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

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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.

 

AGC wins $155M Offshore Scaffolding Contract for Australian LNG Project

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AGC wins $155M Offshore Scaffolding Contract for Australian LNG Project

offshore scaffolding

A maintenance services company has won a major contract to supply and install scaffolding to the Western Australian (LNG) Ichthys Project.

Australia-based maintenance services company AGC, has reported that its subsidiary company MAS Australasia Pty Ltd (MAS), has been awarded a $155 million (AUD 174 million) scaffolding works contract for the Inpex-operated Ichthys LNG Project in the Browse Basin off Western Australia. MAS will be providing scaffolding assets comprising management, design and engineering, scaffolding material supply and installation services to the liquefied natural gas (LNG) process and inlet areas at the Ichthys Project Onshore LNG Facilities at Blaydin Point in Darwin, Northern Territory for lead onshore contractor JKC Australia LNG Pty Ltd (JKC). JKC has been contracted to deliver the engineering procurement and construction of the onshore LNG facilities including the gas processing plant at Blaydin Point. CEO and Managing Director Stuart Kenny said:
“With decades of experience providing scaffolding and access services, MAS brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the project. We are excited to work with JKC to deliver another project of excellence, as we continue to build our maintenance business within the Oil & Gas market”.
With an expected operational life of more than 40 years, the Ichthys LNG Project is a Joint Venture between Inpex group companies (the Operator), major partner Total and the Australian subsidiaries of Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Chubu Electric Power and Toho Gas. With the award of this contract, AGC’s parent company AusGroup Limited’s order book now stands at $345 million (AUD 388 million). News Source: Rigzone.com

Sedgeman helps to rebuild Devon coastline after UK storms

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Sedgeman helps to rebuild Devon coastline after UK storms

Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding Ltd supplied and installed over 35 tons of scaffolding to help rebuild damaged rail infrastructure and sea-defences.

During the first half of February parts of Britain were hit by a huge atlantic storms which battered coastlines and overwhelmed sea-defences.  In Dawlish, Devon the storms destroyed a section of the sea wall and left the railway to Cornwall suspended in mid-air.

Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding was contacted on Thursday 6th February following the huge atlantic storm which resulted in a large section of railway line in Dawlish being washed away and houses being unstable. Staff at Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding worked all over the weekend preparing for commencing works which they started on the following Monday and worked continually around the clock to Thursday 13th  before the next storm hit. Lynn Way Company Secretary & Financial Manager for Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding Ltd said:
“We commenced works on the 70m long cable bridge with two access staircases and used 35 tons of scaffolding in the first few days. We have subsequently erected 75m of edge protection along the sea wall;   access walkways to the houses; sea wall access scaffold and a temporary shelter”.
Works are still on-going.

Do you have an interesting project running ? Let ScaffMag know by submitting here.   

TG20:13 Launches At Media Event In London

Daniel Norton
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TG20:13 Launches At Media Event In London

After a huge investment from the NASC and two years work in the making, TG20:13 has finally been launched for general sale.

The long awaited TG20:13 guidance has today (25th February) been launched by the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) at an event in the centre of London. With an estimated development cost of around £600,000 and two years hard work from CADS & NASC, TG20:13 (Technical Guidelines for tube and fitting scaffolding) has been produced with support from the HSE,UKCG and CITB. The new guidance replaces TG20:08 which will be officially withdrawn 30th June 2014. ScaffMag travelled down to London to cover the media launch seminar that was held at the prestigious Centerpoint building in the heart of the city. NASC Managing Director Robin James introduced the 70+ invited guests to the new revolutionary guidance with in depth presentations from Terry Roberts (CADS) and Simon Hughes (Simian Risk). Both gave great informative presentations of the guidance and demonstrated the amazing and quite magical eGuide. During his presentation Simon Hughes commented:
“TG20:13 will be one of the biggest changes within the scaffolding industry in recent times. Many grey areas have now become black and white with the release of this revolutionary guidance.” Simon also added: “The release of this document will be a steep learning curve for the scaffolding industry.”
While the scaffolding industry gets to grips with the new guidance the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have announced they will not in-force TG20:13 during a so called “Bedding In” period. To help bring scaffolding contractors across the country up to speed with the new guidance the NASC have produced Tool box talk videos and a eGuide FAQ that can be found here. Non NASC members prices for the new suite will be:
  • TG20:13 Full Suite £995.00 +VAT
  • TG20:13 eGuide £500.00 +VAT
  • TG20:13 Operational Guide £250.00
  • TG20:13 Design Guide £250.00
  • TG20:13 Pocket User Guide £6.00
Purchasers of standalone TG20:13 publications are required to have previously ordered the full suite first. All elements of TG20:13 are available to buy NOW from the NASC website TG20:13 Full Suite Includes:
  1. TG20:13 Operational Guide. A full-colour, brand new, 224-page guide containing detailed practical guidance for most common types of scaffolding supported by structural research and calculation. Guidance is provided for an expanded range of standard structures which includes independent scaffolding, interior birdcages, chimney stack scaffolds, loading bays, ladder-access towers, free-standing towers, lift shaft towers and putlog scaffolding. A NEW range of TG20 ‘compliance sheets’ is included for these structures.
  2. TG20:13 Design Guide. Intended predominantly for engineers and designers, this 206-page document provides technical data, commentary, and source material for use by competent and suitably qualified scaffold designers in circumstances which are outside the scope of standard solutions provided in the TG20:13 Operational Guide and TG20:13 e-Guide software.
  3. TG20:13 e-Guide. Designed for Mac, PC and tablet use, making it extremely easy to check scaffolds for TG20:13 compliance digitally, with user-friendly software which will facilitate printing and circulation of details of TG20 compliant structures by email. The TG20:13 e-Guide calculates and prints compliance sheets for TG20 compliant scaffolding. It allows TG20 to incorporate a wide range of scaffolding configurations, and calculates safe heights, tie duties and leg loads.
  4. TG20:13 User Guide. A 32-page, full-colour pocket guide in A6 format. This document summarises clearly the requirements for TG20 compliant scaffolding and offers indispensable guidance to the scaffolding operative on-site.
TG20:13 Suite  

TG20:13 on the cusp of being released for general sale..

Scaffmag Newsdesk
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TG20:13 on the cusp of being released for general sale..

TG20:13

As the social media promotion of TG20:13  heats up and the announcement of regional NASC seminars, are we in the final week before the anticipated release of this new technical guidance for scaffolding?

The answer to this question is ‘yes’, rumours are many NASC members have already started to receive their one free copy of the guidance. Once on general sale contractors will be able to purchase the full suite from the NASC website at a rumoured cost of £1,000 for the full four-piece TG20:13 ‘suite’. ScaffMag will have more confirmed details for our readers early next week after attending a NASC conference in London. So what is going to be included in the awaited suite?
  1.  TG20:13 Operational Guide. A full-colour, brand new, 224-page guide containing detailed practical guidance for most common types of scaffolding supported by structural research and calculation. Guidance is provided for an expanded range of standard structures which includes independent scaffolding, interior birdcages, chimney stack scaffolds, loading bays, ladder-access towers, free-standing towers, lift shaft towers and putlog scaffolding. A NEW range of TG20 ‘compliance sheets’ is included for these structures.
  2.  TG20:13 Design Guide. Intended predominantly for engineers and designers, this 206-page document provides technical data, commentary, and source material for use by competent and suitably qualified scaffold designers in circumstances which are outside the scope of standard solutions provided in the TG20:13 Operational Guide and TG20:13 e-Guide software.
  3. TG20:13 e-Guide. Designed for Mac, PC and tablet use, making it extremely easy to check scaffolds for TG20:13 compliance digitally, with user-friendly software which will facilitate printing and circulation of details of TG20 compliant structures by email. The TG20:13 e-Guide calculates and prints compliance sheets for TG20 compliant scaffolding. It allows TG20 to incorporate a wide range of scaffolding configurations, and calculates safe heights, tie duties and leg loads.
  4. TG20:13 User Guide. A 32-page, full-colour pocket guide in A6 format. This document summarises clearly the requirements for TG20 compliant scaffolding and offers indispensable guidance to the scaffolding operative on-site.
     

NASC To Hold Regional TG20:13 Seminars For NON Members.

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NASC To Hold Regional TG20:13 Seminars For NON Members.

NASC TG20

As the publication of the eagerly awaited TG20:13 grows ever closer, The NASC has announced they will be holding five, free regional seminars across the UK during the month of March.

The TG20:13 (Technical Guidance for tube and fitting scaffolding) regional seminars are open to principal contractors, client bodies, local authorities, health and safety consultants and scaffolding contractors. Pre-registration is required for attendance at the seminars (on a first-come first-served basis) via the NASC website due to the anticipated level of demand. Each of the regional seminars will take place from 2.00-4.00pm and will feature two separate TG20:13 presentations. The first presentation will take the form of an introduction to TG20:13 by Terry Roberts (CADS, technical authors of TG20:13) and will highlight the main features of the revised guidance. The second presentation will consider the implementation of TG20:13 by the scaffolding sector and the wider construction industry and will be delivered by Simon Hughes (Simian Risk). Each of the presentations will be followed by a Question and Answer session. The two TG20:13 presentations will be followed by a shorter presentation by David Mosley (NASC Director of Training and CISRS Scheme Manager) who will update on scaffolding industry training requirements. The event will conclude with a further brief presentation by Robin James (NASC Managing Director) who will discuss the benefits of using NASC member companies for scaffolding requirements. Dates and locations of the NASC TG20:13 Regional Seminars
  • Tuesday 4th March, South West & South Wales region @ Battleborough Grange, Brent Knoll
  • Wednesday 5th March, Midlands region @ Aston Wood GC, Sutton Coldfield
  • Thursday 6th March, Northern & North Wales region @ Holiday Inn, Barnsley (off M1 Junction 37)
  • Thursday 13th March, Scotland & Northern Ireland region @ NCC Scotland, Inchinnan
  • Tuesday 18th March, London/SE region @ Chamber of Shipping, London SE1.
Attendance at the TG20:13 regional seminars will be strictly limited to two individuals per company/organisation at each seminar location. Those wishing to attend one of these seminars must pre-register their attendance in the first instance by completing the TG20:13 Regional Seminar pre-registration form on the NASC website www.nasc.org.uk Robin James (NASC Managing Director) said:
“The TG20:13 regional seminars are a great opportunity to get to grips with the greatly enhanced and user-friendly revised Technical Guidance, and to learn more about CISRS training as well as the benefits of using NASC members. We are confident that representatives from the wider industry will find the seminar content extremely useful and will go away with a greater understanding of TG20:13. Subject to take-up and demand, further TG20:13 regional seminars will be conducted later on in the year.”
To pre-register your attendance at one of the NASC TG20:13 Regional Seminars, please visit www.nasc.org.uk and complete the TG20:13 Regional Seminar registration form on the home page. And to enquire about NASC membership, please email [email protected] or call 020 7822 7400.

DSL Win Safety Award For Grangmouth Refinery

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DSL Win Safety Award For Grangmouth Refinery

INEOS

DSL Industrial Services Division have been awarded a Bronze Safety Certificate for their outstanding performance in 2013 by their client INEOS on the Grangmouth petrochemical plant and oil refinery Site.

INEOS set a very strict safety criteria which has to be attained to merit an award and this recognition shows the dedication and commitment from all DSL employees in meeting that criteria. Industrial Services Senior Operations Manager for the INEOS Site Jim Salkeld Said:
 “Safety is paramount to our business and DSL  are extremely proud to receive this award in our first year and it shows the level of commitment to safety from our workforce across the Site”.
Industrial Services Divisional Director Chris Foulkes commented:
 “This award to DSL is recognition by INEOS of the Divisions continued ongoing focus in delivering a “ best in class” safety and operational performance across the INEOS facility. I would like to personally thank DSL Senior Operation Manager, Jim Salkeld, and his on site management team, for their leadership and ongoing  performance, contributing towards us receiving this award. The challenge to us all is to maintain our focus on delivering and achieving Safety excellence across the INEOS Site and the rest of the business”.

Farrans Construction Ltd fined 15k after fall from low guard-rail height

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Farrans Construction Ltd fined 15k after fall from low guard-rail height
Farrens (Construction) Ltd
Rosie Maternity Hospital where the incident happened.

Belfast-based Farrans Construction Ltd has been prosecuted by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) after a engineer was severely injured when he fell down a lift shaft at a construction site in Cambridge.

Farrans Construction Ltd was prosecuted yesterday and fined £10,000 and £5,225 costs after an investigation by the HSE found that guard-rails placed across the entrance to the lift shaft did not meet the statutory height requirement. Cambridge magistrates heard that Mr Moore, an experienced lift engineer, was working on the top floor of a new three-storey annex under construction, and was preparing the shaft ahead of a lift installation. He was about to bring up further equipment from a floor below when he fell into the lift shaft and fell nine metres. He was discovered at the bottom of the shaft by a subcontractor working nearby. Terry Moore, 51, from Wisbech, suffered fractures to his left foot, shoulder, lower spine and pelvis, and was unable to work for several months as a result of the incident at Rosie Maternity Hospital – part of Addenbrooke’s – on 29 March 2012. The HSE’s investigation found that that the guard-rails placed across the entrance to the upper floor shaft were 908mm high, which is 42mm short of the 950mm required by regulations. The court was told that although it could not be proven that the height discrepancy was a factor in the fall, it was a serious safety failing. Farrans Construction Ltd, of Dunmurry, Belfast, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £5,225 costs after pleading guilty to a single breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. HSE inspector John Berezansky said:
“Farrans Construction Ltd failed to implement a well-known industry standard regarding the height of the barriers across the lift shaft entrance. “This standard has been in place for a considerable number of years, and it clearly states that the top guard rail must be at least 950mm above the edge from which any person is liable to fall. That is an absolute requirement and the onus is on employers to ensure this standard is met at all times. “Construction work is a high-risk activity where falls account for a large proportion of all deaths and serious injuries. The end result here is that Mr Moore, an experienced engineer, sustained horrific injuries and could easily have been killed.”

CISRS Revise Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS)

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CISRS Revise Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS)

Qualified replaces Competence

CISRS are in the process of revising the Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS) – in view of the imminent publication of the NASC’s TG20:13 Technical Guidance for tube and fitting scaffolding (TG20).

Training expert, Simon Hughes of Simian Skills Ltd has been drafted in by CISRS to review the CISRS SITS courses and add the necessary detail to both the Basic and Advanced SITS courses, specifically in relation to the new TG20 guidelines. Mr Hughes is also working closely with CISRS to produce a new ‘What has changed in TG20’ guidance document, to update and assist all CISRS training. Following the introduction of TG20:13, the decision has been made to add an extra day to the Basic SITS course, making it three days in duration. This is to accommodate the extra detail and structures included within the new TG20:13 guidance. Work is nearing completion and the new courses should be available to CISRS approved providers by the end of February/early March, in order to give them a chance to familiarise themselves with the new format. The new SITS courses will go live from March 31st, with the new three day Basic SITS course becoming mandatory from 30th June 2014. Those who have already pre-booked a CISRS two-day course with an approved provider prior to the 30th June 2014 cut-off date will still be allowed to attend the course and will be eligible to apply for a CISRS Basic Inspection card upon completion. Alternatively, CISRS recommends that clients contact their provider to rearrange to attend the new three day course (NB: there may be an additional fee for doing so). The Advanced SITS will not be affected as much by the introduction of TG20:13, as it covers more complex designs which are not included within the scope of the new NASC Technical Guidelines, but some minor revisions are underway to accommodate changes caused by TG20:13. Scheme Manager, Dave Mosley said:
“The introduction of TG20:13 will have a profound effect on the industry and will affect all CISRS courses. It has become evident that we require an additional day to be added to the Basic SITS course, to accommodate all the changes. “CISRS believe that the Basic SITS course is the essential foundation for anyone looking to inspect scaffolds. As such, it is imperative that the course covers the relevant topics in the appropriate depth – hence the revisions. “The decision to increase the course duration to three days has not been taken lightly – and we realise this will have an effect on planned training programmes for 2014. However, we feel that the additional content is correct and relevant and therefore the extra day is required. “One of the criticisms levelled at inspection training (and which has been a bugbear of the industry since the inception of inspection courses) is that ‘someone with very little knowledge of the industry can attend a two day course then go out and inspect scaffolding.’ CISRS are constantly striving to alter that opinion, through better training. “CISRS previously adopted the two day duration as that was the industry norm. However, we felt it was always something that may need to be revisited at some point – and the publication of TG20:13 has made it apparent that the information which needs to be passed onto an individual attending a Basic inspection course cannot be imparted within two days. “Additionally, all individuals involved in scaffold inspection – regardless of whether they have attended a CISRS two or three day course – will need to ensure that they obtain a copy of the new TG20:13 suite of documents and become fully conversant with its contents.”
Source: NASC Press Release

Cape subsidiary wins new Saudi scaffolding contracts

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Cape subsidiary wins new Saudi scaffolding contracts

cape news sadui

Global industrial services firm Cape PLC told London South East its subsidiary RB Hilton Saudi Arabia Co has won two new contracts worth £20 million.

The first, with Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co Ltd, is to supply and install scaffolding, painting and insulation works on the MBAC Alumina Refinery Project at Ras Al Khair in Saudi Arabia. The contract runs for six months to May. The second contract is with GS Construction Arabia Ltd at the Rabigh II Project, Interconnecting PKG, in Saudi Arabia. This project will run until February 2015 and includes scaffolding, painting, insulation and fireproofing works. The Rabigh II petrochemical plant produces a number of products including ethylene propylene rubber. GS Construction Arabia Ltd is the local registered subsidiary of GS Engineering & Construction Corp, a Korea-based company mainly engaged in the construction and civil engineering businesses.
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