Turner Access Signs Deal with Danish Rental Giant

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Turner Access Signs Deal with Danish Rental Giant

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Turner Access has announced its agreement with Pitzner to be the distributors of the Turner OCTO system scaffolding in Denmark.

After seven months of negotiations in Copenhagen and in Glasgow Turner Access and Pitzner finally signed the agreement last week. Pitzner is the largest Danish owned rental company, providing machinery and equipment hire for a range of business sectors across Denmark. Pitzner is also the largest supplier of scaffolding equipment for hire in Denmark. Turner Access Managing Director, Ian Wilson commented on the company’s website: 

“With over 40 years of experience in the scaffolding sales and rental market in Denmark, Pitzner is the ideal partner to help promote and supply Turner OCTO® system scaffolding in this important sector of the Scandinavian Market.

“Being part of a family owned business group, similar to the Turner Group, Pitzner is also a good fit for Turner Fabrication in terms of vision and values.

“We look forward to a long and successful relationship as we jointly develop our business in Denmark.”

Pitzner CEO, Ole Wamsler, said:
“We have a highly complex product range and volume, which means we have a strong team of experts to build solutions for our customers. “In all other markets that Turner Access operates within, their expertise is undeniable, so we take it as a blue stamp from a real heavyweight in the industry that they have chosen to work with us.”  

Peri provides scaffolding for ISET Tower construction in Russia

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Peri provides scaffolding for ISET Tower construction in Russia

peri

Peri, a leading supplier of scaffolding systems around the world, has been selected to provide the climbing formwork for the construction of the Russian Yekaterinburg’s ISET Tower.

Engineers from Peri have developed a scaffolding system built to withstand the Urals’ high winds and the tower’s unique multi-dimensional elevator shafts. The formwork is a modified version of Peri’s ACS 100 climbing unit and is entirely self-climbing. The unit will feature a suspended TRIO panel and working platforms at every level. The ISET Tower is scheduled to be completed this summer and will stand at a height of 685 feet above sea level. The tower will have 52 floors containing a total of 250 private apartments and a variety of service facilities. Parking spaces for the tower’s future occupants will be held inside four underground levels.
Chief Engineer Golovin Evgeniy Borisovich said:
“We decided to use the proven PERI self-climbing formwork systems, because they are easy to handle and ensure complete safety in high-rise construction. PERI specialists have consistently provided us with operational support.”

Scaffolding Inspection Device Wins Beaumont Safety Trophy Award 2014

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Scaffolding Inspection Device Wins Beaumont Safety Trophy Award 2014

Safetime Team

A innovative scaffolding inspection device has been awarded this years prestigious Beaumont Safety Trophy Award.

London based Safetime have been awarded the prestigious safety trophy for its revolutionary scaffolding inspection device system. The Beaumont Safety Trophy is awarded annually to an  individual or company for the best device or method of working implemented for preventing accidents in the Construction Industry. Safetime’s Co-Founder, Carl Sharley told ScaffMag:
“We are very proud of our achievement in winning the prestigious Beaumont Safety Award.  We were up against some incredible competitors, and it really shows that the industry is keen to move forward and embrace technology by “bringing inspections into the 21st century”.  We would also like to thank our supply chain partners who have helped us along the way, also our users who themselves have come up with some incredible ideas which we have managed to integrate within the system.”

Safetime Scaffold inspection device

The Safetime device and Tablet App eliminates the procedure of repeatedly filling in the same old tagging system onsite and then inputting the same data on a scaffold register. With Safetime this is all done in real time using Near Field Communication (NFC) and cloud technology. Find out more about Safetime from our previous article        

National Think Tank Calling For More Women In Construction Is Backed By Suffolk Firm.

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National Think Tank Calling For More Women In Construction Is Backed By Suffolk Firm.

A national think tank has produced a report calling on the construction industry to do more to recruit women has been backed by a female-led Suffolk scaffolding contractor.

Apex Scaffolding Sally Peck from Lowestoft based Apex Scaffolding wants to encourage more women into the sector, and raise awareness of the interesting and varied career opportunities which the industry offers. Through offering work experience, supporting other female-led local companies and working with schools she hopes to increase the number of women in the sector in Suffolk. The Smith Institute paper, called Building the future: women in construction, reports that women make up just 11 % of staff in the construction industry, and just 1 % of staff who are based on site. Sally commented: “We are now emerging from what has been a tough time for the industry, but economic growth will increase demand for skilled workers, so the industry should be doing more right now to encourage women into the sector. The variety in the sector is vast, and the skills needed are wide-ranging. “All of the women I know in construction are fantastic at their jobs and deliver a very high standard of work. “It is true that women have to work harder to prove ourselves and to gain credibility, although I don’t believe that is necessarily a bad thing. I’d rather earn the trust and respect of my clients and change any preconceptions they may have about women through the service my business delivers.” “Both Apex Scaffolding and our sister company Apex Roofing have strong female leaders, and we have seen a fantastic start to the year in terms of work coming in and projects finishing and we’re feeling very positive for the year ahead.” The Smith report calls for leaders from within he sector to champion the case for change, an increase in mentoring and peer support for women entering the industry, more government support for programmes designed to support women coming into the industry and better careers advice in schools.

Scaffolding Success At The 2014 Construction News Specialist Awards

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Scaffolding Success At The 2014 Construction News Specialist Awards

Two scaffolding firms have won prestigious accolades at this years Construction News Specialist Awards held in London.

The tenth Construction News Specialist Awards 2014 took place on March 19th at the London Hilton on Park Lane in London. Over 650 of the UK’s leading specialist contractors took part to recognise and celebrate the very best specialist contractors across the UK. Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding Ltd Wins Project Of The Year 2014  Cornish scaffolding contractor Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding Ltd picked up the Project Of The Year 2014 (in the subcontract up to 500K category), for their incredible work on South Crofty Tin Mine (Scaffolding Pyramid) Scaffolding Chris Sedgeman of Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding Ltd said:
“We are extremely pleased to have been given this coveted award for Project of the Year. The contract at South Crofty tin mine has been a real team effort and has attracted a lot of interest, understandably. The pyramid scaffold there featured more than 9000 Plettac System Components, 8000 boards, 20,000 fittings and 3,300 scaffold tubes. It’s been a massive task, and one we have all relished taking part in and to be given this accolade by Construction News is absolutely superb.”
 Allied Scaffolding Ltd Wins Access & Scaffolding Specialist Award 2014 Manchester based Allied Scaffolding Ltd scooped the 2014 Access & Scaffolding Specialist Award, for their outstanding work on Manchester Town Hall and a strong commitment to the local community. Scaffolding James Brierley, Managing Director of Allied Scaffolding Ltd said:
“We are delighted to have won the award, and would like to thank Construction News, and our hard working staff. Thanks also to Laing O’Rourke and Manchester Council for giving us the opportunity on the Town Hall Transformation Project. It was a great night. Well done to all award winners.”
For a full list of 2014 finalists, award winners and images from the event, visit: www.cnspecialistsawards.com

XERVON Palmers Wins Prestigious Safety Award

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XERVON Palmers Wins Prestigious Safety Award

XERVON Palmers Heathrow Airport

XERVON Palmers, has been awarded a prestigious safety award for scaffolding and access work on Heathrow Airport.

Scaffolding contractor, XERVON Palmers, has been awarded a prestigious Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) safety award – for their extensive scaffolding and access work on the new multi-million pound Terminal 2B “Queen’s Terminal” project. It is understood this is the first time a scaffolding contractor has won one of the coveted HAL awards. The HAL awards have twelve categories (Behavioral Safety Champion, Training Initiative, Leadership, Innovation, Team, Team Support, Project, Individual, Safety Professional, Supervisor, Design and Health) and are designed to recognise all those who have made an “outstanding contribution to health & safety within development in 2013 at Heathrow Airport.” XERVON Palmers won an award in the ‘Designing for Safety’ category – which acknowledged the design and safe construction of a scaffold which was built during nightshifts, within a high risk environment, where care and attention to detail had to be ensured or works could potentially have affected the control and lighting of all the take-off and landing runways at the airport. The HAL awards were presented by John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow Development Director and David Pyle, Heathrow Head of Safety at an Award’s ceremony in London earlier this Spring and XERVON Palmers were represented by the scaffolding nightshift foreman and two of the airport division’s workforce. Ian McFarlane, Director for Business & Project Development at XERVON Palmers said:
“This is a great tribute to our workforce and support staff who deliver access & scaffolding daily at Heathrow. Our thanks and big well done to all involved for their hard work in achieving this excellent award.”
And Donald Morrison, CEO of XERVON Palmers added:
“We are all very proud of the quality of our work at Heathrow’s Terminal T2B and of the attentive safety culture associated with that – delivering high quality scaffolding and access solutions, 100% safely, within a challenging work environment.”

Scaffolding Firm In Court For Catalogue Of Safety Failings

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Scaffolding Firm In Court For Catalogue Of Safety Failings
Scaffolding
A still image from CCTV showing the unsafe scaffolding work.

A Hertfordshire scaffolding firm has been fined for a catalogue of safety failings – including throwing and catching fittings over the heads of shoppers – as scaffolders erected two scaffolds outside an Oxford department store.

Darren Baker Scaffolding Limited also failed to ensure the structures outside Debenhams on George Street and Magdalen Street were properly configured, braced and tied, which undermined their stability. The Cheshunt-based company was prosecuted today (17 March) by the Health and Safety Executive after an investigation uncovered a series of issues. They included:
  • Metal fittings were thrown from a flatbed lorry over the heads of passers-by – as captured by CCTV
  • Heavy scaffold poles were also hoisted above shoppers with no thought to their safety
  • Pedestrians were forced to walk into the road to avoid the activity, with no measures in place to protect them from passing vehicles
  • The two scaffolds were not built to an approved safe design and were inadequately braced and tied
  • They were also poorly configured, with the potential for overloading parts of the structure, and loads could not be transferred safely to the ground
The scaffolds were erected on the morning of Sunday 30 September 2012 when there was significant footfall in the area. Oxford Magistrates’ Court heard that although nobody was injured, either from the work or from a collapse or fall, the activity was inherently unsafe. HSE established that as a result of the failings there was a significant risk that the scaffold could have collapsed. Darren Baker Scaffolding Limited, of Turners Hill, Cheshunt, Herts, was fined a total of £10,000 and ordered to pay a further £760 in costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and four breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. After the hearing HSE inspector Peter Snelgrove commented:
“The issues here are two-fold. There were clear concerns with the manner in which the scaffolds were erected, as captured by CCTV. Then there are the failings with the structures themselves, the fact they weren’t built to an approved design and were inadequately tied and braced. “All scaffolds should be erected in a safe manner, but the risks are magnified when you are working in a busy city centre location with lots of traffic and pedestrians, as was the case here. “Little thought was given to shoppers as fittings and poles were tossed or passed over their heads, and today’s conviction serves to illustrate the seriousness of the failings we uncovered. Thankfully nobody was injured, but that is the only saving grace.”

Well known industry leader loses battle with illness age 70

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Well known industry leader loses battle with illness age 70
Graham Maddocks
Graham Maddocks, 9 December 1943 – 25 February 2014

Graham Maddocks, a well known and hugely respected industry figure has sadly died aged 70.

Mr Maddocks was a champion of the access industry who was dedicated to improving standards, working methods and safety. He worked as Chief Engineer at SGB before transferring to Harsco Infrastructure after it acquired the business. Mr Maddocks served for many years on the technical committee of the National Association of Scaffolding Contractors (NASC) and various British Standards Institution (BSl) technical and drafting committees. He was a much respected chairman of several of these committees. According to a memorial posted online by PASMA, During his career he mentored a great many scaffolding and formwork engineers, a role he found extremely rewarding and one that gave him particular pleasure. Graham would consistently make himself available, often at short notice, to help and advise anyone who needed support, guidance and information. View PASMA’s memorial post here.

ScaffMag sends its condolences to Graham’s family,friends and work colleagues at such a difficult time.

Funeral Arrangements The funeral is set to take place on Monday, 17th March 2014 at St Richard’s Chapel, Surrey & Sussex Crematorium, Balcolmbe Road, Crawley, RH10 3NG. If you wish to attend the funeral, please RSVP to either Jason Black ([email protected]), Steve Prower ([email protected]) or Ken Barber ([email protected]). No flowers have been requested by the family, but a donation can be made at the chapel which will go to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity. Any cheques should be made payable to the charity, or online donations can be carried out here. Please leave a note in the collection box with your name if you donate online. Further details and directions to the service are available in a PDF; please click here.

Graham Maddocks 1943 – 2014

Cape acquires storage tank provider Motherwell Bridge in £37.6M deal

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Cape acquires storage tank provider Motherwell Bridge in £37.6M deal

MOTHERWELL BRIDGE

Cape plc, the international provider of critical support services to the energy and mineral resources sectors, announces today that it has acquired UK-based Motherwell Bridge, a leading provider of storage tanks, gas holders and heat exchangers to the energy and steel markets.

The total consideration for the acquisition amounts to £37.65 million on a cash free, debt free basis, comprising of an initial cash consideration of £34.0 million, debt of £0.9 million, deferred consideration of £1.25 million contingent on a key contract win and up to £1.5 million related to future performance. The acquisition will be funded from the Group’s existing debt facilities and is expected to be earnings enhancing in the current financial year ending 31 December 2014. Motherwell Bridge, headquartered in Lanarkshire, Scotland, is recognised internationally as a leader in the specialist storage tank market. The business has an excellent global brand reputation and has historically delivered a significant number of storage tanks around the world. In addition, Motherwell Bridge also provides and maintains gasholders for the global steel industry, and maintains and refurbishes heat exchangers primarily in the UK continental shelf. Motherwell Bridge has a strong management team, all of whom will remain with the business post acquisition. Motherwell Bridge employs approximately 300 people, primarily located in the UK. For the year ending 31 December 2012, Motherwell Bridge generated EBITA of £4.8 million on a revenue of £34.6 million. Its gross assets as at 31 December 2012 were £42.4 million. Commenting on the acquisition, Joe Oatley CEO of Cape said:
“The acquisition of Motherwell Bridge is in line with Cape’s strategy to broaden our portfolio of critical industrial services. Motherwell Bridge has tremendous expertise, reputation and brand recognition in the oil and gas storage tank market, including a market leading position in the UK and we expect to accelerate Motherwell Bridge overseas growth through Cape’s international footprint. By combining the strengths of Cape and Motherwell Bridge we are uniquely able to provide a complete tank maintenance solution to clients in the oil and gas market.”

John Brash Issue advice on finding defects with wooden scaffold boards

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John Brash Issue advice on finding defects with wooden scaffold boards

– Sponsored Post –

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Scaffold Boards John Brash

What defects should I look for in wooden scaffold boards?

To ensure maximum life, scaffold boards must be checked regularly. It should be noted that cross cutting a graded board to a shorter length does not affect the structural integrity or grade of the board and as a result, it will still comply with BS 2482:2009; if the board has been either visually or machine graded it will have been graded along the full length. Any defects (unless outlined below) will still remain within the allowance.

Here is a checklist for ensuring your scaffold boards remain free from defects and in the best possible condition for use on your site:

  • If a board shows signs of being accidentally dropped or otherwise abused (e.g. run over) it should be discarded

  • Any board with signs of rot or decay should be discarded

  • End bands should be checked to ensure they are still secure, and fixed or replaced if necessary

  • Boards should be stored in the dry and should have any concrete spillage carefully removed

  • All nails, screws, e.g. Hilti nails should be removed and the board checked for damage.

  • Splits should be checked. Any split must not be deeper than 12mm in thickness. If a split is deeper than this, it should be no more than 225mm long. Splits of less than 225mm may then be repaired using nail plates. Boards with splits longer than this should be cut down. Splits running across the face are not permitted and the board should be cut down to remove any damage

  • Any cut should be ‘superficial’, which means no deeper than 2mm

  • Any board that has been notched should be cut down to remove the notch

  • Any boards stored for a period of time should be regularly checked for signs of decay, particularly watching out for fungus and wet rot. Ideally, stored boards should have access to a regular clean airflow. Boards should not be left ‘close piled’ for more than 3 months. If the anticipated storage is for longer, then the boards should be stored with ‘sticks’ in-between every layer to allow air circulation

View or download our technical information on BSI graded scaffold boards by clicking here.

 
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