DEESIDE-BASED scaffolding and industrial services firm NSG UK has given a youth club a £5,000 cash lift.
The donation to Shrewsbury House Youth Club in Everton, Merseyside, is to mark the milestone of one million hours of accident-free work time at the Ineos ChlorVinyls site in Runcorn, one NSG’s clients.
NSG UK is involved in a training and apprenticeship scheme with the club which sees youths offered a free 12-week placement, after which they are able to seek work within the industry.
Two members have completed the course and both have been given full-time employment with NSG UK.
NSG UK supervisor Damien Cummings, a former member of the youth club, said: “This scheme is something I have always wanted to see set up.
“It is great to put something back into the club which gave me and a lot of others a start in life – a scheme whereby youngsters of today are able to get into constructive work.
“It is hard enough for these young people to prove that they have the skills and energy to make their way in life, and this scheme is giving them that chance.”
NSG UK managing director Mike Carr added: “We are delighted to be able to give this donation to a charity which does a lot of good work with young people who are struggling to find employment.
“NSG UK is committed to taking on and developing young talented people and this scheme is a great example.”
A spokesman for the youth club said: “We are grateful to NSG.
“This is excellent support and we will be putting all of the money into a range of services aimed at tackling the current crisis of youth unemployment.”
Via: www.flintshirechronicle.co.uk
Bolton-based TI Industrial Group has increased its presence in the north east and Scotland after buying a majority stake in a scaffolding business.
It has acquired 76 per cent of Project Scaffolding, which has offices in Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Livingston.
The company has worked on construction projects including the refurbishment of Edinburgh’s Haymarket train station and The Sage, a music centre in Gateshead.
Advisers who worked on the deal included a team at Manchester law firm George Davies comprising partners Chris Wilkinson and Sara Barrett along with Charlie Yates and Sam Mason.
TWO building firms involved with the construction of the Radisson Blu hotel face huge fines after an accident left a worker with severe brain injuries.The Radisson Blu Hotel in Bristol
Richard Chodkiewicz, 53, now needs 24-hour care for the rest of his life after a scaffolding pole being used as a makeshift plumb line fell 15 storeys down a lift shaft and hit him in the head in July 2008.
Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard that the 7lb (3.7kg) pole was being used to measure the shaft when a line holding it – made of either plastic or piano wire – broke and it fell to the shaft pit.
Mr Chodkiewicz, who was wearing a hard hat at the time, suffered a “catastrophic brain injury” that required part of his skull to be removed.
He spent six weeks in intensive care and was then transferred to the brain injury rehabilitation unit at Frenchay Hospital.
Prosecuting on behalf of the health and safety executive, Dale Collins said the accident had completely changed the lives of Mr Chodkiewicz and his family, who are receiving counselling.
He said: “This has had a devastating effect on Mr Chodkiewicz and also his five children and grandchildren. He now requires 24-hour care and is unable to work.”
Reading a statement from his family, Mr Collins said: “Richard can’t be left alone because he is always at risk, and he needs help with all aspects of daily living. Richard is very childlike in his abilities and needs prompting for all basic skills.”
Yesterday Hoistway Limited, Mr Chodkiewicz’s employer, pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the health and safety of an employee.
Miller Construction, the main contractor on site during the transformation of the former Bristol and West office block, also pleaded guilty to failing to ensure that a person was not exposed to risks while undertaking the installation of lifts.
Mr Collins told magistrates that Hoistway had failed to provide adequate risk assessments and did not identify hazards; that using a piece of scaffolding was not standard equipment checked by a competent person and was improvised; that there was inadequate site management and supervision, and that there was inadequate protection against people or objects falling.
He said that Miller Construction had carried out insufficient risk assessments, had left openings unguarded and at risk of falling objects, and had not fully checked and failings in Hoistway Limited’s risk assessment.
Defending Hoistway, Ben Compton said it “accepted unequivocally” failings in a duty to its employees.
He added: “The offence was not a deliberate breach of the law. It was not reckless, but careless.”
Simon Antrobus, for Miller, said the company’s role was of “overview and monitoring”, adding that its culpability in the case was “relatively low”.
Magistrates said the two companies had failed in their duties “to a significant degree” and ordered the pair be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court, saying that their own powers, to impose a maximum fine of £20,000, were insufficient to adequately punish the firms.
Via: www.thisisbristol.co.uk
A scaffolder and bricklayer who are Bristol City fans threw punches at Leeds United fans have been banned from all matches for three years.Scaffolder Francis Lloyd
The pair were arrested by police shortly after City lost to Leeds United at Ashton Gate last month.
Both have been ordered to pay £200 in fines and costs.
Both men, from Shirehampton, pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates’ Court yesterday to using words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of unlawful violence, after swearing and throwing punches at Leeds supporters after the match.
Scaffolder Francis Lloyd, 21, of Penpole Avenue, and Bricklayer Joseph Burns, 19, of Nigel Park, appeared separately in the dock.
Avon and Somerset police football officer Roger Thayer was present for both cases and successfully applied to the court for the three-year banning orders to be imposed on the men.
Lloyd, who was known to the police, ran across Winter- stoke Road and “threw a number of punches towards Leeds fans”, prosecutor Gareth Giddings told the court.
Police officers were only about 20 metres away and quickly arrested the 21-year-old scaffolder to prevent further attacks or reprisals as they escorted the Leeds fans away from the stadium shortly after 5pm.
The scaffolder was fined £100 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £15 and costs of £85 by presiding magistrate Roger Dunster. Burns was given an identical sentence.
Mr Giddings told the court that Burns, a bricklayer who lives with his dad, was arrested at around the same time after walking towards a group of around 30 Leeds fans “with arms outstretched and clenched fists”, swearing and shouting at them.
When he was about five yards away from the group Burns leaned forward and threw a punch, missed and started to square up to the group again before police officers close by arrested him, said Mr Giddings.
Burns apologised to the court and added: “It was really stupid.”
The pair are now banned from all organised football matches in the UK.
Via: www.thisisbristol.co.uk
A motorist was slightly injured and traffic was blocked for about two hours after a construction scaffolding collapsed in the northern section of the north-south No. 1 Freeway last night.
Firemen rushing to the scene for rescue operations said the scaffolding of 20 meters high erected by highway maintenance teams at the spot of 50.5 kilometers suddenly collapsed at around 8:06 p.m. in the evening and caught a passing car.
The 28-year-old driver surnamed Yu sustained minor injuries in the right leg while his car was half damaged. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
Vehicles affected by the blockade ran for more than 10 km as more cars lined up in the queues.
The blocked section on the No. 1 Freeway, aka Zhongshan Freeway, was reopened to two-way traffic at around 10:00 p.m.
A foreman at the construction site said no one was sure what caused the collapse of the scaffolding.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is proposing to reduce unannounced workplace inspections by a third, the BBC has learnedA leaked letter from the HSE outlines plans to withdraw inspections from entire sectors of industry, including some where “significant risk” remains.
The organisation is facing a 35% cut in its government grant, leading to concerns for workplace safety.
The HSE said no final decision had been made.
HSE inspectors and their counterparts in local authority environmental health departments carry out thousands of visits to business premises each year.
The unannounced “knock on the door” has traditionally formed a key aspect of the HSE’s approach to regulation, and is credited with helping to prevent accidents and reduce the number of workplace deaths, which currently stand at an all-time low.
But in February, chief executive Geoffrey Podger proposed a reduction in what the HSE calls “proactive inspections”. In a letter obtained by the BBC’s File on 4 programme, he outlines plans to reduce HSE inspections by a third.
The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right”
Professor Rory O’Neill Editor, Hazards magazine said The letter is a blueprint of proposed wide-ranging changes to HSE operations in the light of a 35% cut to its government grant. It recommends a departure from face-to-face contact in favour of web-based and other initiatives.
The letter identifies three high hazard sectors including the nuclear, offshore and chemical industries which will be ring-fenced from the proposed cuts.
It also states that some other industries will still remain subject to unannounced visits, but these are not identified. But the letter also outlines two categories where proactive inspections will be entirely withdrawn from future HSE operations.
In one case this is put down to the “relative cost-effectivenes” of the procedure.
For another, inspections are deemed not “necessary or useful” despite the HSE acknowledging the “significant risk'” posed by the industries under consideration.
The move has caused concern among health and safety campaigners.
Professor Rory O’Neill, editor of the safety magazine Hazards, believes it signals a fundamental departure from the HSE’s role as safety watchdog.
“The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right,” he said.
“The implication for health and safety is that workplaces will become deregulated.”
Dr Courtney Davis of Sussex University reviewed the worldwide evidence for the value of proactive inspections, and believes any reduction is likely to have a detrimental impact on worker safety.
“The most robust studies show that inspection plus enforcement are associated with a decline in injury rates of 22% for the following three years,” she said.
“The evidence relating to new, soft interventions is much weaker, and almost non-existent.
“It doesn’t appear to be the case that these alternatives are effective in improving compliance with health and safety law or injury rates.”
An HSE spokesperson said: “We regularly consult with partner organisations on future ways of working. Discussions do not constitute a final decision so it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.
“The emphasis should be on outcomes – the incidence of accidents and ill-health – rather than the number of particular types of inputs by the regulator.
“The estimated number of working days lost due to workplace injuries and ill-health is now the lowest it has ever been in Britain.”
File on 4 is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 8 March at 2000 GMT and Sunday 13 March at 1700 GMT. Listen again via the BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.
Via: the BBC
The owner of a Redruth-based roofing company has found himself in court after ignoring an order to undertake construction safety training.
Nathan Michell, 34, from St Day, who owns All Roofs, was served an Improvement Notice by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on 2nd June 2010 after an inspector visited a new housing development on Church Road, Pool.
The HSE inspector identified several safety issues with scaffolding that Mr Michell’s firm was using while working on the development.
Camborne Magistrates heard the scaffolding was incomplete, with barriers missing to prevent workers falling. A broken loft ladder – held together at the join with a piece of rope – was also being used despite being completely unsuitable for the job.
While the inspector was on site, a meeting with a health and safety consultant was arranged and suitable training discussed for Mr Michell.
Training courses were arranged on two occasions but he did not attend either.
He pleaded guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £1,200 with £800 costs.
After the hearing, Barry Trudgian, HSE Inspector, said: “Mr Michell was given two opportunities to complete a much needed safety course after the HSE visit.
“Unfortunately for him, ignoring the HSE enforcement notice landed him in court today.
“Organising safe work at height is one of the key responsibilities of those in control of construction work. “In order to do this it’s essential they remain up to speed with best practice in construction and relevant health and safety law.”
TRIBUTES have been paid to a well-known Island man, who died in front of his son after falling from scaffolding in Ryde.
Dean Marden, 47, sustained fatal head injuries in the accident, which happened at a property in Lind Street on Tuesday afternoon.
Self-employed scaffolder Mr Marden, of Oaklyn Gardens, Shanklin, was working with his son, Colin Marden, 21, when he fell around ten feet and hit his head on the pavement.
He was given first aid at the scene and treated by paramedic but he died shortly after arriving at St Mary’s Hospital.
At an inquest opening yesterday (Thursday), it was said Mr Marden lost his balance while carrying a heavy metal pole and toppled backwards, catching his leg in some railings beneath the scaffolding and hitting his head on the ground.
Island coroner John Matthews described it as a freak accident.
One Lind Street resident, a serving soldier, who rushed to help Mr Marden, said he heard the sound of a metal pole hitting the pavement, followed by screaming.
“There were lots of people around him, his mates and people who had stopped to help,” said the 22 year old, who did not wish to be named.
“I grabbed my army medical kit and put an emergency bandage on the back of his head, to keep pressure on the wound, but I knew he was in trouble because there was so much blood.
“He was unconscious the whole time and there wasn’t much more we could do except wait for the ambulance.”
Floral tributes have been laid at the scene of the accident, which is being investigated by the police and the Health and Safety Executive.
Mr Marden owned his own business, MD Scaffold, based in Shanklin. His father Colin Marden, who also worked in the building trade, died just last month of mesothelioma, aged 70.
SG4:YOU, the user guide to accompany the recently reissued SG4:10 (Preventing Falls in Scaffolding) is now available to purchase from the NASC. The user guide is a pocket sized booklet designed to be an aide memoir for site worker involved with scaffolding.
SG4:YOU is priced at £5 each for non-NASC members (£2.50 for NASC members).
If you are NOT a member of the NASC please click here to go to the order form.
Please be aware that demand for the new SG4:YOU has been high so to ensure the earliest delivery please advise the NASC of your order requirements as soon as possible.
(Due to the high demand for this guidance please allow 1-2 weeks for delivery)
Via: NASC
The working hours on most installations are normally 12hr shifts and in the North Sea it is normal to spend two or three weeks offshore and then two or three weeks onshore – whether you work 2/2, 2/3 or 3/3 depends on the company you work for.
Generally speaking, holiday entitlement is included in the time off. However, different companies have different arrangements, so you should check at the time you apply. In other parts of the world the work trips may be longer – perhaps four or even six weeks – but your time ashore would be correspondingly longer as well.
The living conditions can vary greatly between each installation. Older production platforms and flotels might be less spacious than a more recently built drilling rig – but the standards are generally excellent. Getting to the rig generally involves flying by helicopter for all the central and northern North Sea installations the departure point is Aberdeen.
Regarding food and drink on the rigs, most installations have self-service canteen, with a wide range of options. All food and drinks are provided free of charge and are often available 24 hrs a day.
Scaffolding Offshore
First things first you need to have completed the following safety training courses before you will be allowed to work offshore
Basic Offshore Safety Induction & Emergency Training (BOSIET)
Minimum Industry Safety Training (MIST)
Offshore Medical Certificate
Some training providers that offer full offshore packages with everything you will need:
You don’t have to be an CISRS advanced scaffolder/supervisor to get work offshore although this would be an advantage.
The minimum qualification is a CISRS Part 2 Scaffolders card, however there has been cases where young trainees have been taken on by firms and put through the apprentice scheme.
Also In some cases its who you know not what you know that makes the difference, knowing somebody in a management role would be an advantage.
The best time to contact these firms is at the end of March beginning of April this is the time most shutdowns and major repair work begins. If you are lucky enough to get a start and a trip out offshore the best advice is get your face known and work safely and show leadership at all levels, if you keep to this you will get trip after trip.
A leaked letter from the HSE outlines plans to withdraw inspections from entire sectors of industry, including some where “significant risk” remains.
The organisation is facing a 35% cut in its government grant, leading to concerns for workplace safety.
The HSE said no final decision had been made.
HSE inspectors and their counterparts in local authority environmental health departments carry out thousands of visits to business premises each year.
The unannounced “knock on the door” has traditionally formed a key aspect of the HSE’s approach to regulation, and is credited with helping to prevent accidents and reduce the number of workplace deaths, which currently stand at an all-time low.
But in February, chief executive Geoffrey Podger proposed a reduction in what the HSE calls “proactive inspections”. In a letter obtained by the BBC’s File on 4 programme, he outlines plans to reduce HSE inspections by a third.
The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right”
Professor Rory O’Neill Editor, Hazards magazine said The letter is a blueprint of proposed wide-ranging changes to HSE operations in the light of a 35% cut to its government grant. It recommends a departure from face-to-face contact in favour of web-based and other initiatives.
The letter identifies three high hazard sectors including the nuclear, offshore and chemical industries which will be ring-fenced from the proposed cuts.
It also states that some other industries will still remain subject to unannounced visits, but these are not identified. But the letter also outlines two categories where proactive inspections will be entirely withdrawn from future HSE operations.
In one case this is put down to the “relative cost-effectivenes” of the procedure.
For another, inspections are deemed not “necessary or useful” despite the HSE acknowledging the “significant risk'” posed by the industries under consideration.
The move has caused concern among health and safety campaigners.
Professor Rory O’Neill, editor of the safety magazine Hazards, believes it signals a fundamental departure from the HSE’s role as safety watchdog.
“The HSE’s job is to make the workplace safe, but now it’s being explicitly instructed not to do that job right,” he said.
“The implication for health and safety is that workplaces will become deregulated.”
Dr Courtney Davis of Sussex University reviewed the worldwide evidence for the value of proactive inspections, and believes any reduction is likely to have a detrimental impact on worker safety.
“The most robust studies show that inspection plus enforcement are associated with a decline in injury rates of 22% for the following three years,” she said.
“The evidence relating to new, soft interventions is much weaker, and almost non-existent.
“It doesn’t appear to be the case that these alternatives are effective in improving compliance with health and safety law or injury rates.”
An HSE spokesperson said: “We regularly consult with partner organisations on future ways of working. Discussions do not constitute a final decision so it would be inappropriate for us to comment further at this time.
“The emphasis should be on outcomes – the incidence of accidents and ill-health – rather than the number of particular types of inputs by the regulator.
“The estimated number of working days lost due to workplace injuries and ill-health is now the lowest it has ever been in Britain.”
File on 4 is on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday 8 March at 2000 GMT and Sunday 13 March at 1700 GMT. Listen again via the BBC iPlayer or download the podcast.
Via: the BBC 
