Contractors Pyeroy have admitted health and safety failings over the death of a man trapped between a cherry picker and scaffolding at Devonport Dockyard in 2013.




Whilst not ideal for an open-air demonstration, the hail and freezing conditions perfectly demonstrated how the connections flat shape reduces wear and prevent ice, mortar, grit and dirt accumulation. The shape also allows the standards and socket plates to interlock to reduce the storage volume by over 5% and make it roll resistant to allow safer stacking and transportation. Attendees were impressed with the strength of the structure relative to the number of components required to achieve this. The use of steel boards as part of the integral structure means better integrity with fewer ledgers and components.
The attendees saw that Futuro was 50% quicker to erect than Lok systems and 300% faster than tube fittings and boards.
Gary Watson, area director for Scotland and the North East remarked on the day: “The feedback we have had has been very positive. Attendees were so impressed by Futuro we have already had enquires. The very next day we received an order for an 8-month hire. It is great to know that the demonstration was useful and underlines our commitment to our customers to provide them with the best value equipment in the market.”
Combined with Generation’s design engineer team and commitment to value, Futuro provides scaffolders with quality at the best price.
If you want to find out more, Generation’s demo days are FREE to attend across the country. Talk to your local branch, or check out our website for updates to see for yourself.
PERI utilised a tailored mobile scaffold system on heavy duty rollers to complete the task of waterproof lining the tunnel walls. The system was able to move along the tunnel and as this method was successful, PERI and BFK took the decision to use the same system for the escalator shaft providing the safest and most beneficial solution.
The main challenge for PERI’s design team was the 30° incline. To climb up a standard vertical shaft, PERI’s RCS can be used thanks to its ‘climbing shoes’. The RCS shoe, which is normally fixed to the core walls, allows the rail to be guided up the shaft. However, on this occasion, the RCS shoe required some additional support as the weight from the scaffold, and subsequent friction, would have potentially been too heavy. PERI’s technical team decided to deploy the same heavy duty rollers (as used in the tunnel) for the escalator shaft, meaning the scaffold was securely supported and able to move freely.
The heavy duty rollers can withstand more than 250KN of weight, meaning that, when positioned next to the standard RCS shoe, the system would work efficiently and safely. Additionally, the system was pulled up the shaft using an electronic winch, provided by the contractor, which lifted from the RCS system (rather than from the scaffold).
Another significant engineering challenge for PERI was the positioning of the platform levels used to access the surface of the tunnel. As the contractor required access to specific points, PERI had to design the scaffolding to have staggered platforms. For a standard horizontal design, the platforms can be positioned at two metre intervals, however for the 30° angle, the platforms needed to be staggered as the heights on the different angles continuously changed. After extensive research and development of the 3D designs, PERI’s team were able to plan and implement a cost-effective and optimised scaffolding solution that allowed three access stations at different heights along the 7.5m long scaffold.
Tony Austin, Regional Technical Manager, South at PERI Ltd, commented: “The escalator shaft was a really rewarding project to work on thanks to the originality of the design. The Farringdon project provided our first ever rolling tunnel scaffold designs, and utilising this to an inclined application was another first for us. The end result was ideally suited for the complexity of the project, as the waterproofing could be quickly and safely installed prior to the secondary tunnel lining.”
Nathan Bond, Engineer at BFK, added: “We were happy to once again work with PERI Ltd in the construction of the station. Given the unusual design and incline, we were delighted with the system proposed. The solution was ideal for our needs and the up-front planning, technical expertise and support from the PERI team meant that we were always in safe hands when erecting the system.”
To ensure a smooth process, PERI’s dedicated scaffolding site demonstrator regularly visited the site to help with the assembly of the equipment, providing technical advice throughout the duration of the project. PERI’s equipment was delivered to the site in late March and was on-site for just four weeks. For more information. 


An investigation by Health and Safety and Vale of Glamorgan Council officials is underway after scaffolding collapsed on to the main entrance of Albert Primary School in Penarth, Wales on Friday 5th May.
Reports suggest the scaffolding was erected on a neighbouring property and came down in high-winds. Amazingly no children or staff at the school were injured.
One parent said “My wife and kids had walked through the gate moments before the scaffolding came crashing down. A very close call”.

Albert School issued a statement to parents saying “Please be made aware that the Top Gate of the school is not accessible today due to a neighbouring property’s scaffold falling across into the school premises.
Please be assured no one was injured in anyway. Due to restorative works taking place there will be considerable congestion at the end of the day.”