The following article written by our MD Gary Gallagher was published in full in the SIA Magazine - the magazine of the Scaffold Industry in the USA.
The term “Best Practice” is heard often and used extensively within health & Safety charters of companies and organisations including the SIA, but what exactly is Best Practice” with respect to scaffolding?
One company in Europe believe they have the answer and this is backed by the Awards that they have received recently including, the prestigious 2005 and the 2006 UK Construction Winner Awards under the Access & Scaffolding category and Best Safety Product in the 2006 UK Health & Safety Awards.
Turner Access based in Glasgow Scotland, members of the SIA since 1998, won these awards against fierce European competition due to their revolutionary methods and systems of working practice. Therefore, we invited them to tell us how and why their practices for the erection, dismantling, alteration and maintenance of their scaffolds are now considered as “Best Practice.” Their Managing Director, Gary Gallagher, explains:–
The catalyst for our innovation and revolutionary working practices in general has come from the pan European Directive on “Falls from Height”. The main aim of this directive was to reduce fatalities and major injuries caused by fall. The Directive was adopted throughout Europe and in April 2005 the “Work at Height Regulations” were introduced. The main change that these regulations imposed was that PREVENTION” of the RISK of fall was required over mitigation where avoidance of work at height could not be achieved. The regulations apply to all industries and sectors including Scaffolding erection etc.
Therefore, the normal use of Harnesses in the way that they are typically used in the scaffolding industry whereby they do not prevent, but normally at best, only arrest the fall, was something that we embraced to resolve. This was no small challenge, to find a solution to a practice that has been around since the Pyramids were built and scaffolding was first erected. How to take away the risk of fall at all times during the process to complete the scaffold?
Moreover, the regulations also made the use of harnesses and PPE in general, as a last resort and only suitable for use where “Collective” means of protection (passive, such as guardrails or netting) could not be achieved. However, we could see that if we could solve this problem, we would also eliminate other concerns over the use of harnesses not least e.g. the possibility of suspension trauma, the need for rescue planning and resources that should always accompany the use of harnesses and the general uncertainty surrounding inspection and the harnesses ability to do what it should do in the event of an arrest fall, due to environmental degradation. Additionally, a truly “safe system of work” for scaffolding erection, dismantling and alteration is something that in its detail should not just minimise risk of fall, but eliminate completely the risk of fall in every single stage of the methodology required to build the scaffold.The scaffolding expert reader of this article will know that such systems of work have currently not been developed for use in the Industry. That is until now.
Additional equipment in the form of scaffolding like pieces are required (known as Advance Guardrails) in combination with new processes in the erection, dismantling and alteration methodology to achieve fall risk prevention. We produced, following extensive development over several years, the worlds first universal Advance Guardrail.
However, while this equipment was developed to fit and operate with any type of scaffolding, we soon realised that this can only work if incorporated fully and properly, into the work process of the particular scaffolding type involved. Therefore, we started with our own manufactured types including PlusEight and our OCTO and BETA aluminium ranges.
The main scaffolding industry training centre at Bircham Newton in England (CITB) then adopted our systems for incorporation into Traditional Tube & Clamp. The HSE (OSHA equivalent) has now adopted our methodology within their DVD “Don’t Fall for It” which they produced to illustrate to industry the processes that should be followed. Our erection methodology provides fall prevention protection from the ground and we now build most configurations including tied and non tied structures.Wall scaffolds fully decked or with single or multiple deck levels, Birdcages, static or mobile towers, installation of cantilevers and buttresses can all now be configured without risk. This is now also having a huge impact commercially, as Safety led companies and organisations to which real “Best Practice” is important, adopt and indeed specify the Turner methods. T5 the next London Heathrow Airport Terminal and largest Construction site in Europe run by BAA (British Airports Authority) is an example of this. Their Safety Executive Clive Johnston is also chairman of an organisation namedSA-FE (Safe Access- Fall Elimination) adopted the Turner methods and produced new policy and practice applicable to the Heathrow site. Generally speaking we are delighted now with the response from key people in the industry and the recognition that we are now receiving in the form of awards. Those judging those awards simply have to compare current so called Best Practice with the Turner methods as illustrated below and only one answer can emerge – Turner Access do have the answer to scaffolding “Best Practice.”
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