Scaffolding safety and training experts

Tel: 0345 602 2418 Email: hello@simian-risk.com

One of Simian's core services is scaffold inspection, which means our team inspects scaffolds of various shapes and sizes throughout the UK day after day.

The inspections we carry out include pre-handover inspections, basic upgrade inspections (if you make a mistake at the bottom, you will usually go to the top!), weekly (statutory) inspections and temporary (usually monthly) re-guarantee inspections.

The nature of what we are doing means that we will see some great scaffolding, and some that do not meet the requirements, which may attract unnecessary attention from law enforcement authorities, or even worse-bring us Unnecessary and unnecessary risks scaffolding users.

We think it would be fun to share the most common violations and some expert tips, so ask our inspectors and consultants to share their findings with us!

Putting the rest in the fifth place is a matter of ledger support! Usually omitted for visit purposes, the ledger support is an integral part of the stability of the scaffolding structure. Our inspectors found that it was often removed by trade contractors seeking unimpeded access around the scaffolding!

Important note-Ledger supports can only be omitted if the scaffolding is designed through calculations, and as long as certain conditions are met, TG20 eGuide can provide a compliance table for omitting supports.

Ranked fourth is the SG4 compliance issue, and the observations made by Simian are usually related to incomplete safety zones. SG4:15 requires scaffolding to work on a fully-mounted and fully-beamed lift, with at least one guardrail with a height of at least 950 mm.

Important note-It is no longer acceptable to work on three-board wide platforms, and scaffolding should be encouraged to fully board their platforms.

A fairly consistent third is TG20 compliance. All scaffolding workers should now know that the "High-altitude Operations Regulations" requires that all scaffolds be installed in accordance with the recognized standard configuration (ie TG20 or the manufacturer's system scaffolding instructions), or designed through calculations. We often see scaffolds that do not fall into these two categories. Although this does not always have a direct impact on the overall safety of the scaffolding, it does put the main contractor and the scaffolding contractor at risk for law enforcement actions.

Important note-Any modification that makes the scaffolding go beyond the scope of the TG20 compliance table should be authorized by the engineer!

The second is the damage of the ladder. Even the smallest damage to the ladder will attract the attention of law enforcement authorities, and it is well known that they will issue violation notices for any such discrepancies, as some of our customers have proven. The ladder (like all aerial work equipment) must be undamaged and in a usable condition.

Important note-The ladder should form part of the weekly scaffolding inspection system. Any signs of damage, i.e. bent rungs or missing rubber feet, should be replaced immediately!

First-the platform gap

Looking at the rest, the first is the gap in the scaffolding platform. Although they are rarely large in size, they do obscure the fact that the TG20 only allows a maximum gap of 50 mm in the platform-commonly referred to as a "service gap", which allows the standard to pass through the work platform.

Top tip-gaps larger than 50 mm should be prevented and can be covered with plywood filler, although there are also many gap fillers available on the market.

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