Scaffolding Guidelines meet widespread approval
In the Summer of last year, the NASC (National Access & Scaffolding Confederation) published a booklet entitled ‘Guide to Appointing and Managing Scaffolding Contractors’. The free document has been well received, attracting more than 1200 requests from the construction health and safety sector. All of the NASC’s 204 contractor members are formally committed to it.
As a result, the UK Contractors Group (UKCG) of around 30 leading construction contractors, responsible for over a third of the total UK building turnover, have now agreed to support the document’s guidance.
Stephen Ratcliffe, Director of UKCG is quoted as follows:
“UKCG’s aim is to aspire to world class standards of best practice for UK construction and we are pleased to co-brand this guidance from the NASC as it complements our objectives perfectly. We recognise that NASC sets the standards for scaffolding in the UK and this guidance makes sound logical sense for all construction contractors to adhere to.”
So if you are responsible for appointing, supervising or managing scaffolding contractors at whatever size of project, the advice should be useful to you in setting out best practice to do with scaffolding. Use it as part of your tender package; and incorporate it in the brief to your designated CDM Coordinator.
You can significantly lessen the dangers of accidents or injuries to workers and the general public if you properly plan scaffolding erection and use: to do this well it is important to know what you should demand from scaffolding contractors at every stage of the construction project.
Rob Lynch, NASC President says:
“The demand for this guidance is a signal that industry is increasingly prepared to take the risks associated with scaffolding seriously. The UKCG’s support of this guidance will accelerate the adoption of this best practice across the construction sector.”
The 15 pages include:
- Types of scaffolding
- Regulations, codes of practice, best practice
- Safety and PPE
- Scaffold tower design
- Minimum requirements
- Competence
- Risk assessments and method statements
- Handover and statutory inspections of structures
- Scaffolder cards summary
- Reporting of scaffold inspections
The NASC encourages all scaffolding contractors to adopt this guidance as soon as possible in an attempt to move all scaffolding companies up to a position of current best practice, legislation and safety standards.
The intention is that dutyholders understand what steps contractors should take at every stage of scaffolding’s assembly and use. Whether you as a user are a Project or Site Manager, Planner, Surveyor, Estimator or Designer you will find guidance in it. It comes in an editable Microsoft Word document so you can add any specific variations you may need.
All NASC member organisations have now signed up to the guidance, and this association is encouraging all non-UKCG scaffolding contractors to adopt them as soon as possible.
At McCormack Benson Health & Safety the emphasis is on practical client-focused construction safetymeasures, and a cross-industry consensus is always to be welcomed. If you need help with management and training concerning scaffolding, there’s no better safety consultancy.