03.11.2010

Association slams scaffold permits

The UK’s National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has issued a report that is highly critical of the standard of scaffold permit checks by local authorities.

The Association says that the sight of rogue scaffolders building unsafe scaffolds close to the general public is an all too common occurrence, in spite of tough European regulations and standards and the fact that in the UK all such scaffolds require a pavement licence that is issued from the local or public authority as they are being built from a pavement (sidewalk) or street.

The NASC undertook a survey earlier this year to ascertain what criteria a scaffold company was expected to comply with in order to erect a scaffold close to the general public.

Surprisingly almost every authority adopted different criteria. At the lowest level a number required nothing more than evidence that the scaffolding company held adequate insurance should something go wrong and do not require the company to demonstrate competence in scaffold construction, nor do they require the company to protect the public appropriately during erection or dismantling, and wear the necessary safety equipment.
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Three men on a scaffold - hardly four planks between them

Some authorities do ask for more evidence of competence, but almost all of the 50 plus permit criteria received from around the country failed to meet legal requirements such as the Health Safety At Work Act 1974, Working At Height Regulations 2005 and the Construction Design Management Regulations 2007.

NASC president Bob Whincap said: “It is not unusual to hear of scaffold collapses on our public highway. Any member of the public is potentially at risk every time they step onto a pavement where a scaffold is built”
As a result of its findings the NASC has developed detailed criteria and guidance that it has now circulated to every authority in the UK, in order to help them demand a consistent standard for scaffolding companies to comply with industry best practice and legal requirements.
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Our two scaffold erectors at work - forget PPE

The guidance document has been developed in consultation with the Health & Safety Executive, Highways Authority, Joint Authorities Group UK and the National Traffic Managers Forum. It comprises 11 pages of criteria and governance that a scaffolding contractor and main contractor must work to before a licence can be granted.

Specifically the criteria includes:

Risk Assessments
Scaffold designs
Scaffolder competence
Double boarding with membranes on pedestrian gantries
Scaffold Protection fans
Protection for public and vehicles
Improved signage
Lighting
Main Contractor details
Scaffold Inspection
Scaffolding competence requirements

The new document has been welcomed by a number of authorities who openly recognise that the standard of scaffolding needs to be improved, says the NASC
The document can be viewed and downloaded from the NASC’s website www.nasc.org.uk

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