Construction firm fined after Scaffolder is left paralysed

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Construction firm fined after Scaffolder is left paralysed

A construction company has been fined £100K after a scaffolder fell 4m through an opening.

Construction firm Structural Metal Decks Limited (SMDL) has been fined £105,000 after a scaffolder was left paralysed following an accident at a building site in Kilsyth, Scotland. The Scaffolder suffered injuries to his spinal cord and is now paralysed from the neck down following the incident. Airdrie Sheriff Court heard how Structural Metal Decks Ltd had been sub-contracted to lay metal deck flooring by John Graham Construction Ltd who were building a new health centre in Kilsyth. On 22 April 2015, a scaffolder was moving scaffolding components when he stood on a section of decking which had been put in place by SMDL. The decking sheet gave way and the man fell more than four metres to the ground.
Scaffolder
An image of the scene, Credit:ppconstructionsafety.com
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the metal deck sheets on the first level of the building had not been secured properly and the access to the first level of the decking was not adequately controlled allowing non-decking workers onto the deck. Structural Metal Decks Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Sections 3 (1) and 33 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and were fined £105,000. Speaking after the verdict, HSE inspector Graeme McMinn said: “This is a tragic incident, which has had a devastating effect on a young man’s life. The accident could have been avoided if the Structural Metal Decks Ltd had taken appropriate safety precautions and ensured the decking sheets were properly secured.”  

PASMA Launches Major International Safety Campaign

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PASMA Launches Major International Safety Campaign

PASMA has announced the launch of the PASMA Safety at Height Advisory Panel

The new initiative is designed to promote height safety and the safe use of mobile access towers. The Panel is intended to make the specialist knowledge, operational guidance and resources of the association available across different regions of the world, starting with the Middle East Gulf States. PASMA will be working in partnership with government departments and agencies, other trade and professional bodies and industry at large, the Panel will promote advice and information designed to keep people safe when working at height – one of the biggest causes of death and injury in the global workplace. PASMA Middle EastChaired by Mike Palmer – Regional Quality, health, safety, environment and Training Manager at Rapid Access; the Panel comprises industry experts from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences with the common objective of advancing safety and good practice through standards, guidance and training. Mike said: “We all have first-hand experience of working in the region and therefore know and understand the way in which the local access industry operates. We want to offer insight and advice and to encourage a good practice mindset based on accepted standards and skill.” Sarah Nunn, PASMA’s Head of International Development, is delighted with the positive response that the Panel is already receiving. “Here at PASMA we are passionate about making work at height safer for everyone. The launch of the Panel is a practical demonstration of that commitment to reducing falls from height.”

Shocking Video: Man Pulls Scaffolding Over onto Busy Street

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Shocking Video: Man Pulls Scaffolding Over onto Busy Street

A video has emerged online showing a man purposely pulling a fully erected scaffold over onto a busy street and parked cars.

The five minute sickening video originally posted on Facebook shows an unidentified man calmly dismantling the bottom lift of a scaffold, which had been erected on the front of a house somewhere in the UK. The video continues on to show the man wait for the traffic to clear on the busy street before pulling the full scaffold over with a rope crashing down onto parked cars and the road. The video then falls into darkness but the unidentified man and accomplice or accomplices are heard running away laughing. No further information about the video or the location is available at this time.

Totally Shocking

The general feeling and reaction to the video on social media is utter shock and condemnation to the man’s actions. Many people are asking why someone would do such a thing, and endanger innocent people and cause such damage.

Cape wins five year contact with Qatar Petrochemical Company

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Cape wins five year contact with Qatar Petrochemical Company
Cape plc has announced its Qatar operations have been awarded a five-year framework contract for scaffolding, insulation, painting and refractory lining works by Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO). QAPCO Q.S.C. is one of the most successful producers of low-density polyethylene – a basic plastic polymer that is derived from natural gas. QAPCO is the operator of the QATOFIN linear low-density polyethylene plant. QATOFIN Company Limited is a joint venture between QAPCO Q.S.C., Total Petrochemicals France and Qatar Petroleum, located in Mesaieed Industrial City in Qatar. Samir Chopra, Operations Director Qatar, commented: “We are very proud to have won this framework contract from QAPCO and we look forward to continuing our long-standing relationships.”

Beaver 84 opens 2.5 acre mega depot

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Beaver 84 opens 2.5 acre mega depot

Beaver 84 has merged two of it’s busiest southern depots to create a 2.5 acre mega depot in Hampshire.

Established in 1984 the non mechanical hire firm specialises in the hire of fencing, scaffolding, shoring and other non-mechanical construction equipment. In a strategic merger, Beaver 84 has merged its Romsey and Guilford depots to a new 2.5 acre site at Bordon. The new site will offer the company twice the space of Romsey and Guildford depots combined. In addition, the new bypass currently under construction around Borden will improve transportation links for the company, making it easier for its four dedicated Hiab vehicles to serve central London, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Devon as well as the south coast. “This is an exciting time for Beaver 84 as the additional space will enable us to expand our business over the coming years. The new 2.5 acre site will mean that we can grow our stock levels to offer our full range of products to the construction industry and reach more customers across the southern region, where previously we were somewhat restricted due to lack of space.” Says Steve Tysoe, Managing Director. The new Bordon depot at Prince Phillip Barracks, Bordon is now open with Romsey having moved first on 25 February. The Guildford depot will join them on 6 March. Steve added: “We are delighted to say that the hardworking dedicated teams from both depots will be making the switch to the joint site under the leadership of branch manager Helen Jones.” The merger means that Beaver 84 now has 10 branches throughout the UK, plus its head office in Wickford, Essex as well as its subsidiary, Star Events Ltd which the company acquired in 2014.

Scaffolders Fundraiser Smashes £100K Target

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Scaffolders Fundraiser Smashes £100K Target

Over £100,000 has been raised for scaffolder, Jamie Mines, after he lost both hands and a foot in accident at work in December.

As previously reported the scaffolder, footballer and father-of-two, was seriously injured before Christmas by an electric shock while working in Swindon.

According to reports Jamie is still in hospital recovering, but thousands of people across the country have come together to raise over £100,000 to donate to him and his family.

Jamie’s friend, Ian Kennedy, started the fundraiser in December with a target of £10,000. After finding out Jamie had to have three amputations, Ian upped the target to £100,000, and has so far raised over £106,000.

Ian said, “I’m overwhelmed by the amount of money that has been raised, and by the fantastic support. It’s a huge amount and I think it’ll keep going; it’s just the start of the help Jamie will receive from everyone around him.”

The fundraiser was spread widely online – with over 7,000 shares on Facebook, and football legends including Alan Shearer, Michael Owen and David Seaman have all sent video messages of support.

See also: Scaffolder loses leg and arms after being electrocuted 

Ian says Jamie is still in isolation and recovering, but can communicate and has sent an email thanking him for starting the fundraiser.

Ian added, “Jamie’s got a long road ahead of him but he’s got so much determination and personality, I think he’ll be alright. He’s got his two girls for inspiration and, from what I hear from his brother, he is being positive about moving forward.

“I think so many people have gotten involved because it was such a freak accident. It happened just before Christmas and his daughters had just been born – the story has really touched people because it’s so horrific for him and his family.”

You can still donate to the fund by going to www.gofundme.com/raising-money-for-jamie-mines

Atlantic Scaffold Select Generation UNI Roof for Global Reach

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Atlantic Scaffold Select Generation UNI Roof for Global Reach
In May 2016 a fire gutted the Global Reach office building located on the Celtic Gateway Business Park in Cardiff Bay. Cardiff based scaffolding sub-contractors Atlantic Scaffold were commissioned to erect a temporary roof for the damaged building. The four-storey 5,574m² building represented a sizeable space at 18m high with a footprint of 66m x 18m. The Celtic Gateway is an important and busy site for Cardiff Business Park which meant time and space was at a premium. The scaffolding and repair work had to co-exist and not impact on the other Park occupiers, such as BT, NFU Mutual, Cardiff Council, KTS Owens Thomas and Austin Smith Lord. Atlantic Scaffold had a 5-week window to erect the scaffold and one long weekend to shut the busy car park to assemble the temporary roof and crane it into position. The firm turned to Generation’s Hire and Sale team for support to ensure they could meet these challenging time scales. The Generation UNI Roof was presented as the solution. Generation said: ‘One of the strengths of the Generation UNI Roof is that it is lightweight and has the lowest number of components of any temporary roofing or encapsulation solution in the market. It is also designed to be compatible with any existing scaffold or support structure’ Generation added. Atlantic Scaffolding chose Generation UNI Roof for Temporary Roof project This was the first time that Atlantic Scaffold has used the UNI Roof, but they were reassured by the product design simplicity, quality, plus the Generation support that it would be possible to build the structure on the floor of the car park in 2 days and then crane it into position on the 3rd day. Additional support was provided through Generation’s partnership with the manufacturer Dessa and Generation’s own in house engineering and design team. The last lift was craned into position at sunset. In 3 days Atlantic Scaffold had managed to build and hoist into position the UNI Roof to provide their clients with a 100% weather proof structure. The Business Park opened for business as usual on Monday with no disruption to the neighbouring businesses. Once the structure was in place, Atlantic Scaffold proceeded to infill and sheet the temporary roof. The UNI Roof’s patented Keder sheet tracking greatly helped the process and meant it was possible to add covering to the structure from the safety of the eaves. Generation said: The Generation UNI Roof had once again proven through its cost effectiveness, compatibility, versatility, safe and quick erection times why it is the best solution in temporary roofing in the market. Colin Davies, the MD at Atlantic Scaffolding said: “Generation Hire & Sales have been extremely helpful from the design process through to assisting with the erection of the UNI Roof on site. Without the UNI Roof solution and the support of the Generation team it would have been a significantly harder challenge to erect and position a temporary roof in the 3 days we were given.” Atlantic Scaffolding chose Generation UNI Roof for Temporary Roof project Mark Ames, Generation Cardiff Branch Manager said: “Generation and the Cardiff branch can only be successful when our customers have the right products, service and support to do their jobs. It was very gratifying to work so closely with Atlantic Scaffold and ensure their success on such a high profile project in Wales. It is testament to the design and engineering of the UNI Roof, the Generation team effort and the working partnership we developed with Colin and his team that we were able to deliver a secure, quality and weather proof solution in such a short time frame.”

Storm Doris Rips Scaffolding from London Rooftop

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Storm Doris Rips Scaffolding from London Rooftop
Rooftop scaffolding has collapsed under the pressure of the high winds of Storm Doris, forcing emergency services to close a main road through central London. The scaffolding that looks to include debris netting, became dislodged at the top of the office block at the 1926-built Aldwych House, Holborn, due to the high winds reports ITV. It had been put into place as part of plans for a £15 million rooftop extension. The roadway running beneath was closed off this afternoon (Thursday 23 Feb) and was not expected to reopen until 5pm. Motorists were warned of long delays in the area.

Three plunge into water after bridge scaffolding collapses

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Three plunge into water after bridge scaffolding collapses

A large scaffold under a bridge crossing in New Zealand has collapsed.

According to local media three people have plunged into the water and one person was trapped after the scaffolding collapsed at a bridge over the Panmure lagoon in east Auckland. The local Fire services managed to extract the man, who was stuck on his back on a beam running under the bridge. The fire service says the three who fell have been removed from the water. The cause of the collapse is unknown, but authorities are investigating.
Bridge Scaffolding Collapse
Image Credit: Newshub
Bridge Scaffolding Collapse
Image Credit: Newshub

Toe Board Gaps ‘Tamed’ by New Tamer Fitting

Ian Mclnnes
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Toe Board Gaps ‘Tamed’ by New Tamer Fitting
Materials falling from height, no matter how small, from scaffolding platforms present a serious risk and we understand the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) are becoming increasingly stringent about gaps in scaffolding platforms. A small gap is a particular issue when Ready Lock transoms are used and where standard toe board clips are not an adequate solution leaving other, more complicated and costly ways of filling the gap such as cutting strips of board, fitting plywood or running a secondary ledger would need to be employed. The Tamer fitting offers a cost effective, reusable solution to the toe board gap issue and is manufactured under the Forgeco/MS (Metal Spraying)-UK banner. We asked the driving force behind the development of the Tamer fitting, Nick Flynn managing director at FlynnDS Ltd. and a director of Safelinx Ltd. about the fitting’s development and properties. “The Tamer was born from my day to day use of the Ready lock transom (Animals where I come from – hence ‘Tamer’) and being constantly frustrated by the resulting platform,” said Flynn. Although setting the toe boards at an angle seemed to work for a while, in the long run, movement on the platform led to board movement and the dreaded gap appearing time after time. I’ve never personally laid a tube in the gap but am aware of its use – again unsatisfactory,” said Flynn. “The Tamer rids the platform of the gap and keeps the boards aligned in a simple clip design, from the few incarnations came the final design we have released into the market.” Also Read: New ‘KLAWZ’ scaffold fitting hits the marketplace Flynn said that the concept was one thing, “The design process to get a cost effective yet functional product, was the real issue. Many long hours were spent in joint efforts with Matt Shore and the MS-UK development team, their overseas manufacturing group, and various Patent Attorneys before the final multipurpose design you see today was ready for launch.” The Tamer Fitting eradicates the gap when using Ready Lock The fitting has been tried and tested on site. Flynn said, “Mark Parkin and Barry White of Tiger Scaffolding in Whitby were the guys who gave us the feedback on the design from use in their own projects. Their excellent feedback left us in no doubt to push the button on the mass production of the Tamer and release the fitting as soon as possible.” There was more usability to the fitting, “The bonus came when we tried the Tamer on Cuplok at the Forgeco base and it fit like a glove, when using 38mm boards and intermediate transoms,” said Flynn. “The unique way in which it holds the toe board proud of the standard cleared the cups and locks again, tidying the platform beyond recognition. AT-PAC kindly offered to try the same cross system use with their Ringlock system and again the results were great.” Flynn is confident that the Tamer fitting will at £1.45 prove its worth on site. “The primary benefits of the Tamer to the scaffold contractor are that the platform is a much more user friendly place to work,” he said. “Gaps no longer appear over time leaving the client very happy and the general appearance of the completed scaffold is improved overall. Benefits that will be felt over time are the lack of site visits to reseat or replace moving boards.” According to Tamer fitting documentation the fitting is available exclusively from Metal Spraying (UK) Ltd and their nominated distributors.
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