was contracted to demolish a link bridge structure at Littleborough Primary School, Rochdale.
On 29 October 2015, an employee of GT Scaffolding North West Limited was struck by a concrete panel weighing approximately 500kg when he was dismantling scaffolding that was placed in front of the final part of the link bridge that was due to be demolished.
The scaffolder suffered from a broken right shoulder, five broken ribs, three fractures to the spine, a punctured lung and a broken left foot.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found the work was not suitably planned and the stability of the panel was not appropriately considered when removing the scaffolding.
Vale Park Demolition Services Limited of Hazelbottom Road, Crumpsall, Manchester pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and have been fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,397.64.
HSE inspector David Norton said “The incident could so easily have been avoided by simply carrying out correct control measures and safe working practices.
“Companies should be aware that HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement action against those that fall below the required standards”.
In the past, if a firm in the construction industry, wanted to screen their employees for drug use, they had to use saliva or urine-based testing. These methods were not only time-consuming, but embarrassing and invasive for both the employees and the actual testers.
A New Way Of Drug Testing
With the next style of drug testing introduced by Intelligent Fingerprinting though, the construction industry has access to a more convenient form of drug testing. Not only is it more convenient, but it produces quicker results in a more hygienic manner.
It can be used for all kinds of drug testing, whether it is screening before individuals are employed as well as tests that are conducted at random intervals or for particular causes. Conveniently, they can be used in both construction site and office environments.
Intelligent Fingerprinting Drug Testing – How It Works
As part of the modern system, the initial test involves the analysis of employees sweat taken from their fingerprint. This can be used to check if an individual has recently used the likes of
Cannabis
Amphetamines (such as Speed)
Opiates
Cocaine
Collecting fingerprint sweat samples only takes five seconds and the actual screening results can be delivered as quick as just eight minutes covering all four drug groups.
What Happens If The Employee/Contractor Tests Positive for Drug Use?
In the event that a contractor or employee tests positive for drug use from the initial screening, something that is likely to contravene the company’s drug misuse policy and/or Health and Safety Regulations, the Fingerprint Collection Kit for Laboratory Analysis would be used for collecting more samples as confirmation. Within this kit, from Intelligent Fingerprinting, employers will find everything they need to send samples securely to a laboratory for testing. This includes the postage-paid returns envelope, bar codes to ensure the identity of the employee/contractor who gave the sample remains anonymous and the appropriate tamper-evident security bag.
For this further testing, the employer needs to obtain written consent from the employee or contractor before obtaining two additional samples. The samples and written consent are sent along with any declaration of prescribed medicine the individual may be taking, if they feel it could have interfered with the testing.
More About Intelligent Fingerprinting
Intelligent Fingerprinting is the company behind the new drug tests and launched its portable and compact Drug Screening System in August 2017. Currently, the system is targeted towards to occupational and workplace health services, offender management, drug rehabilitation services and criminal justice. It is thought though, that in the future, homeland security and healthcare sectors could utilise the testing. Intelligent Fingerprinting have been in operation since 2007 as an off-shoot company of University of East Anglia and is based in Cambridge, and has a workforce totalling at least 30.
Although it is still early days, this testing presents employers with a better way for upholding their Health and Safety and drug misuse policies, without embarrassing unnecessarily their employees or contractors. Gone are the days when you have to give blood or urinate into a container.
PERI teamed up with CIOB to host a digital engineering event, providing customers with an insight into their latest technological endeavours. The event took place at PERI’s Glasgow office last month and was led by Sales Engineer, Paul McGlynn.
The event began with refreshments in PERI’s exhibition hall, giving customers the opportunity to explore equipment from PERI’s product range such as, TRIO, SKYDECK and PERI UP to name a few. There was also a chance to learn about the fabrication services on offer.
Commenting on the event, Senior Site Manager, Peter Brady BEng (hons) MCIOB from BAM Construction Ltd said:
“This event really opened my eyes to how PERI are market leaders with regards to all formwork solutions. Their advancements in augmented reality really shows how beneficial this will be to the construction market, especially with regards to health and safety. Great day out and thank you to Paul
McGlynn and the team at PERI Scotland for working with the CIOB to deliver an excellent event”.
Advance BIM manager, Miguel Lopez and Engineering Director, James Connell, both from PERI, were on hand to demonstrate the digital capabilities that are currently offered alongside PERI’s formwork and scaffolding packages. Customers were given the chance to immerse themselves in a hypothetical on-site
situation using PERI’s mixed reality Microsoft HoloLens® technology.
The event attracted a lot of interest and was widely attended by 20 customers from all over Scotland, including main contractors and sub-contractors as well as university students.
Planning Manager, Paul Brown of Multiplex Construction Europe Ltd commented: “From a construction and quality control perspective, PERI’s attention to detail at the design stage through to the extremely well-organised fabrication and storage facility further demonstrates that they are market leaders when it comes to formwork and scaffold design”.
Digital engineering is rapidly becoming a requirement on all projects. The latest digital tools support the planning and build stages, ensuring formwork and scaffolding designs are optimised, safe and cost-efficient across the built environment.
Commenting on the event, Sales Engineer, Paul McGlynn said:
“The event was a real success as shown by the great number of attendees on a Wednesday night after a busy day’s work. Our purpose-built product exhibition hall in our Glasgow depot was a superb platform to host such a night. It was also really inspiring to discuss the digital engineering potential and range of products that we can offer our industry partners through early project engagement and collaboration. I personally would like to thank everyone that attended and gave up a few hours of their own time”.
CISRS announces deal with select training providers to deliver CPD courses at £50 per head.
The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme (CISRS) have announced they are marking the first anniversary of the introduction of CPD courses for scaffolders by running a number of reduced cost courses across the UK.
CISRS has stated that they have reached an agreement with a number of training providers that will enable them to deliver the CPD programme at only £50 per head – a price reduction in excess of 80%. A total of 13 courses will be delivered between June and August, allowing for up to 156 scaffolders to take advantage of this offer.
David Mosley, CISRS Scheme Manager, said: “I would really like to thank the training centres that have partnered with us on this initiative. Since its introduction in July 2017, the uptake for the CPD courses has exceeded all expectations and providers would have had no problem filling these courses at the usual market rate.
“They will effectively be delivering these courses on CISRS behalf for around half the usual income. I think it’s fantastic that we can work with them to do something so positive – and that will benefit so many operatives across the UK – to mark the CPD programme one year on.”
CISRS will also waive the usual costs of the delegate guidance notes and card application fees normally incurred in the delivery of these courses.
According to the Scaffolders Record Scheme, close to 2,000 scaffolders have completed the two-day CPD programme since it was launched in July 1 2017.
The subsidised courses will be held at the following centres:
AIS (North Shields)Altrad/Generation (Wakefield)CITB Northern Ireland (Crumlin) LTC (Plymouth)NCC East (Bircham Newton)NCC Midlands (Birmingham)NCC Scotland (Inchinnan)NCC Waltham Forest (Leytonstone)NETA (Stockton)QCF (Cardiff)Safety and Access (Nottingham)Safety and Access (Immingham)Simian Skill (Warrington)
Alongside Devon based plastic recycling specialist company, Polymer Industries, Viridor recently announced an innovative collaboration that will see thousands of hard hats destined for the landfill be put to better use, protecting both the environment, and providing a practical solution in the form of reusable plastic products, such as bins.
Hard hats have always been excluded from traditional recycling due to the complexity of the plastics used to make them, but with these hats having a very short lifespan of only 2-5 years, they have previously been sent to landfills in their thousands, which is simply not an environmentally sustainable solution.
The Managing Director of Polymer Industries, Jason Goozee recently stated that the company was working alongside Viridor to provide a commercial solution where one hasn’t existed until now.
Jason also said he was confident that with the two companies working together and providing the correct infrastructure and processes that they would be able to convert conventional plastic waste into a reusable commodity.
Today, plastic products are a big part of our lives, and many plastics, like hard hats are not able to be recycled using traditional methods which is having a negative effect on the environment and even marine life.
Whilst many places are calling for the ban of plastic, it’s perhaps unrealistic to believe we can fully live without any kind of plastic, or that we can simply eliminate its use overnight, but we also have to ensure that we’re using it responsibly.
This sustainable solution offered by Viridor and Polymer Industries is more than a good start in the right direction that offers up a way to reuse plastics so they don’t end up in landfills or at the bottom of the oceans.
Of course, the project is still in its early days, but things are looking positive with 1,200 hard hats having already been recycled during an ongoing trial with Babcock International Group, and this number is expected to rise during the remainder of the trial.
Babcock Devonport’s Waste Services Manager, Laura Parry has spoken positively about the collaboration on this new project by stating that the company are always seeking new ways to be more sustainable, as well as working hard to ensure that they are managing their waste as efficiently as possible.
Although the new scheme has only been rolled out in South Wales for now, all involved have big hopes and believe there’s a real potential for bigger expansion as other companies look for ways to maximise the opportunities for more sustainable waste management.
The hard hats scheme is really just the start of an ongoing plan to maximise the use of plastics through sustainable innovative recycling methods, though it’s certainly a great start, and hopefully more companies will begin to follow suit as the benefits become more clear, not only to the environment, but also on a practical level when they see how the plastics can be reused for other purposes.
