scaffolding on building project

 

What scaffold do you need on your project? On a refurb or development project its a critical decision. Scaffolding can be one of the biggest single costs on a project so you need to get it right

Its important to understand what kind of scaffold you need , where on the project and for how long as this will all dictate the cost.

Anyone who is in charge of a construction project regardless of the size has legal responsibilities under the CDM Regs 2015

Safety must ALWAYS come before profit. Anyone wanting to make money out of property developing must know how to run a safe construction site

Why is scaffolding so expensive?

Scaffolding is a labour intensive activity. When you first have scaffold built on a job you will agree with the scaffold company how long it will stay on your project for. The actual hire of the scaffold is not that expensive, the expense is in erecting the scaffold and striking it (taking it down). If the scaffold needs to be modified (mods) this will incur additional expense

What mistakes do people make when ordering scaffold?

People quite often make the mistake of underestimating what they will need. For example they will ask for a scaffold on the front of a building only. Later on they will realise that they need it on the rear as well. Now they have to pay for mods to be carried out and this is where the price shoots up. The scaffold company will only erect the scaffold you ask for so if you forget to ask for something that is not down to them

Does scaffolding need to be checked regularly?

Scaffolding needs to be checked and signed off every week. This is to ensure that no one has altered it and it is still safe to work on. This needs to be discussed before the scaffold is put up to make sure this doesn’t have an additional charge every week. It must also be checked after any bad weather and after any alterations have been made to it. Once a project has finished , details of all scaffold inspections must be kept for at least 3 months

What legislation covers scaffold?

Scaffolding is covered under the work at height regulations 2005

The “Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WHR) states: –

Strength and stability calculations for scaffolding shall be carried out unless—

(a)  a note of the calculations, covering the structural arrangements contemplated, is available; or

(b)  it is assembled in conformity with a generally recognised standard configuration.

How do you know if scaffolding is correctly designed?

There is an industry standard called TG20. This is not a statutory instrument but is usually required on a contract. It has been used in court to demonstrate compliance and good practice. TG20 is well-respected within the Construction Industry and is considered by responsible contractors to be a crucial element of the verification of the scaffolding design process. Any responsible scaffolding company should have no problem producing a TG20 design for a small project. Once it has been erected you should be given a TG20 compliance sheet that shows the scaffold has been built in accordance with the design

What qualifications do scaffolders need?

Scaffolders should hold a card issued by the Construction industry scaffold record scheme. These are known as CISRS cards. There are various grades that can be seen here

Are all scaffold companies TG20 compliant?

The answer to this is no. There are still plenty of independent small companies in operation. If you hire one of these there is no guarantee that the people putting up scaffold on your job will be sufficiently experienced and qualified. In the event of somebody falling from the scaffold or the scaffold collapsing and someone getting hurt it is very likely that there will be an investigation by HSE. If this goes to court questions will be asked as to why a firm like this were hired

How can you be sure a scaffold company is reputable?

It is a good idea to check that any contractor you are thinking of hiring are a member of National access and scaffolding confederation (NASC). Check how much public liability insurance they have, ideally it should be at least £10 million. Ask them to send over copies of the qualifications their men have

The author of this article is an experienced scaffold designer who has worked on major engineering projects all over the world. He has a degree in Civil Engineering and over 30 years experience

If you need help with deciding which scaffold is suitable for your project or we can help you in any other way please contact us 

We offer a wide range of services which you can see here

 

 

 

 

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