Above all, Plettac METRIX scaffolding solutions from TRAD Hire & Sales Ltd.

Three imposing 17-storey tower blocks in Salford, Manchester presented very specific construction challenges to Greenwood Scaffolding MD, Brian Kelly.

Each of these blocks has an area of 4,687m, which is comprised by a 109m girth and a height of 43m. They rise above a busy residential area with pedestrian access directly below and, with all properties remaining occupied through the project, easy access was needed from each flat at all times. After 15 years of turning to TRAD Hire & Sales Ltd. for all his scaffolding requirements, Brian once again needed a fast answer from a trusted partner. With Plettac METRIX – exclusive to TRAD Hire & Sales Ltd. and a product of German engineering excellence – Brian found his solution. Brian Kelly says, “Plettac METRIX presents far less risk to pedestrians during the erection process due to the dramatically reduced erection time.  Working platforms are completed quickly and safely, with minimum disruption to the general public.  Aesthetically, it’s a highly professional scaffold that appears to be made specifically for the project. This comes from Plettac METRIX’s unique divisibility, which allows extra vertical members to be used within the bay length and width, making it endlessly adaptable. This simple divisibility means it’s far quicker to erect than other scaffolding systems – instead of the programmed 12 weeks using traditional tube and fittings, using Plettac METRIX each tower block took just four scaffolders and six labourers less than two weeks. Perforated steel decks allow more light through the structure, meaning better working conditions and less intrusion on residents’ lives.” With the addition of a unique permanent advanced guardrail, and a decking system with built-in lifting handles, wind locks and anti-tilting devices, Plettac METRIX from TRAD Hire & Sales Ltd. results in material and labour savings, reduced assembly times and improved safety. The Plettac METRIX system conforms fully to BS EN 12810 and 12811; it is fully compliant with the NASC’s Code of Practice for Scaffolding Products and has CISRS approval. It is also one more example of TRAD’s insistence on scaffolding solutions that rise above the rest in terms of ease, flexibility and strength. For more information about TRAD Hire & Sale’s products and services, call 0845 899 0845 or visit www.tradhireandsales.co.uk.

Pictures: Offshore storm damages scaffolding

Incredible images have emerged of recent offshore storm damage to scaffolding on Shell’s Brent Delta Rig.Shell-Delta-2

Scaffolding has been left seriously damaged and precariously dangling from Shell’s Brent Delta after storm weather battered the platform. The Delta platform is 300m high – double the height of the London Eye and equal to the height of the Eiffel Tower. A Shell spokesperson said to Energy Voice: “Shell can confirm that as a result of the recent bad weather scaffolding on the Brent Delta platform has become displaced. “Following an assessment of the situation, including liaising with DECC, we have concluded that the safest method of recovery will be a controlled drop onto the seabed. Once on the seabed it will be recovered by an ROV that is currently on the platform. The scaffolding is not in the vicinity of any pipelines on the seabed. “It is anticipated that there will be an appropriate weather window to complete the operation this week.” The Brent field, which started production in 1976, consists of four large platforms – Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. At its peak in 1982, the Brent field was producing 504,000 boepd – enough to power half of the UK’s homes. The field has since been earmarked for decommissioning. Brent Delta is the latest in a string of assets affected by harsh storm condition.

NASC Slash Fees To Attract Smaller Scaffolding Firms In 2016

The NASC are set to attract smaller scaffoldingnasc businesses in 2016 after announcing reductions in membership fees for SME’s

The NASC has made a bold move to attract small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) scaffolding firms to the confederation – by reducing the minimum subscription threshold, specifically:

  • From 1st January 2016 a lower subscription tier has been created.
  • Companies with annual turnover below £1 million will be charged an annual subscription of just £995 + VAT.
  • Subscriptions for companies with a turnover between £1 million and £1,376,200 (the previous minimum annual turnover) will increase incrementally from £995 to £1,600 + VAT.

This NASC initiative was announced at the organisation’s Leeds AGM on 27th November 2015 – reflecting the newly sworn-in President Alan Lilley’s desire to attract greater numbers of smaller scaffolding contractors to the NASC.

Furthermore, the confederation is also in the process of fine-tuning a range of benefits for small companies wishing to apply for membership, with details to follow in ScaffMag, news releases on social media and at 2016 NASC events.

MD Robin James said: “The NASC is an inclusive organisation. We are looking to broaden the appeal of membership to smaller companies who are prepared to comply with our code of conduct, our robust auditing procedure, and help us to set the standard for scaffolding here in the UK. 

“In reducing the NASC minimum annual subscription rate, we are facilitating the creation of a level playing field for the smaller scaffolding contractor. This will enable NASC to regulate this important sector of the industry – helping to drive up standards.”

NASC President Alan Lilley added: “It is one of my main aims as the new NASC President to alter the false “club” perception of the confederation and to increase the membership – especially within the UK’s elite small and medium sized scaffolding firms. And this starts with us lowering the turnover threshold to £1 million and the annual subscription to below £1,000, effective from 1st January 2016.

“The NASC is also very happy to provide support with membership applications (including meeting the requirements for membership and completing the application form, for example). This will hopefully give every applicant the best chance of passing the application process and getting them on the right path for a successful desktop and site audit.

“We look forward to receiving applications from smaller scaffolding contractors with the same high standards to which our members adhere, and we wish them luck with their membership journey.”

The Secrets of Scaffold Design

48.3 Launch two day introductory Scaffold Design Courses.

ScaffMag has gained exclusive access to the first prestigious 48.3 Scaffold Design Appreciation course of 2016, which is part of the ‘Secrets of Scaffold Design’ series. Due to overwhelming demand the two day course held in Leeds has already sold out.

Next week we will be providing a full exclusive report and live updates about this new exciting and highly desirable course from the industry leading design firm that is 48.3 Scaffold Design.

The two day Scaffold Design Appreciation course will help to equip individuals, teams and organisations with scaffold design expertise to enable them to increase their knowledge base, improve their service level and win more business. Many roles within a scaffolding company (estimating, supervision, project & contract management and surveying etc.) will benefit from understanding the latest technical scaffolding requirements in more detail. The course is specifically aimed at non-technical staff and developed with those people in mind.

The course includes:

  • An Introduction to Scaffold Design Principles.
  • Expert Tuition in Scaffold Design from 48.3 Design Engineers.
  • CDM 2015 compliance, TG20 and SG4 all covered.
  • Theoretical teaching, group exercises, practical examples and models.
  • Complete 115 page course manual for all delegates.

This course will provide the most significant benefits to:

  • Advanced Scaffolders, Supervisors, Contract Managers, Inspectors, Health & Safety Professionals and Scaffolding Business Owners.
  • Procurers of Scaffolding and Scaffold Design, anyone writing scaffolding schedules or design briefs.
  • Engineers completing Scaffolding Design Checks.
  • Temporary Works Coordinators (TWC) and Temporary Works Supervisors (TWS), or anyone who manages scaffolding and access as part of your job role.
  • Anyone interested in scaffolding design who wants to know more.
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Ben Beaumont

Ben Beaumont, Managing Director of 48.3 Training said: “We are really pleased with how this course has been received so far and the feedback from the last course in 2015 was tremendous. February will be the first time we have delivered the course in London and if demand is anything like it has been for our sold out courses so far, then places will go quickly!”

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Places on the 2-Day course cost only £597 per person (exc. VAT), and you can claim part of that cost back if you are registered with the CITB.

Places are strictly limited and available on a first come, first served basis.

Leeds: Thursday 14th – Friday 15th January 2016 – SOLD OUT

London Wednesday 10th – Thursday 11th February 2016 – PLACES AVAILABLE

Leeds Wednesday 9th – Thursday 10th March 2016 – PLACES AVAILABLE

Find out more and book online today at:  www.483training.com

Companies fined £1.3M for Scaffolders death

Two companies have been fined a total of £1.3m following the death of a scaffolder who was just weeks away from his wedding day.

The court was told John Altoft, 29, from Scunthorpe was killed when he fell to his death after being struck by falling debris inside an industrial tower. On 18 January 2012, a team from Cape Industrial Services Ltd were installing an access scaffold to enable the relining of the inside of a steel plated tapered cylindrical structure at the Cemex Cement Works in Rugby. Warwick Crown Court heard the team was working inside the Cyclone 1 tower when concrete debris dropped on to Altoft causing him to fall seven metres to the bottom of the structure causing fatal head injuries. His colleague Ty Smart was also seriously injured, suffering serious wrist and arm fractures and has been unable to work since the incident. Inspectors from the HSE told the court that both Cemex UK Operations Ltd and Cape Industrial Services Ltd Scaffolding should have co-ordinated and planned this high risk work to a higher standard. Cemex UK Operations Limited, Coldharbour Lane, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £700,000 and was ordered to pay £90,783.78 in costs. Cape Industrial Services Limited, Stockley Bridge, Uxbridge, Middlesex pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £600,000 was ordered to pay £90,783.78 in costs. HSE Inspector, Sue Thompson, said: “John Altoft should have been celebrating his wedding, but instead his family suffered a terrible loss. “This was an entirely preventable incident and proper planning and protection from the foreseeable danger of falling material would have prevented this from happening.” Michelle Altoft, John’s mum, said: “John was very loyal and hard working. He turned into the most handsome, caring young man, and I could not be more proud of him. He would help anyone and be there when you needed him. “I have lost the most precious thing any mother could lose, and will never be replaced – my child.” Carly Sargent, John’s fiancé, said: “Even now, two years on I still miss John. Mine and John’s life together was taken away from us. We grew up together. He worked hard all his life with the intention of becoming my husband and having a family. This is all he wanted. We both wanted the same things.”

Beaver 84 Selects Avontus’ Scaffold Designer Software to Visualize and Design Scaffolding Projects

The leading scaffold supplier Beaver 84 will use Scaffold Designer to plan projects that require Plettac Contur system scaffolding.

Following an extensive search 2015-12-15_10-31-14of available scaffolding design tools, Beaver 84 has selected Avontus’ Scaffold Designer as its recommended software. With its 3D visualization, drag-and-drop design capabilities, and automatic materials calculation, Scaffold Designer takes the guesswork out of system scaffolding design. Beaver 84, a leading UK scaffold supplier, plans to roll out Scaffold Designer to each of its 9 depots in the coming weeks, and will make trials of the easy-to-use software available to its clients. “We chose Scaffold Designer because it supports our Plettac Contur system scaffolding and it allows us and our customers to design scaffolding exactly the way it will be built,” commented David Hughes, National Sales Manager of Beaver 84. “Avontus clearly understands scaffolding, and Scaffold Designer is developed to meet, and even exceed, the needs we and our customers have,” he continued. Whilst Scaffold Designer automatically supports Plettac Contur system scaffolding, Avontus will customize the software for Beaver 84 to support its other scaffold systems, giving Beaver 84’s customers access to its full range of system scaffolding options. Implementing Scaffold Designer will help Beaver 84 and its customers increase safety, order and allocate materials more efficiently, increase the use of system scaffolding, and provide superior service to their customers. “We are looking forward to continuing to build our relationship with Beaver 84 as system scaffolding becomes more prevalent in the UK scaffolding market,” added Andrew Smith, Director of Sales of Avontus. “The combination of superior scaffold materials and powerful scaffold software will give Beaver 84 and its customers a significant competitive edge.” About Avontus Avontus has been producing quality software since 1995, both custom development for enterprises and packaged software for the general public. With a focus on the user experience, our software for the formwork, scaffolding, and shoring industries is the best in the industry. Our employees are highly skilled computer and business professionals who understand big-picture problem solving, team project management, and the latest technology. Avontus Software also owns and maintains web portals and web services for falsework (scaffold, shoring, and formwork) professionals. For more information, visit http://avontus.com/. About Beaver 84 Since formation in 1984 Beaver84 has established itself as a dedicated supplier of non-mechanical construction equipment for both Hire and Sales. The strategy is supported by an understanding of investment and innovation and the need to maintain the service and Quality across all aspects of the business. Over many years Beaver 84 has continued to offer a unique and specialist product range from site set up, excavation, construction through to completion by working in partnership with its clientele. For more information, visit http://www.beaver84.co.uk.

TRAD Hire & Sales receives great reviews and feedback at Barking open day

TRAD Hire & Sales receives great reviews and feedback from both clients and end users at their recent open day in Barking.

It was only in April of this year that TRAD Hire & Sales, the UK’s leading Scaffold Supplier, celebrated opening their National Training and Product Awareness Centre in Barking, and is now leading the way with an ongoing series of open days across the country. Having successfully hosted two previous open days in East London and Leeds during 2015, the Scaffold Specialists returned to their new Training Centre on the 4th November to showcase two of the markets most innovated products – Metrix and Altrix, both of which are unique to TRAD Hire and Sales in the UK. The demonstration of the Plettac Metrix System Scaffold and the showcasing of the new ALTRIX Temporary Roof system were met with extremely positive reviews from some of the UK’s leading Construction Companies and Scaffolding Contractors. The event kicked off with an introduction to the New National Training facilities followed by a demonstration of the unique Plettac METRIX System Scaffold, proven to be significantly faster to erect than all other ring based systems but even more so compared to traditional Tube & Fittings. A time-lapse video demonstrated both the speed and benefits of METRIX, comparing it against conventional tube & fittings and two other well- known ring-based systems. The comparative speed and ease of use of METRIX conclusively proved the system to be superior in every respect and the time lapse video was enthusiastically received by all those attending. Construction industry experts are hailing Metrix as revolutionary, quoting labour savings benefits, programme time reductions, and the systems versatility as its key attributes. The introduction of the optional Permanent Advance Guardrail also improves safety as they are installed from the safety of the lift below. Attendees were then introduced to TRAD’s newest product, ALTRIX; an all-aluminium temporary roofing and weather protection system, Alan Slater, TRAD Group Technical Support Manager explained how the roofing system has been designed to work with any scaffold and complements the METRIX system perfectly. Manufactured using fast Push-Fit technology with colour-coded components to allow for easy identification and speedier assembly times (all as the colour coding of the Metrix System), ALTRIX uses far less components than other roofing systems which significantly reduces the costs of purchasing, storage and transportation. An additional benefit of the system is the ability to install the roof sheets from the safety of the scaffold platform. With the Open Day well underway, TRAD Group Managing Director, Des Moore reviewed the real-world benefits of the METRIX and ALTRIX systems. Following the event, he said: ‘The product launch at our National Training Centre was met with positivity across the board. I firmly believe that these two products are the very best on the market today and that our industry will greatly benefit from their time and labour cost saving capabilities.” The open day then concluded with an insightful Presentation from Des, who as well as being responsible for the three TRAD Group Companies, has extensive experience in Scaffolding Contracting, having previously been the Managing Director of TRAD Scaffolding for some fifteen years and having used System Scaffolding for the past twenty five years. A very robust Q&A session followed with Des that covered a wide range of topics, including TRAD’s Business model and the real commercial benefits that can be gained along with the essential Management approach that is required by any user wishing to extract the full benefits of using both METRIX and ALTRIX. Attendees were highly complementary of TRAD’s product demonstrations and many expressed their eagerness to start using the products straight away. Andrew Millington, Managing Director of Jubilee Scaffolding in Jersey was very impressed by the safety and practical working benefits of the products: “I currently use the cuplock system, but I think Plettac METRIX will be twice as quick to erect and dismantle. The safety is fantastic – working from underneath rather than on top, with the guardrail system in place, and being able to work to SG4:15 all the times. For all the benefits it gives me, I would definitely use Plettac METRIX in the future. Edmond Carolan, Director of ENJ Scaffolding in Essex, shared his views: “Plettac METRIX is a very impressive piece of kit, especially with the ALTRIX roof… The best part for me is the labour saving – instead of 4:2 ratio of four scaffolders to two labourers, you could have four labourers to two scaffolders. That’s a big saving. It would be interesting to bring some of the lads to one of TRAD’s live jobs to get their thoughts on how investing in Plettac METRIX – and eventually replacing Cuplock – could benefit the business.” Des Moore concluded that for the first time in the UK there is a ‘Very Real’ alternative to the previously well-known supplier of ring based system scaffolding. We believe that the ALTRAD Group has a much better offering to the market in every respect, from Design, Supply and Customer Support, coupled with TRAD`s nationwide Hire and Sales distribution, and in-house knowledge sharing from a Group that can advise its clients how to get the very best from the System because it has that experience that no other Suppliers can offer. Over and above that we believe the Products just speak for themselves. Come and see for yourself at one of our Open Days. To be among the first to experience the cost saving benefits of TRAD Hire & Sales’ new products, book your place on one of our upcoming open days – places are limited so book now to be a part of the scaffolding revolution on 0161 494 2999 or email [email protected].

Bilfinger gains £100M Scottish terminals contract renewal with BP

Bilfinger gains £100 million three-year maintenance contract renewal with BP securing more than 240 jobs in Scotland.

Under the agreement the German firm will provide maintenance services at two of its oil and gas terminals, the Forties Pipeline System at Grangemouth and Sullom Voe Terminal, Shetland. The three-year contract covers services such as scaffolding, rope access, insulation, blast cleaning, painting and fire-proofing and will be delivered by Bilfinger’s industrial services division. News of the huge contract came as BP’s rival Shell revealed that its multi-billion pound deal to buy oil and gas firm BG Group is set to lead to some 2,800 job losses. Bilfinger said the contract with BP will involve more than 240 employees, with many based permanently on-site at the BP facilities. Around 24 of the roles will be apprenticeship or trainee positions. Bilfinger’s industrial services is one of two Bilfinger UK businesses to have existing agreements with BP, alongside its electrical engineering division. The two groups have worked together in the UK for more than six years. Duncan Hall, executive president of Bilfinger Oil & Gas, said: “BP is a long-term strategic partner for Bilfinger and we support them across their upstream and midstream assets. We have been delivering these specialist and critical areas of plant maintenance across these key UK assets since 2010. “This latest agreement is a landmark for Bilfinger in the UK which further cements our position as a leading support services provider to the energy sector. Two-thirds of all diesel and petrol sold in the UK comes from production assets that we help maintain.”

Firm in court after scaffolding blown over during dismantling

A Leicestershire scaffolding company has been fined after scaffolding hit a bus and pedestrians when it blew over during dismantling.

Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how on 28 January 2015 Emperor Scaffolding Limited of Leicester was dismantling scaffolding on Charles Street when the incident occurred. The scaffolding hit a bus, landed on a parked van and hit two members of the public. See original news report: Pedestrian Trapped After Scaffolding Collapses In Leicester An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident, found that the company was not following a safe system of work. The scaffolding was not tied to the building and sheeting was left in place. The scaffolding dismantling took place over four days and the workers failed to check the scaffolding condition before they started or to take adequate measures to correct defects and ensure it would not collapse during the dismantling. Emperor Scaffolding Limited, of Fairefield Crescent, Glenfield, Leicester, was fined a total of £8,000, with costs of £2,000 after pleading guilty to offences under Regulation 28(1) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Martin Giles said: “Scaffolding needs to be tied to a building and dismantling needs to be properly planned and carried out in a safe manner.”

Wind brings down scaffolding onto parked cars

High winds are thought to of caused a 40-meter run of scaffolding to topple onto parked cars in North Staffordshire.

SIX vehicles are thought to have been damaged after scaffolding tumbled onto them yesterday morning. The incident in Loggerheads occurred as North Staffordshire continues to be battered by high winds. Firefighters were called out to Co-op on Eccleshall Road at about 9.40am following reports of a 40-metre long scaffold falling down. The crews noted that it had fallen on six vehicles parked close to the shop. It was dismantled and the area was made safe. They left the scene just after 2pm.