Time Lapse Video: Manchester Central Library Scaffolding

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Time Lapse Video: Manchester Central Library Scaffolding

httpv://youtu.be/p5MF4JmKmN0

On our travels around the web we found this little beauty of a quick time lapse video from 2010 of the erection of what looks like a large birdcage scaffold inside the Central Library in Manchester UK. The video was uploaded in October by LAR Ltd.

Let us know what you think in the comments below.

Cape plc shares fall by 30% after profit warning

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Cape plc shares fall by 30% after profit warning
Cape's Cape plc which provides scaffolding and industrial services for energy and oil companies across the globe saw it’s shares plunge after they announced today their third profit warning in 12 months. The firm also announced today its chief financial officer Richard Bingham, had resigned with immediate effect and is expected to receive a contractual one-years pay-off. The reason for the profit warnings comes after a downturn in work and lack of new projects in it’s onshore oil operation in Australia. Cape are continuing an ongoing review of the onshore Australian business which would likely be complete before year-end. According to the London Evening Standard Cape shares, which stood at 465p ahead of the November 2011 profit warning, crashed by a third today, falling 87p to a six-year low of 175p.

 By Daniel Norton

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Southsea Hotel Scaffolding collapse [Video]

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Southsea Hotel Scaffolding collapse [Video]
In April we reported about this collapse Southsea Hotel Scaffolding Collapses In High Winds but with help from our good friend @sc4ffolder on twitter we have managed to find a video published by the  showing the scene of the collapse.

Scaffolding collapses due to high winds by PressAssociation

On the morning of April 25 2012 the scaffolding that was erected for painting on The Royal Beach Hotel collapsed in high winds. Five lifts of scaffolding came crashing down onto parked cars below. Luckily nobody was injured in the collapse.

Innovations: Advanced Guard

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Innovations: Advanced Guard

The Advanced-Guard’s Easy-Fit system is a simple, two part guard-rail system, designed with strict safety and speed of installation in mind. It’s unique ‘overlap and slide’ fittings give ultimate flexibility and do not require qualified scaffolders for installation. Once in place, Easy-Fit system allows guardrails on subsequent lifts to be installed from the safety of a fully guarded safe zone, keeping installers safe at all times. A unique patent applied for (PCT/GB2011/051896) stanchion post system is fixed to the scaffold standard from the lift below. Easy-Fit guardrail panels slide up the stanchion posts, whilst locators fix the panel in place. At all times, scaffolding operatives are working from behind a safe barrier. The Easy-Fit panels are left in-situ for the duration of the project, resulting in a finished scaffold, with fully guard-railed lifts and a completely gap free working platform. Scaffold inspectors can easily see that the scaffold has been installed in accordance with SG4.10 and will be confident that the scaffold can be dismantled safely. The Easy-Fit panels incorporate a built in toeboard and brickguard which prevents tradesmen interfering with the units. When using conventional equipment, brickguards are regularly removed, rendering the scaffold platform unsafe and unfit for use. The Easy-Fit system is the most flexible, total-security, scaffolding system available. Not only does it provide you with a single system solution to all your scaffolding needs, but saves you labour time and does not require qualified scaffolders to erect the safety zones on each lift. Easy-Fit Posts There are two simple to install support fittings. One Easy-Fit post is for use exlusively with tube & fitting scaffolding (A), the other, for either tube & fitting or system scaffold (B). Easy-Fit Panels There are three sizes of easy-Fit panel, designed to overlap and slide-to-fit, providing a fully braced safety-zone, from which further lifts can be erected in full safety. The 3 sizes and the unique ability to overlap panels, provides ultimate flexibility. However, should you require it, bespoke panels can also be provided. Health & Safety  The Easy-Fit system has also been rigorously tested and complies with all current legislation and best practise recommendations within the scaffolding and construction industry, including:
  • The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
  • The Work at Height Regulations 2005
  • The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
  • NASC; SG4;10
  • Edge barrier strength tests: EN13374:2004e Class A Edge Protection
Contact
 Web: www.advanced-guard.com |Email:  [email protected] | Tel: 0844 858 4084
 

Trainee scaffolder suffered life-changing injuries after scaffolding fall

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Trainee scaffolder suffered life-changing injuries after scaffolding fall
The scene of the accident via: ppconstructionsafety.com
A scaffolding company and its director have been fined for safety failings after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in a 2.5 metre fall from a scaffold platform at a property in Kent. The worker, who was untrained, fell from the first lift of the scaffold as it was being dismantled. He was passing boards down to another worker when he lost his footing and fell to the concrete below. The man, from Rainham, Kent, who does not wish to be named, suffered severe head injuries and needed surgery to remove the frontal lobe of the brain. He spent many weeks in hospital and is unlikely to be able to work again. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today (6 Nov) prosecuted Paramount Scaffolding Ltd and director Luke Jessup, both of Gillingham, Kent after investigating the incident at the house in Meopham, near Gravesend, on 25 January this year. Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court heard that Paramount Scaffolding had a three-man team on site to dismantle the scaffolding. Director Luke Jessup was the only trained scaffolder among them. The injured worker was standing on the first level of the scaffold and was lifting the boards and passing them to a colleague below. The platform had been six boards wide and was down to three when he lost his footing and fell. The edge protection had already been removed. Paramount Scaffolding Ltd of Wigmore Road, Gillingham, and Luke Jessup of Wigmore Road, Gillingham, both pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 4(1) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Both Paramount and Mr Jessup were fined £2,000 with £1,000 costs each. After the hearing HSE Inspector Melvyn Stancliffe said:
“This is a very stark example of the tragedy that can result from a task carried out at height without proper thought and planning. It has resulted in life-changing injuries for the worker and has had a devastating impact on his family. In addition, Mr Jessup was a personal friend, and he also has to live with the consequences of his role in the incident. “What happened that day was totally preventable if simple working methods had been followed and the untrained workers had been more closely and better supervised to ensure they carried out the work safely. “The scaffolding industry has produced guidance on the safe working methods to follow and this case sadly reflects the harsh reality of not doing so.”

Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below.

New system scaffolding lands in the UK

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New system scaffolding lands in the UK

Generation Hire & Sale, supplier of access and safety products to the UK construction market, has secured its status as sole distributor of the German produced ALTRAD Futuro multi-directional modular scaffold system. ALTRAD Futuro is the perfect system for industrial and civil engineering, where adaptable heavy-duty scaffolding systems are especially important. ALTRAD Futuro is a scaffold system for the future, as it gives the owner the peace of mind that they have invested in a system scaffold that has been manufactured to the highest standards. From its own factory based in Germany the whole process is controlled from start to finish with continued testing in all parts of the process. Advanced Functionality Managing Director Mark Clifford commented “The key to the success of ALTRAD Futuro in industrial applications is the tension – optimised socket plate, which contains 8 specially formed openings capable of taking up to eight ledgers / diagonals. Because of the way the openings are formed, virtually any angle can be set. As a result, ALTRAD Futuro scaffolding can be erected even in areas where access is restricted.” Manufactured and tested to the highest standards the system complies with latest European standards. ALTRAD Futuro has also been audited by the NASC and has met the criteria to satisfy the NASC Code of Practice for proprietary System Scaffold. Hassle-Free Construction Scaffolds are built using multi boarded levels reducing the need for ledgers as the steel boards form an integral part of the structure thus saving material, weight and labour, making the system one of the quickest to erect and dismantle in a safe manner. Typical Applications Extensively used in Europe, the ALTRAD Futuro system is described as a fast, safe and economical solution, suitable for industrial, marine, offshore, petrochemical and general construction. Generation Hire & Sale As part of the Altrad Group, Generation Hire and Sale are leading suppliers of access and building equipment on a hire and sale basis; and offer a vast portfolio of accredited scaffold, IPAF, PASMA and Health & Safety Training to equip your workforce with the skills and knowledge they require. Further information about Generation and its full line of products including ALTRAD Futuro can be found at www.generationhireandsale.co.uk or by calling 0800 783 8376.

Let us know your thoughts on this new system in the comments below 

Insight into scaffolding on the Forth Rail Bridge

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Insight into scaffolding on the Forth Rail Bridge

On 21st January 1890, two trains first crossed the Forth Rail Bridge, travelling across two and a half thousand metres of track suspended nearly fifty metres above the Firth of Forth. This feat of engineering remains an iconic structure and today requires equal feats of ingenuity to maintain. The exposed location, the extraordinary structure, 190 train movements per day and the busy shipping lane below, make this famous bridge one of the ultimate access challenges.

httpv://youtu.be/0k-U-rPYHIA

Scaffolding the bridge starts by reversing the conventional ‘ground-up’ approach. The evident complexity of the bridge, built with more curves than angles, means that every scaffolding member has to be individually designed, fabricated and suspended in position high above the Forth. Access platforms then have to be encapsulated in plastic sheeting, to prevent old lead paint being shot-blasted into the environment, and to protect the new, glass flake epoxy paint from the weather while it dries. The bridge is well over a hundred years old, but it takes 21st century technology and expertise to keep it in safe use, making Harsco Infrastructure’s experience on live industrial maintenance invaluable. To find out more about Harsco Infrastructure, visit: www.harsco-i.com

Let us know your thoughts on this video in the comments below.

UK scaffolding and access giant unveils new look

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UK scaffolding and access giant unveils new look
Mike Carr, Managing Director of Altrad NSG
Leading scaffolding and industrial services provider NSG has undergone a major rebrand to reflect its successful integration into the France-based multi-national Altrad Group. The Deeside based company – which works on projects across the UK – has been rebranded as Altrad NSG, 18 months after its acquisition. The rebrand will enhance the business’s financial and structural strength in the UK market, following a period of integration within the Altrad Group. Altrad NSG has already embarked on a nationwide programme of expansion and acquisition, and with the backing of the Altrad Group, the business is actively pursuing opportunities in new sectors. Altrad NSG is one the UK’s leading providers of industrial services focused on building, maintaining, overhauling and decommissioning the nation’s infrastructure. Since the company’s foundation in 1971 as a provider of scaffolding, the business has built up a strong national portfolio of experience across a wide range of sectors, such as on and offshore oil and gas, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, power generation (including nuclear), steel production, shipbuilding, rail and civil infrastructure. Mike Carr, Managing Director of Altrad NSG, said: “NSG has been operating as an industrial services specialist for over 40 years and during that time has seen many changes. Since its inception as a scaffold provider the company has grown to provide multiple industrial services including Thermal Insulation and Cladding, Protective Coatings, Painting and Blasting, Water Jetting and Rope Access. “The latest change has been the acquisition of NSG by the French based multinational Altrad Group. The acquisition took place in June 2011, since which time we have being working on integrating NSG within the group. We now feel that we should reflect this integration into the Altrad Group by changing the company name to Altrad NSG. “We have undergone a total brand review and are delighted to have now brought the business into the Altrad Group brand – one which is synonymous with quality, innovation, safety and experience. “We hope that our connection to the Altrad Group will support our growth ambitions by emphasising the financial and operational strength of the company. “Every business acquired under Altrad NSG – including Midlands based MTD Scaffolding – will now also fall under the Altrad NSG brand, working from the same locations and depots and with the same senior management teams.” The Altrad Group, which is privately owned, operates throughout the world with an annual turnover of over €600m. The strength of the group includes other providers of industrial services throughout Europe, a leading manufacturer of plettac contur modular system scaffold and hire and sales of an extensive range of construction products. Mr Carr added: “System scaffold can offer substantial benefits to scaffolding operations for clients and operators and with the manufacturing capabilities within the group we have the ability to meet the most demanding of requirements. “Working with Altrad NSG means working with people. From the Board of Directors throughout the whole of the Altrad NSG workforce, we are committed to delivering safe, innovative and cost effective solutions to clients. We believe in building long term relationships with clients and deploy a flat management structure to ensure we develop strong working relationships throughout the organisation led by the Board of Directors. “We hope that our customers, suppliers and employees will all continue on the journey with Altrad NSG as we continue to aim to be market leadings in our field of expertise today, tomorrow and beyond.” As part of the change, Altrad NSG has adopted the group logo which will be introduced throughout the business and the website, which is now available at www.altradnsg.com

Deborah Services employee wins Pride of Britain Awards

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Deborah Services employee wins Pride of Britain Awards
Deborah Services Ltd (DSL) employee and national hero, Matt Adams, a member of the Hartlepool Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), has won the Daybreak’s Emergency Services Award at the Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain Awards held last night at Grosvenor House on London’s Park Lane. He has been with the company for 18 years, based in the Hartlepool office. Matt born in Hartlepool is a volunteer crew member of the Hartlepool RNLI and Coastguard Rescue Team who saved a teenager from drowning on 30th September 2011. The volunteers had a race against time to save Peterlee teenager Neil Robson, who was trapped in sand with the tide coming in quickly. The 17-year-old had become stuck on Seaton Carew beach while trying to rescue his little brother, who escaped unharmed. Speaking ahead of the awards, Matt said, “I’m honoured to receive the Daybreak Emergency Services Award with the volunteer crew from Hartlepool RNLI. This rescue was a fantastic team effort that managed to save a boy’s life, and I’m thankful I was there on the day to help free Neil and bring him to safety.” Steve Flounders, Managing Director of Deborah Services said, “We are so proud to pay tribute to Matt and his team whose bravery saved Neil’s life. Matt is a national hero, and a committed employee at DSL who is dedicated to helping others through his role as a volunteer with the Hartlepool RNLI. We sincerely congratulate him for this outstanding achievement.” The RNLI crew was first on scene in an inshore lifeboat under the command of helm Clare Gibbin. Other volunteers from Hartlepool lifeboat station travelled to the beach by car. Despite the risk of being trapped in the sand themselves, five RNLI crew members entered the water to help free Neil. With sand and water levels reaching their chests, RNLI crew Liam Dunnett and Mark Barker fought to keep Neil’s head above water while Darren Killick, Rob Archer and Matt Adams dug sand away from Neil’s legs. During the rescue operation they had to remove their lifejackets to enable them to work under the surface of the water. Coastguard Rescue Officers Colin Lodge and Chris Hornsey also arrived to help dig Neil free from the sand. The ordeal lasted 75 minutes and with just moments to spare, he was freed from the sand with the help of a high-pressure hose supplied by the fire service. Neil, who escaped with mild hypothermia, cuts and bruises, said: ‘‘The RNLI and Coastguard did an amazing job. I’m very grateful for what they did for me under terrifying circumstances.’’  

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Harsco closes scaffolding business in Jersey

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Harsco closes scaffolding business in Jersey

Harsco Scaffolding

Harsco Infrastructure have today announced the the company will be closing its Jersey scaffolding division with the loss of 17 jobs.  The BBC have reported that the company is closing its Jersey scaffolding department because the firm needed to “refocus its activities”. Jon Herbert from Harsco Infrastructure said:  “The 17 redundancies will be made on a phased basis as current ongoing contracts draw to a close”. He also added the scaffolding firms equipment hire and sales business in the Channel Islands would trade as normal. Jon said:  “We are proud to have a long term presence on the Channel Islands and the business is committed to supporting this market in the future.”

By Daniel Norton

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