The sale is effective immediately.
Altrad is a privately owned French manufacturer, hirer and distributor of scaffolding equipment with annual revenues in 2010 of about €415m (£372m) and subsidiary operations across Europe, Africa, Asia and America. The acquisition of Beaver 84 marks its intention to grow in the UK scaffolding market.
“SIG maintains an active portfolio review process to assess the fit with other parts of the group and SIG’s ability to grow and develop each business going forward,” said strategic development director Andrew Greenaway. “Following this review we believe that Beaver 84 has greater potential for growth within the Altrad Group, who as one of Europe’s largest scaffolding businesses, are better positioned to take Beaver 84 forward in its chosen markets.”
U.K. Edition
As previously reported on 
The future of the industry’s skills card scheme was thrown into question this week after the CITB revealed it is cutting its ties with the scheme.
CITB-ConstructionSkills – which administers the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), used by over 1.6 million workers – revealed it has put its contract on notice.
The move, prompted by commercial differences, ends an often turbulent 16-year partnership. Sources close to the situation claimed personality clashes and disputes over how income had been divided between between the two bodies had contributed to the schism.
The news has sparked fears that the CSCS card scheme will be damaged by the end of its association with the industry’s government-backed skills council.
CSCS cards are demanded as proof of occupational competence by most major clients and contractors on sites.
James Wates, chairman of CITB, admitted the relationship had been difficult but dismissed any suggestion of a recent falling out.
He said: “It’s been a challenging relationship because it’s been a difficult contract for both sides to work within. But I don’t think there’s been real dissonance.
“The [recent] disagreement was around detailed terms of the contract, which I won’t go into because they’re commercial.”
Mark Farrar, CITB chief executive, said: “CITB continues to fully support the scheme for the duration of our agreed contract.”
The notice period will last five years unless the two parties terminate the contract earlier by mutual agreement.
The CSCS indicated it will consult on how best to administer the scheme.
The falling out between two bodies has provoked dismay from the industry.
One source close to the CSCS said: “You’ve got to ask questions when two boards that are drawn from the same organisations can’t agree.”
The workers were lucky to be alive after the scaffolding and Monoflex came crashing down to the street below in strong winds.
The collapse happend at 10:25am on Saturday on Wellington Road in Hanley Stoke on Trent. Two parked cars were damaged by the scaffold.
The HSE are now investigating into how this accident happened but one theory is that the wind had pull the scaffold over in 50 mph gusts.
Richard Marson, aged 26, said: “We were five minutes’ late going back out after our breakfast and if we had been on time we could have been killed.
“My sausage and egg butty saved my life.”
Daniel Simpson, aged 19, added: “We were working on the scaffolding just before it collapsed.
“Then we were in the cabin having breakfast and just heard it come crashing down.”
Chris Morrall, aged 19, said: “If this had happened any earlier or later, I would’ve been dead.”
Paramedics were called to Wellington Road, although no-one was injured.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The workmen had a very lucky escape given the size of the scaffolding.”
Simon Burrows, aged 35, was already on bail for another offence of inflicting grievous bodily harm and for crashing his car through a toll barrier on the Cleddau Bridge.
Kevin Riordan, prosecuting, told Swansea crown court that Burrows had been in a long, on-off relationship with Emma Bancroft.
On October 13 he saw her in the street and a row developed. Burrows hit her several times to the face and Miss Bancroft ran to the home of her mother in Clare Walk, Pembroke.
Her mother answered the door to find Burrows standing over Miss Bancroft, punching her in the face as she held her two and a half year old daughter.
Burrows drove away from the scene, forcing other drivers to take evasive action. When he reached the Cleddau Bridge he smashed through the barrier.
Mr Riordan said when police caught up with Burrows they saw him get out of the car holding a length of rope. He was detained under the Mental Health Act because he appeared to be suicidal.
A blood test showed he was almost twice over the drink drive limit.
Burrows admitted inflicting gbh, dangerous driving and drink driving.
Mr Riordan said he was granted bail.
On December 1 he went to a flat in Tenby Court, Monkton, where some friends were drinking.
One of the visitors, Lloyd Anthony Richard Jenkins, thought Burrows was about to attack another man and intervened.
Burrows responded by biting his ear and wouldn’t let go even when Mr Jenkins put a thumb into one of his eyes.
Burrows bit off part of the ear and spat it out.
He denied inflicting grievous bodily harm but was convicted by a jury.
He maintained that although he had placed his teeth onto the ear the damaging biting had happened because someone had hit his chin from below.
Judge Keith Thomas said the father of six, a scaffolder, had used his teeth as a weapon.
The attack on Miss Bancroft, he added, had involved the deliberate targeting of a vulnerable person.
The medal was presented by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) after the NSG UK achieved six safety awards in a row.
Howard Satchell, compliance manager at NSG UK, based at Deeside Industrial Park, said: “Safety is paramount to the business so we are delighted to be recognised with the RoSPA award.
“It demonstrates to our clients and potential customers that we are a responsible and conscientious business that places health and safety as top priority.”
Mr Satchell said NSG had to provide the RoSPA with evidence of good health and safety management.
The company highlighted its excellent track record over the past year and its safety schemes developed and implemented by the shop-floor staff at NSG UK.
Mr Satchell added: “We felt it was important for them to have ownership.
“They are trained to monitor the health and safety actions of colleagues, make recommendations for on-site improvements and engage in regular meetings with senior managers.”
NSG UK managing director, Mike Carr, said: “We work closely with our employees and customers to continually improve our performance, and the gold medal is tribute to the hard work and dedication of the whole workforce.
“This is the sixth year on the run our safety performance has been recognised on a national level and we will endeavour to keep up our excellent record.”
A RoSPA spokesman said: “NSG UK has achieved a very high level of performance, demonstrating well-developed occupational health and safety management systems, outstanding control of risk and very low levels of error, harm and loss.”
Labourer Andrew Herbertson, 29, from Failsworth, fell as he tried to dismantle a printing press in Oldham in 1998.
Linzi Herbertson, 38, has worked tirelessly to call for better workplace health and safety legislation since her husband’s death at Chadwicks Printers.
She helped form Families Against Corporate Killers, a national campaigning group aiming to stop preventable deaths in the workplace.
Mrs Herberston was due to address crowds at Albert Square in Manchester city centre today – International Workers’ Memorial Day.
She said: “Everyone should be able to go to work and come home at the end of the shift unharmed.
“This year we must fight harder as the protection of workers is under attack as never before from deregulation reviews, cuts in enforcement and people rubbishing it as nonsense.
“We are told our health and safety costs employers too much and it stops jobs being created.
“This is not true and all the evidence shows it is poor health and safety that costs lives and health and also costs all of us more money than we can afford.
“Regulations don’t kill jobs but lack of regulation and enforcement kills workers.”
Mrs Herberston was being joined by a host of guest speakers – and relatives of those who have died at work.
They include Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd and Kevin Brown, regional secretary of the Fire Brigades Union. Local authority union representatives will also be present.
They are marching from Manchester Mechanics’ Institute on Princess Street to Albert Square from 11.15am.
The Albert Square rally was taking place at noon, including a minute’s silence for those who have died at work.
The day, which has been recognised by the government, will also be marked with events in Bolton.
Figures show that some 1,700 people are killed in work-related incidents in Britain each year and up to 50,000 by work-related illness – including 18,000 from occupational cancers.
