The presentation ended with an overview of TRAD’s key achievements throughout the past year, our success in securing many large Contracts in 2016 thus ensuring continual work for our workforce and Staff, avoiding any seasonal downturn and the Board of Directors commitment to recognising and rewarding safety and quality in the workplace.
Recognising Achievement
An important part of the seminar was to recognise our people’s achievements, with a special award for exemplary efforts in Health & Safety going to various Scaffolders across the three Operational Divisions headed by Divisional Directors, Chris Smith, Peter McShane and Tony Mileham.
Chris, Peter, and Tony presented the prizes and awards, including those for “Divisional Scaffolder of the Year” and “Best Improved Scaffolder of the year”, for those who best exemplified and implemented our 5 Key Safe Behaviours (Excellent Segregation, Safe System of Work, PPE, Housekeeping and Quality).
Winners were as follows:
Chris Smith’s Division:
Dean Lomiglio – Divisional Scaffolder of the Year
Luke Faik – Best Improved Scaffolder of the Year
Peter McShane’s Division
Karl Clinton – Divisional Scaffolder of the Year
Corey Belgrove – Best Improved Scaffolder of the Year
Tony Mileham’s Division
David Yates – Divisional Scaffolder of the Year
Oliver Wheatley – Best Improved Scaffolder of the Year
The final award presented was for Safe Employee of the Year – the criteria of which was based on our Clients’ recognition of our Scaffolders’ exemplary behaviour and their excellent control of our five Key Safe Behaviours on site.
This year’s winner was John Gardner – for leading the Scaffolding team on the highly prestigious “One Tower Bridge” Project for Berkeley Homes and John was also commended for being an exemplary colleague and running this high profile Project to a very high standard.
The afternoon finished with a Q&A session and opportunity for informal discussions with the Directors over refreshments in the function area. The Annual Seminar was once again considered a great success, by both the Staff and our Scaffolding workforce and the Company looks forward to a another mutually successful financial year and a continuation of this event in September 2016.
DES MOORE – TRAD GROUP MANAGING DIRECTOR commented:
Following our recent organisational re-structure and Neil’s well-deserved appointment to the MD position of Trad Co. Neil, his Divisional Directors and Contracts Staff have continued to recognise that it is absolutely essential that we engage with our whole workforce on all matters, which in my view remains at the heart of TRAD Co’s resilience and continued growth over the past 45 years. 
having been stored or used inappropriately, BM TRADA has launched its Q Mark Used Timber Scaffold Board Inspection Scheme, to enable certified companies to demonstrate that their inspectors are competent to determine if boards should remain in use.
While there is no legislative requirement for used timber scaffold boards to be regularly inspected, to ensure safety on site, scaffold boards should be checked and assessed on a regular basis when in use and each time they are re-issued or supplied to site. It is also important that boards which have been checked are stored separately to those that have not.
With major contractors recognising the dangers, they are starting to ask how scaffold board issuing companies can demonstrate the competency of those inspecting boards. The BM TRADA Q-Mark Used Timber Scaffold Board Inspection Scheme provides a means of verifying that inspectors are suitably qualified.
While most scaffolding companies will ensure their employees complete a scaffolders’ training course, the BM TRADA Scheme provides added confidence to contractors, since the competence of board inspectors is regularly checked by an independent third party body. This enables contractors to specify their hire with confidence and demonstrate due diligence if required.
To achieve certification under the scheme, the scaffolding company must nominate individual employees who will be covered. Each is required to demonstrate their competence to identify damage which is likely to reduce the strength of used timber scaffold boards. Every nominated inspector is required to complete scheme-specific training, pass an examination and complete a competence assessment at the company’s premises.
BM TRADA will also undertake an initial audit of the company to ensure that a documented inspection process is in place. This process must demonstrate that only approved inspectors carry out inspections, only approved boards are released for use and all rejected boards are segregated.
Companies who meet the scheme’s requirements will be issued with a certificate and certification marks to enable them to demonstrate and promote their certification. Certification is valid for two years and following this is maintained through a programme of annual surveillance audits, with a recertification audit required in the second year before the certification expires.
In addition to offering confidence to contractors, the scheme enables certified companies to demonstrate their competence and highlight their commitment to quality. This offers them a competitive advantage when tendering and can increase repeat business as contractors increasingly recognise the benefit of specifying used timber scaffold boards which are regularly inspected by third party certified competent inspectors.
For further information on the BM TRADA Q-Mark Used Timber Scaffold Board Inspection Scheme, visit www.bmtrada.com, email: [email protected]; or call: 01494 569821. 
parkland, Dyrham Park house was in need of significant repair work to its roof structure.
“As well as providing access to the roof for the repair teams, we were also asked to install a full temporary roof covering to protect the Main House and Orangery during the refurbishment,” says Chris Rogers, Northern Design Manager for SGB.
Colette Cuddihy, the National Trust’s project manager said: “This is a major project for us – the roof is 150-years-old and we’d expect the new one to last at least as long. So it really is a once in a lifetime chance for visitors to be allowed up onto scaffolding and to see the extent of the work needed to take apart such a large and complex roof and make it weather tight and secure for the future. We have used 500 tonnes of scaffolding to clad the house – it was specially designed to include the new walkway which circles the whole roof with two viewing platforms, giving a view both inwards over the roof and out from the scaffolding across the park and gardens of Dyrham Park. It is fully accessible with a lift as well as stairs.”
“Given the age of the building and its historic importance, we were able to design and construct a suitable solution which is completely independent of the Main House and Orangery. The whole structure is completely free-standing which removes the risk of any damage that might have been caused if we’d had to tie it into the building,” adds Chris.
The scaffold reaches 27m at the ridge and is constructed from Cuplok®, which is SGB’s multi-purpose steel scaffold system designed for general access, shoring and vertical load support applications. Being a modular system, and featuring a unique node point which allows up to four components to be connected in one fastening action, Cuplok® made it both quick and easy to assemble on this project. The scaffold is fixed to the ground using Mini Screw Piles which are anchored at depths of 2 – 10 metres to accommodate differences in the subsoil around the building.
The temporary roof covers an area of 47.5m long x 38.2m wide, and is constructed from nine roof modules. “This is also a modular system which again made it easy to assemble the sections on the ground and crane them into place,” adds Chris. “They combine to give a clear internal span of 33.4m, so there is plenty of room for the restoration crews to do their work while still being protected from the elements.”
“Unusually for a project to of this nature, the scaffold incorporates a public viewing walkway on each of its four sides.” The walkway is 15 meters high and gives the public the chance to see the conservation team at work on the roof,” Chris adds. “This is something which the National Trust has advertised as an extra ‘visitor experience’. Fortunately, Cuplok® is such a strong system that we were able to accommodate this request without any problem. We’ve also installed a passenger hoist so that wheelchair users will also have full access to the walkway. “This is quite a different project for us. Erecting the scaffold and roof structure while the park remained completely open to visitors was certainly a challenge, and we are not usually asked to make a scaffolding structure accessible to the general public. Fortunately we have undertaken many other similarly complex projects in the past, so we were happy to accept the challenge!”
SGB is part of Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services, was established through the merger of Harsco Infrastructure and Brand Energy & Infrastructure Services. The group currently has a turnover of $3bn (US), 22,000 employees, and branches in 30 different countries. 
XERVON Palmers team) efforts and support shown in providing expert scaffolding and access services in the first week of the current shutdown at the steel plant in the North East.
Mr S. Wood, the lead engineer with TATA congratulated Stuart and made the following comments:
“I would like to personally thank Stuart for his valued contribution to Skinningrove Works and congratulate him on this TATA Excellence Award. The people we employ are an integral part of the success of our business: We can only reach our goals and targets and realise our full potential through the passion, commitment and dedication of people like Stuart. Thank you once again for your contribution. I urge you to continue making that difference and help to drive us forward.”
Ian McFarlane, Director for Business & Project Development at XERVON Palmers said:
“Stuart’s commitment to the TATA Skinningrove shutdown helps demonstrate that our people really do make the difference at XERVON Palmers – helping us continue to provide a quality service with our key clients, like TATA. Receiving recognition like this for our operatives helps us all to contribute together in working for future success at XERVON Palmers on projects like this across the UK.”
And Donald Morrison, CEO of XERVON Palmers added: “Congratulations to Stuart and his team at Skinningrove. It’s dedication to high standards, safety and quality workmanship like this that helps make XERVON Palmers what it is – one of Europe’s leading scaffolding and access providers, working with the best names in high-end construction, industrial, petro-chemical, power & rail sectors.” 
