An Essex scaffolder and a labourer he employed risked their lives and endangered the public around them with precarious and unsafe work at a Chelsea property.
Christopher Harker, 35, from Epping, trading as C&H Scaffolding, clambered up and down the outside of a four-storey scaffold in Cheyne Walk on 20 March 2014, completely unconcerned by the fact a fall could have proved fatal.
He and his assistant also casually leaned through openings up to 10 metres above the ground and nonchalantly passed materials to each other that could have slipped and caused serious harm to anyone walking below.
The unsafe work continued in full view of an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), despite Mr Harker knowing he was present and after the inspector had tried to warn him of the danger.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (19 November) that there was a complete absence of any form of edge protection on the scaffold to prevent or mitigate falls. Equally, neither worker was wearing a safety harness, there were no access ladders to some of the work areas, and there were large gaps between the boards that also posed a significant fall risk.
Mr Harker used a system where he moved boards from the upper and lower levels of the scaffolding depending on where he or the labourer were working, rather than ensuring that both areas were sufficiently boarded to begin with.
He also casually tossed objects and materials, such as scaffolding clips, to his colleague on the level below him. This not only put the assistant at risk as he moved to catch them, but also members of the public exiting a doorway directly under the scaffold, who could have been struck and injured.
The court was told that the police were required to attend the site such was Mr Harker’s hostile attitude towards the HSE inspector. It was only then that he accepted the risks he had created as the legal dutyholder responsible for the work.
He subsequently apologised unreservedly for his behaviour, complied with all aspects of the HSE investigation and vowed to undertake future scaffolding projects in a safe and legal manner.
Christopher Harker, of Coronation Hill, Epping, Essex, was fined a total of £800 and ordered to pay £577 in costs after pleading guilty to two separate breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The relatively low penalty reflected the defendant’s limited financial means, early guilty plea and full co-operation throughout.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers commented:
“The scaffolding work at Cheyne Walk posed a clear danger to the two workers as well as members of the public exiting the building under the scaffolding.
“The failings were abundantly obvious and trained scaffolder Mr Harker knew this, which is probably why he reacted in the manner he did. He was caught red-handed, panicked and tried to make the problem go away as he saw it.
“However, HSE inspectors cannot and will not turn a blind eye when safety is compromised in this manner – as the scaffolder now fully accepts. He understands that safety rules and standards are designed to protect life and limb, and that cutting corners in order to get a job done is simply not acceptable.”
Beaver 84, a UK leading supplier of scaffolding, fencing, groundwork’s and events has announced massive profit gains.
Recently published results reveal that scaffolding supplier Altrad Beaver 84 grew its profits by a staggering 53 per cent in the last financial year. Beaver 84’s success is a product of an improved purchasing strategy, freeing up cash to continue growth across the company’s three product sets, Access, Groundwork’s and Events.
As a result, new kit, partnerships, and a telling takeover of staging/structures/rigging and design specialist Star Events Group in the summer, have served to push up profitability without compromising quality.
Managing Director, Steve Tysoe, said: “As well as developing our existing portfolio, we looked to invest in products that clients were struggling to source. In the process, we grew the rental side of our business by 35 per cent, a fact reflected in the financial figures.”
Beaver 84 is closing in on two further acquisitions, as well as developing more equipment, and Tysoe expects to see similar growth in 2015.
A scaffolding firm boss has been prosecuted after he and his employees were caught on film balancing on a single tube some nine metres above ground.
The photos of the incident at a three-storey office in Horley on 4 February 2014, taken by a shocked member of the public, were sent to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which investigated. Redhill Magistrates (4 Nov) heard how Jason Hewett, 44, the owner of Surrey- based Crest Scaffolding Services, had put his own life and the lives of two scaffolders in jeopardy by failing to have any fall prevention measures in place.
HSE, which brought the prosecution against Mr Hewett for safety breaches, told the court that one photo clearly depicts two workers balancing on a single pole with no guardrails to prevent them from falling from a dangerous height. Neither of them wore a harness.
A second photo shows two scaffolders working from boards but, once again, there was not one guardrail to be seen and no harnesses were in use to protect the men.
Jason Hewett, of Benhams Drive, Horley, Surrey, was fined £265 and ordered to pay £511 in costs after admitting a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
After the hearing, HSE Inspector Amanda Huff said:
“Jason Hewett put his own life at risk and the lives of two other workers by carrying out this scaffolding job in a totally unsafe manner. Anyone falling from nine metres would likely be killed and that type of disregard for safety is totally unacceptable.“Mr Hewett failed to follow basic safety precautions and heed the professional guidance available to scaffolding companies. Where practical when erecting scaffolding, they should work from a fully-boarded scaffold and guardrail. If this is not possible, all scaffolders should wear clipped-on harnesses.”
The NASC announces confirmation of secured funding for their 4th Qualifying The Workforce (QTW) program.
In a recent press release the NASC has published confirmation from the CITB that funding has been secured for the Qualifying The Workforce (QTW) program for the 4th year running.
The QTW program enables NASC members to apply for a payment of £125 for any of their employees that have qualified to CISRS Scaffolder, Advanced Scaffolder or Scaffolding Supverisor status since 1st September 2013. The operatives will need to have completed all requisite training and be in possession of a current valid CISRS card to be eligible.
The 4th Qualifying The Workforce (QTW) programme will start in January 2015.
This follows three successful QTW programmes involving NASC members in 2012-2014, where proposed targets were exceeded on each occasion – with more than 200 operatives qualified to CISRS Scaffolder via either apprenticeships or the adult/commercial route, Advanced Scaffolder or Scaffolding Supervisor in 2012 and 2013.
The CITB funding has allowed the NASC not only to promote the concept of a fully qualified workforce to the scaffolding sector but also to pay out over £25,000 to participating members in 2012-2013, with a further £29,000 paid out in 2014.
NASC received additional/exceptional funding from CITB in 2014 – in order to offer further support to the QTW programme. This will hopefully create an additional 100 qualified operatives (across all five CISRS training course categories) before the end of the year.
NASC Director of Training, Dave Mosley said:
“NASC & CISRS would like to thank the CITB for their continued support, which allows us to promote QTW and make a small bonus payment to the members who spend a lot of time and money maintaining a qualified workforce – helping to make the scaffolding industry a safer place.”
In addition to the new QTW, NASC has also received CITB funding to run a batch of three-day, new-style Basic Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS) courses – which are open to non-NASC members and member companies. The courses will be running at NCC Scotland, Simian Skills and NCC Midlands.
Dave Mosley added: “The CITB Specialists department have been extremely helpful highlighting the possibilities of accessing additional funding for new and developing training programmes. This fitted perfectly with the introduction of the three day Scaffold Inspection Training Scheme (SITS) courses. This funding is very welcome and makes the transition from two to three day courses a little easier for the industry.”
Scaffolding around a 12-storey office building near London Bridge that was awaiting demolition has caught fire.
The blaze at 33 King William Street, overlooking London Bridge, was on the scaffolding on the tenth floor of the building, London Fire Brigade have confirmed.
The Brigade were called at 6.06pm to the blaze. An London Ambulance Service Hazardous Area Response Team attended the scene but were stood down at 7.30pm with no casualties.
Debris was falling to the pavement below, and the road was closed off to traffic and pedestrians.
Here is an image posted on twitter of the scaffolding before the incident posted by QFS Scaffolding Ltd
London based scaffolding firm GKR Scaffolding Ltd has been awarded three accolades for outstanding contributions to health and safety.
On Wednesday, 15 October, GKR Scaffolding Limited attended Mace’s inaugural ‘Safety first. Second nature.’ awards at 30 Euston Square, London.
The awards had been introduced this year to celebrate the outstanding contributions made to health and safety by those across Mace, their clients and supply chain. They recognise the great strides being made from a health and safety perspective at Mace and are an opportunity to thank those for their achievements. It will also service to set a benchmark in best practice for the future.
The GKR team are relentlessly committed to delivering innovative scaffolding solutions safely and improving the safety culture across the scaffold industry.
The firm said they were proud to have been recognised by Mace for their safety culture and for winning the following categories at this year’s awards ceremony:
Overall, the GKR team was honoured as a Mace supplier that has demonstrated improved health and safety performance over the past year, along with an increased commitment and drive to communicate the safety message across Mace’s supply chain partners.
Mace’s Group Board sponsor for health and safety, Jason Millett said:
“It was wonderful to see everyone come together to celebrate the achievements that we, along with our clients and supply chain partners, have made in health and safety. There have been some outstanding contributions to Mace’s ‘Safety first. Second nature.’ programme, and, in recognising these, we have been able to say thank you and show our appreciation for all of the hard work and commitment. A truly memorable evening.”
Cape plc, an international leader in the provision of critical industrial services to the energy and natural resources sectors, has announced the award of a contract with BP to supply the firms services within the Magnus Life Extension project, MLXP.
MLXP is a project being undertaken by BP as part of its North Sea renewals programme, and will see work carried out continuously from now through to Q2 2015. The North Sea business will then work systematically to renew and refresh the fabric of the asset on a large-scale-project basis, clearing the way to embark on new drilling and the value-adding work that will see Magnus maximise its potential.
Simon Hicks, Managing Director of Cape UK:
“We are delighted to be awarded this project to support BP in its North Sea renewals programme, we look forward to working with BP to deliver this project safely and effectively”.
A scaffolding firm has been fined after it ignored repeated requests to prove it held insurance for employees working on the Fylde Coast.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was alerted to the possible lack of Employers’ Liability Insurance – a requirement under UK law – when it received a complaint about scaffolding erected by Abacus Scaffolding North West Ltd at a site in Thornton Cleveleys in October 2013.
The company was contacted by HSE on several occasions up until April 2014 but it still failed to provide a copy of the insurance certificate, which allows workers to claim compensation if they are injured while at work.
Abacus Scaffolding was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay £2,035 following a trial at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on 8 October 2014. The company failed to attend the hearing and was found guilty of a breach of the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969 in its absence.
Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Allen Shute said:
“Falls from height are responsible for around a third of all workplace deaths every year, so the risks to Abacus’s employees were real.“The company failed to prove it held Employers’ Liability Insurance so that if the worst did happen then workers would have been able to claim compensation to try and overcome their injuries.“HSE made repeated requests but the company still failed to provide proof that it held insurance, despite it being a legal requirement. We were therefore left with no choice but to prosecute.”
Employers’ Liability Insurance enables workers to claim compensation if they become ill or are injured at work. For employers, the insurance covers the cost of legal fees and compensation payouts in the event of a claim by a worker.
Via: HSE
ScaffMag gains further insight into overseas training after meeting with Cape Plc in the Middle East.
Continuing with my investigation into the effectiveness of the UK scaffolding training schemes while in the Middle East I managed to share some time with Paul Grant, the Head of Scaffolding In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia for Cape RB Hilton.
Speaking with Paul in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia I quickly realised Cape Plc are incredibly committed to ensuring that their greatest asset: the people within the business are trained and developed to the highest levels possible to provide their clients with operational excellence.
In the Gulf Region Cape Plc and its subsidiaries are one of the biggest employers of Scaffolders. Currently employing a workforce of over 6,000 in various scaffold related roles.
Paul commented:“The development of our people and our teams is the key to our success within the scaffolding sector. We have seen good growth due to our ability to provide, quality equipment and products delivered by a skilled and professional team. Training is the key to our continued growth in the Region.‘We will not train people for the sake of training, any Training we provide will be specific to our business plans and will enhance our ability to deliver to our clients and stakeholders.”“We recognise that the key to increased productivity in our business will come from having high performing Scaffolders qualified to UK and International standards that have been trained to the highest levels in regard to health and safety possible. We are also seeing many of our international and regional clients looking towards UK based accredited skills schemes to prove and demonstrate competency.”“At Cape we have had a vigorous training regime for some time with schemes such as the CITB NVQ Route as well as CISRS, being in place, across the Region. However some of the existing Training courses that are available need to be tailored to suit the regional requirements of our business and those of our clients.”
The NASC announce a free update for TG20:13 and eGuide.
The National Access And Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has updated its TG20:13 good practice guidance for tube and fitting scaffolding with a new document entitled Supplement 1. The document is available as a free download from the NASC website as a PDF and is accompanied by an eGuide software update entitled Version 1.1.
Principal features of the update are as follows:
A specification for TG20:13 compliant 3.2mm wall thickness cold-formed high tensile steel tubes to BS EN 10219-1;
An amendment to the sign off section of compliance sheets to state that illustrations are indicative;
Clarification regarding ties to the inner face of the scaffold only;
Compliance sheets for sheeted scaffolds with transom units;
Compliance sheets for scaffolds of 2.0m, 3.0m or 4.0m height;
Clarification regarding the horizontal spacing of ties for scaffolds with a maximum bay length less than 2.0m.
Terry Roberts of CADS (technical authors of TG20:13) said: “The NASC recommends that compliance sheets from the new eGuide are always used. However, the update has been designed in such a way that compliance sheets from the original eGuide (and from the TG20:13 Operational Guide) remain valid, so there is no need to differentiate between new and original compliance sheets on site.”Robin James, NASC Managing Director added: “These updates to TG20:13 demonstrates the commitment of the NASC to the continual improvement of TG20:13 to meet the demands of the UK scaffolding industry. The NASC advises that all existing users of TG20:13 should download this new version of the TG20:13 eGuide together with the accompanying document Supplement 1.”
serious harm to anyone walking below.
The unsafe work continued in full view of an inspector from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), despite Mr Harker knowing he was present and after the inspector had tried to warn him of the danger.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard yesterday (19 November) that there was a complete absence of any form of edge protection on the scaffold to prevent or mitigate falls. Equally, neither worker was wearing a safety harness, there were no access ladders to some of the work areas, and there were large gaps between the boards that also posed a significant fall risk.
Mr Harker used a system where he moved boards from the upper and lower levels of the scaffolding depending on where he or the labourer were working, rather than ensuring that both areas were sufficiently boarded to begin with.
He also casually tossed objects and materials, such as scaffolding clips, to his colleague on the level below him. This not only put the assistant at risk as he moved to catch them, but also members of the public exiting a doorway directly under the scaffold, who could have been struck and injured.
The court was told that the police were required to attend the site such was Mr Harker’s hostile attitude towards the HSE inspector. It was only then that he accepted the risks he had created as the legal dutyholder responsible for the work.
He subsequently apologised unreservedly for his behaviour, complied with all aspects of the HSE investigation and vowed to undertake future scaffolding projects in a safe and legal manner.
Christopher Harker, of Coronation Hill, Epping, Essex, was fined a total of £800 and ordered to pay £577 in costs after pleading guilty to two separate breaches of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The relatively low penalty reflected the defendant’s limited financial means, early guilty plea and full co-operation throughout.
After the hearing, HSE inspector Andrew Verrall-Withers commented:
