LABOUR’S political rivals are already making plans to contest the impending South Shields by-election.
A UK Independence Party (UKIP) spokeswoman has confirmed that it will be putting forward a candidate at the poll in May and it is committed that the chosen candidate will live in the town.
South Tyneside Council has one UKIP councillor – David Potts, who represents Cleadon and East Boldon.
But Coun Potts is in ill-health and unlikely to fight the seat himself.
A party spokeswoman said: “We have already been to the town, and are trying to find a campaign office there so we can get the ball running.
“We will go through the normal selection procedures to find a candidate, but we are pretty sure that that person will be from the local area. It will be someone who knows the patch well.”
The first candidate to throw his hat into the ring to become the next MP for South Shields has emerged.
Former scaffolding boss John Robertson, 46, from Whitburn, says he will stand as an independent.
He said: “I intend to campaign on issues such as special educational needs and support for the elderly.”
Meanwhile, the borough’s Liberal Party is also considering putting forward a candidate.
That candidate could be Dave Wood, the party’s leader.
He said: “The question David Miliband has to answer is if he would have resigned if he’d won the Labour Party leadership.
“I will be taking soundings before deciding whether I should stand. As a party we could also consider splitting the vote by supporting another party, as long as it is not from the right-wing lunatic fringe.
“We could even support a suitable Labour candidate.”
News Via: shieldsgazette.com
Panthera are the first UK scaffolding alarms provider to comply with NSI’s new Code of Practice for the Design, Installation & Maintenance of Scaffolding Alarm Systems (NCP 115) under its premier NACOSS Gold Scheme.
The installation of scaffold alarms is a growing market, but to date has never been the subject of any form of self regulation or industry-specific standards. The Code of Practice NCP 115, introduced by NSI in January this year, provides an industry benchmark to which scaffold alarm systems providers can now aspire and adhere. The specification of NCP 115 will undoubtedly help to mitigate risk – protecting buildings as well as the assets within. The new code also aims to eliminate malpractice and raise the standards in the industry, opening up a new market for electronic security installers.
Awareness of NCP 115 has been gaining momentum, particularly amongst insurers and specifiers where it has been evidenced that the Code is now being specified. NSI has also received an influx of enquires from electronic security providers interested in this new NSI scope of approval.
NSI Chief Executive, Jeff Little, OBE, commented “NCP 115 tackles an entirely new area in a sector that previously had no set Standards or best practice. I heartily congratulate Panthera Group for leading the way in this niche security sector. Their NACOSS Gold approval with NSI is very well deserved and presenting them with their Gold medal has really commemorated the achievement today. I wish Panthera every success in the future.”
Neal James, Managing Director of Panthera Group commented “Today has been a real celebration of our NACOSS Gold Approval. The framed medal will take pride of place in our offices, highlighting our significant achievement in becoming the UK’s first NSI approved Scaffold Alarm Installer”.
James continues “Now that NSI has written a Code of Practice, paired with our own commitment to raising the standards within our industry, we are confident that it sets a precedent for others to follow. The Code provides surveyors, contractors, home owners and commercial organisations with the reassurance that their scaffold alarm systems have been designed, installed and certificated to a high standard, ultimately helping to mitigate their risk and liability.” 
A project to refurbish a highly distinctive office building in Woking has underlined the versatility of the scaffolding services supplied by Harsco Infrastructure, who provided access to the entire building using its Cuplok scaffold system. This provided safe, effective access for the various trades who needed to work on the building’s exterior facades, giving wide, clear work decks free from obstructions and trip-hazards.
The building presented a number of challenges including a long, curved elevation adjacent to water and lightweight exterior walls that required the scaffolding to be self-supporting. “The Cuplok system was ideal for this project,” comments Harsco’s Site Services Manager, Sean Byles. “Despite the fact that the building has a sweeping curve to its main elevation, Cuplok allowed us to build a structure that followed the profile of the building precisely and provided excellent access.” The systemfeatures aunique node point which allows up to four horizontal components to be connected at any angle in one simple fastening action. This allowed the scaffolding to accommodate the curve and still be erected considerably faster than traditional scaffolding.
The building’s two end elevations also presented their own challenges, as Sean explains. “These facades have steel louvered screens which stand beyond the glazed wall. Although these are actually fixed in position, they were not robust enough to tie the scaffolding into. We therefore erected the scaffolding on both sides of the louvers and linked the structures together to create the required degree of stability and safety.”
In other areas where the scaffolding could not be tied to the building, the CUPLOK structures were braced by tower assemblies incorporating counter-weight kentledge to provide stability. The perimeter scaffold also incorporated a large access staircase, a mechanical hoist and rubbish removal towers.
The 6-storey building sits on the bank of a large lake – a factor which influenced the system design that Harsco created. “Fortunately the lakeside timber decking and its steelwork support structure had been recently replaced,” adds Sean. “This meant that we had a firm base on which to build, but space was still at a premium, and the presence of the water meant that safety was, as ever, a vital consideration.”
Safety is a key characteristic of Harsco’s Cuplok system, which features advanced guardrails and steel boards that provide maximum protection on site. This helps create fully integrated, systemised access solutions, and Harsco continues to add new components to the system to expand the versatility it offers.
Simian Risk Operations Director Ian Fyall said the new contract was testament to the strong partnerships built up with Shell, the Southern Oil Company and the Iraqi companies working on-site.
“This is great news for Simian Risk and for our partners in Iraq, as we will be able to continue working together and building on the foundations laid over the past year. Our on-site supervisors Lee Standring and Dave Faulkner have been doing great work in training the local workforce with a strong focus on health and safety.
“They have engendered a culture of teamwork, collaboration, quality and safety, which is vital when working within an industrial environment. This is a huge project and we are proud to be playing a part in creating an ethos of self-sufficiency in Iraq. A whole infrastructure is being built up around the Majnoon oil field and therefore it is essential that those who work on the site operate within strict health and safety guidelines.
“The oil companies we are working with place a real emphasis on local employment and we have forged excellent relationships with Iraqi firm Ratbaa and Middle East scaffolding company AMS, who have both supplied workers for the Majnoon project.”
The Simian Risk team have been teaching local workers the basics of scaffolding, including Harness Training, correct anchor points to work from on a scaffold structure, manual handling techniques and housekeeping practices to provide a safe erect and dismantle of all scaffold procedures.
Lee Standring said: “The local workers are adapting to working in the construction environment very well and have achieved a good understanding of the requirements needed to work safely as a team. We have to thank the team of scaffolders that have worked very hard to keep to the standards that our industry requires. We would also like to thank our Shell management for their support in driving forward and believing in what we can achieve together, planning and executing work safely and to schedule.”
Simian Risk opened a training centre in Dubai in 2011 and also has offices in Abu Dhabi.
Mr Fyall added: “Companies in the Middle East are working hard to improve health and safety and we are determined to play a part in this drive by providing first rate work at height training programmes to help reduce the number of industrial accidents in the region and provide a safe working environment for all.
“The region’s petrochemical sector offers some great opportunities and this is a very niche market that we have been able to expand into. It is still within scaffolding and working at height, just with a more industry orientated focus rather than construction.”
Directors Ian Fyall and Simon Hughes launched Simian Risk Group in Warrington in 2005. With more than 40 years of experience within the scaffolding industry, the business specialises in providing health and safety consultancy for work at height.
In 2010 Ian and Simon split the company into two divisions – Simian Risk and Simian Skill, taking on two new directors, Dave Randles and David Abraham for the respective divisions. Dave Randles became a shareholder in 2011. Dave and David also have more than 40 years of experience to add to that of Ian and Simon.
