VIDEO: HSE prosecutes Scaffolder caught on film.
A scaffolder has been prosecuted after he repeatedly allowed unsafe work at height to be carried out on a busy London street.
Greg Pearson, from Enfield, trading as ‘Pearsons Scaffolding’, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a member of the public raised concerns about scaffolding work being carried out on Tavistock Street in central London. She was so concerned for the safety of passers-by and workers on the fifteen metre high scaffold that three separate complaints including photographs and videos were passed to HSE. HSE visited the site twice and found the incomplete scaffold to be poorly erected and unsafe work practices were putting workers at risk. No measures had been taken to prevent any falling scaffolding equipment hitting members of the public below. HSE served a Prohibition Notice ordering work to be stopped until the scaffold was made safe, but Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard that Pearson ignored this and other warnings, carrying on regardless. The court also heard Pearson failed to respond when required to produce documents for inspection during the investigation, hindering the HSE’s efforts to ensure future work was carried out safely at other sites. Pearsons Scaffolding’s involvement at the site only ended when a second Prohibition Notice was served and the project’s Principal Contractor decided to take on another scaffolder to complete the work. Greg Pearson, 33, of South Street, Enfield, pleaded guilty to two breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 (6(3), 10(1)) and was given two suspended prison sentences of 10 weeks to run concurrently, suspended for 12 months. He was also ordered to pay costs of £200 and a victim surcharge of £80. Speaking after the hearing HSE Inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers said: “Greg Pearson repeatedly put the lives of other workers and members of the public at risk. He blatantly disregarded all warnings and enforcement action taken against him and it was just good fortune that no one was killed. It’s vital that law abiding scaffolders have confidence they will not lose work to others who underquote them because they take shortcuts at the expense of safety. This case should send a message to other scaffolders that Courts will sentence robustly even when the reckless working practices have thankfully not resulted in serious injuries or fatalities. “I applaud the member of the public who alerted us to this as thankfully we were able to avoid the workers or the public being injured or killed. We encourage people to report unsafe work to us so we can act to protect workers and the public.”SHS appoints new Regional Director of Transmission Business
SHS appoints Michael Griffiths as Regional Director to its Doncaster Office.
SHS Integrated Services, a specialist provider of high-specification industrial scaffolding to highly regulated environments, has appointed a new regional director to its Doncaster office in a bid to boost its presence in the north east. Michael Griffiths, 34, from Rotherham has been a prominent figure in the power and transmission sector for over eight years and will now be responsible for strengthening SHS’s relationships with existing clients and driving new business leads in the industrial, construction, civil and rail sectors across the north. Prior to joining SHS, Mr Griffiths spent seven years working at Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, starting as a draughtsman and progressing to become a team leader, where he was responsible for the design, feasibility and planning of contracts ranging from £10,000 to £2.5 million. Mr Griffiths joined SHS in 2013 as part of the acquisition of Dixon Pentland Scaffolding, where he had worked since 2007, and has spent the 18 months working as a commercial manager with SHS, before being promoted into this newly created position. Commenting on his appointment, Mr Griffiths said: “I am delighted to have been given the opportunity to lead SHS’s UK transmission & distribution division and develop the company’s presence in north east England. We have ambitious growth plans for SHS in the north east and hope to double the current turnover within the next three years while ensuring the business model remains both sustainable and diverse. “Building on our strong presence in the area, we will be providing a wider range of services to our customers, while driving growth and increasing operations. SHS has a wide-ranging client base and we hope to secure and foster additional relationships, especially in the Yorkshire and Humber region, as we expand into the area. “With a team of highly-skilled, experienced and motivated staff at the core of the company’s operations, I have no doubt that SHS’s presence in the north east will develop as we continue delivering innovative and cost effective solutions while maintaining our high safety and quality standards. “All the stepping stones are in place to ensure the business achieves its ambitious growth plans and I am excited to be a part of this highly focussed and driven company going forward.” SHS has witnessed a number of high-profile contract wins in recent years and has successfully developed the transmission division, providing solutions to clients such as Balfour Beatty, Amec Foster Wheeler and Babcock International. In addition to the company’s recent expansion, SHS has diversified its market sector presence, incorporating the specialist power and transmission firm it acquired in 2013 into the business’ long term growth plans. SHS currently provides services principally to the utility, petrochemical, transmission and construction sectors but hopes to widen its operations into nuclear, rail, marine and pharmaceutical sectors as part of its growth strategy. Gavin Payne, chief executive officer of SHS, said: “Appointing Michael to the position of regional director is an important part of our long term strategy and strengthens our existing management team in the north east. “Michael is an exceptionally dedicated and technically gifted person and will bring invaluable skills to the company. I am certain that his extensive experience and industry knowledge will have a big impact in delivering growth while nurturing existing client relationships in the region. “Michael’s experience in a large contractor environment and knowledge of the transmission sector is invaluable to the wide range of complex projects SHS undertakes and will be of huge benefit in helping to meet our ambitious growth strategy in 2016 and beyond. “The company has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and, as we continue to deliver exceptional quality to our customers, we are committed to holding a strong, competitive position in the market. “The company’s recent success is a reflection of our highly skilled workforce and exhibits our commitment to exceptional health and safety and focus on providing an efficient, sustainable, high quality and cost effective service.” Established in 1998, SHS Integrated Services offers scaffold access, industrial and HVAC insulation, and construction and demolition services. It currently employs more than 300 people across the UK.Dublin hotel firm in court after worker falls from scaffolding
The bosses of a Dublin hotel have pleaded not guilty to breaching Ireland’s health and safety laws after a worker was injured when he allegedly fell through a rotten board on a scaffolding tower.
The hotel company is accused of failing ensure the safety of the worker in that a scaffolding tower on site was not safe for use and that this resulted in the worker suffering personal injuries when he fell from a height.
Other charges allege that boards on the scaffolding were defective and failed to prevent the fall, that the scaffolding was inadequately planned and maintained, that there was inadequate training and supervision and that they did not have a required constructions skills registration card.
The trial continues in March 2016.
Christian Brash from John Brash & Co Ltd – which manufactures more than two million scaffold boards each year said – cases such as this are, thankfully, few and far between but they do serve as a sobering reminder of the importance of safety in the scaffolding industry. “Working at height is a challenging working environment and safety should always be the number one priority for every scaffolding contractor.” said Christian. “Cases such as this do send ripples through the industry and it is an opportune time for roofing contractors to review all their processes and equipment to ensure that everything is fully compliant with the current standards.” Christian signposted the British Standards Institution’s (BSI) BS2482 and National Access and Scaffolding Confederation’s (NASC) TG6:10.Broker Power: Scaffolders Insurance
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With Broker Power you can buy online and download your documents straight away or just get a quote and then speak to your chosen broker – either way your broker is there to help throughout the term of your policy.
We believe that this is an unbeatable combination but don’t take our word for it – visit www.brokerpower.co.uk to find out more, get a quote today or leave us your expiry date so we can remind you nearer the time. Never moan to a scaffolder
This little beauty has been doing the rounds on social media lately, it had us in stitches.. so true, I had to share.
Who needs a 7.5 ton truck anyway ?
Just a tad overloaded.
Image captured by Shane Spencer and posted on our Facebook page showing the resilience of a humble transit pickup. Lets hope they never ventured out onto the open road with this crazy load of 21’s.Silverstar uses Layher Allround for Sheffield project
Oldham based Silverstar Scaffolding is supplying Layher’s Allround scaffolding for new student accommodation in Sheffield, UK.
The project is seeing the 1960’s Telecom House in Sheffield being transformed into 366Vita Student studios with the 14-storey landmark building set to grow with the addition of a new 15th floor. The project has had to accommodate a pedestrian walkway and an adjacent five-storey car park which, effectively, acts as a podium from which the residence rises above.
Speaking to the the KHL Group Tony Clarkin, managing director of Silverstar Scaffolding said: “Considerations that had to be accommodated included a significant gradient at ground level and restrictions associated with building directly from the top level of the car park,”
Pedestrian access is being maintained across the front of the building by the creation of a protective canopy using triple aluminium Layher beams while on the car park, Silverstar Scaffolding has built the scaffold from specially installed steel sections which were designed to minimise contact with the surface.
“The scaffold is particularly effective in areas where the façade layout prevented mast climbers being used,” said Sean Pike, Layher’s UK managing director. “Each scaffold lift was fully fitted out with Layher decking to give permanent access to all working faces with two full height Layher stair towers also installed by Silverstar within the scaffold frame.”
Source: access-international Construction firm acquires Craft Scaffolding Ltd
Chigwell Construction has purchased Craft Scaffolding Ltd after the firm became frustrated with constantly being let down by subcontractors.
The Essex based construction company’s latest acquisition will see Craft Scaffolding rebranded as Chigwell Craft Scaffolding Ltd. Chigwell set up a roofing division last year which now has in excess of twenty directly employed roofers. Speaking to the Construction Enquirer, Managing director Dean Floyd said: “We were being let down when using subcontractors for scaffolding mainly because the industry is so busy. “It seemed the obvious solution to bring scaffolding in-house via this acquisition.” Craft Scaffolding has been a member of the Chigwell supply chain for many years and director Andrew Hollands retains a 50% shareholding. Craft has an annual turnover of £2.9m which is forecast to rise to £5m within the next 12 months. The deal takes Chigwell Group’s annual turnover to just under £50m.TRAD & Leach’s introduce revolutionary NEW Braked Pulley Wheel
TRAD is always looking for ways to improve safety and identified an opportunity to dramatically reduce on-site accidents and injuries when using a traditional Gin Wheel.
Continuing in TRAD’s quest for an ever-safer working environment they identified a way to transform the Gin Wheel into a device suitable for the 21st Century – changing the way site workers handle the lifting and lowering of heavy items and dramatically reduce the risk of personal injury.
Working in conjunction with Leach’s and utilising their technical and manufacturing expertise they have developed the ground-breaking Big Ben Pulley Wheel – revolutionising the lifting and lowering of heavy items on site – saving lives and minimising workplace injuries forever.
By introducing this innovative, braked pulley workplace accidents will be a thing of the past, with less effort and greater control to result in less fatigue and improved efficiency. Even if the rope is released, the pulley has a built-in descent control that gently and smoothly lowers items to the ground. The pulley also allows finger-tip control with the operator being able to stop and start descent at any time with the smallest of effort. Tough, marine-grade stainless steel brake and durable galvanised and anodised parts in a fully-enclosed die-casting ensures durability in the toughest environments – on land or at sea!
Revolutionary features include:
- Easy to operate.
- Smooth, controlled descent.
- SWL of 50 kg.
- Ensures safe raising and lowering of goods.
- Fully enclosed for safety and durability.
- Built in descent control.
- Tough construction.
- Unit weight of only 6.5kg.
