An occupational health and safety (OH&S) management system aim to significantly reduce the risk of injury, accidents, and work-related illness in businesses. Having a healthy and physical fit workforce is a mainstay of many company’s success. Here at Network Scaffold Services were proud to be certified for OHSAS 18001, and we will explain how this benefits our business and our clients during this post. OHSAS 18001 explained The OHSAS 18001 Certification Scheme is an occupational health and safety standard designed to enable organisations to control risks and improve occupational health and safety performance. The certification places a proactive and preventative emphasis on risk-control factors by identifying and assessing how likely hazards are in your workplace. As an essential management system, OHSAS 18001 helps you reduce direct and indirect costs while preventing workplace injuries. Conforming to this third-party certification safeguards employees, suppliers and customers from risk. By implementing this comprehensive programme into your business you will also be ensuring health and safety in the workplace. What are the benefits? Save money – You will reduce the direct and indirect costs from accidents, diseases and other factors. Boost productivity – The reduction of downtime caused by sickness or injury to workers will boost productivity. Minimise risk – The risk to human resources across all working environments will be minimised. Gain a competitive edge – Demonstrating the OH&S compliance within your organisation to all stakeholders will showcase your business as a trusted third-party certification partner. Improve transparency – Transparency increases in your company with a clearer understanding of safety processes. Want to know more? Contact Network Scaffold today If you would like to know more about the OHSAS 18001 certification or more about services we offer at Network Scaffold, please get in touch now. We are the leading provider of scaffolding, safety decking and plastic hoarding for customers right across Derby and the surrounding areas such as...
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When used correctly, scaffolding can be a helpful way for workers to reach high up areas and perform important tasks. However, when not used correctly it can be very dangerous. It is crucial that all managers and supervisors know how to construct a safe working platform and provide sufficient fall protection. The lack of fall protection and the potential collapse of the scaffold are some of the hazards that can happen because of an unstable structure or overloading of weight. Another risk is the danger of being struck by falling tools, debris and work materials plus when scaffolding is dangerously close to overhead power lines it can result in electrocution. If the scaffold is deemed unsafe on a building site. workers will have the right to refuse to use it. Appropriate health and safety equipment is always needed to perform work on these platforms. Employers have the responsibility to ensure that any work tasks performed are done in the safest way possible. Why scaffolding needs to be inspected Before using a scaffold system, a survey of the work area needs to be performed to check for any potential hazards. This means looking for debris, high tension wires, ditches plus unguarded openings. They will also need to check any damage or alterations and if the system needs to be taken apart or moved it will require another inspection before being used to check nothing has become damaged or defective. You will need to know the system’s load capacity before using it as the platform will need to be strong enough to hold the desired weight or it will be at risk of collapsing. Never try to fit more workers onto a scaffold platform than it can safely handle and do not overload it with equipment or materials. Talk to the experts If you have any questions about scaffold systems from Network Scaffold Services, please get in touch today. Our team of experts will be more than happy to...
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There are plenty of misconceptions regarding working at height and the use of scaffolding. Here at Network Scaffold Services, we have years of experience supplying scaffold, alloy towers and access scaffolding to clients all across Derby. This is the reason we have put together this guide, so if it is your first time working with us, you know what to expect. When Do I Need Scaffolding? It is the decision of your trader to assess the level of risk and use the most appropriate equipment. For example, fixing a single broken tile on a low roof isn’t the same as installing solar panels 20 stories up. Traders need to ensure their staff are completely safe when working on a property, which means working from the ground, if possible. If working at height is required, the risk of falling must be minimised by using scaffolding. Do I Need a Scaffold Licence? If your builder or scaffolder needs to erect the scaffold within the boundary of your property there is no need for a licence. However, if any part of the scaffold needs to be placed on pavement or the road outside the property, the builder or scaffolder needs to obtain a licence from your local council. While it is their responsibility to get the licence, you will need to check that they have the appropriate paperwork. If there is a risk to the public you must schedule scaffolding work for quiet times or get a highway closure from your local council. Who is responsible for health and safety? For work completed on your home that is not connected with any business; the builder, scaffolder or contractor supplying the scaffolding is responsible for maintaining safety on the site. The rules are different for individuals, partnerships or companies that have construction work carried out as part of their business practices. Property developers and companies managing domestic properties like landlords, rental agents or estate agents fall under this bracket. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 state that their main responsibility is to ensure their project is suitably managed and the health and safety of anyone who may be affected by the construction work, including the general public. Contact Network Scaffold with any...
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A new mixed-use development has been announced for the edge of Nottingham, which will create 3000 homes with plenty of scaffolding needed. The £83m packages of Government funding will support the delivery of the infrastructure at Fairham and create new homes and jobs in the area. This project will also deliver a new school, community centre, health centre, sports pitches, community parks plus woodland. Robert Hepwood, Land and Planning Director at Clowes Developments, said: “This funding package from the Government really helps us to make progress on-site across Fairham and start to realise our vision of a green and distinctive new district for Nottingham. “By working in partnership with public bodies we can now accelerate the delivery of new jobs and new homes for Nottinghamshire. We’re sure that people will begin to see further progress on-site throughout this year with our first new homes due to start construction in the autumn.” Next, we will discuss why scaffolding will be crucial to help the project be completed in the quickest time. Knowing When You Need Scaffolding Scaffolding from Network Scaffold Services is required once a thorough risk assessment has concluded it is needed. A risk assessment must by law be carried out on any job where any employees are working at height. It is not a legal requirement when an individual is completing the work privately, but it is common sense to take your safety seriously. Employees that are working at height must by law be safeguarded. Although low-risk jobs such as minor roof repairs to domestic properties could use a ladder, we would always recommend utilising scaffolding or a working platform for Health and Safety reasons as they increase stability and reduce the risk of accidents happening. If you are planning to be working at heigh for long periods of time or moving about at height, then it is important to have a safe working platform such as an appropriately designed scaffolding system. Talk to the Experts If you have a domestic or commercial project in the planning stages, don’t forget to enquire about scaffolding from Network Scaffold. For more information please contact us...
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Fall protection systems for scaffolding are a system that is implemented to prevent a fall from occurring on-site. For this blog, Network Scaffold Services will talk you through fall protection systems in greater detail. They should be appropriate for the intended task with scaffolders fully trained and competent in how to use them safely. All equipment needs to be inspected regularly (on a monthly basis) by a competent person and before each use. If a worker falls, the arresting force on the safety harness must be under 610kg. Lanyards need to be suitable for use plus the size of the worker. Anchor points must be reasonable and ready to take the force of someone falling. You will need to have procedures and an emergency plan in place describing in detail how to rescue a worker who falls from height. Individuals using fall arrest systems cannot work alone. What are Different Types of Fall Protection Systems? Personal fall protection systems will ensure an individual worker is protected while work is undertaken at height and as already stated, must be appropriate for the intended work. A fall restraint system prevents the worker from getting too close to some place they could fall from. Work positioning systems will allow a worker to be stable when working hands-free. Fall arrest systems will catch an individual or a worker if they fall and can be used with a life rail system and horizontal lifeline that allows them horizontal movement while being hooked on. This type of system requires a high level of supervision and competency. All workers must be fully trained for using fall arrest systems and safety harnesses. Ongoing competency needs to be demonstrated and assessed. Get in Touch with the Scaffolding Experts If you would like to know more about fall protection systems, please do not hesitate to contact Network Scaffold Services today. We are the leading scaffolding providers for domestic and commercial clients across Derby and the surrounding...
Read Moreabout Understanding Fall Protection Systems for ScaffoldingHere at Network Scaffold Services, we specialise in offering scaffolding services across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Loughborough, Staffordshire and the surrounding areas of the Midlands. With a vast array of services available that all adhere to the latest health and safety regulations, we’re well equipped to help with any queries that you may have. One of our FAQs is people asking what scaffolding they may need. In order to explore this in more depth, we’ve put together the following article. It’s extremely important to give scaffold services full consideration as cutting corners can often lead to potentially fatal results. 2019 saw scaffolding injuries fall to an all-time low according to the NASC with only 74 incidents reported throughout the year. Our commitment to keeping safe, from pedestrians to your workers, means that we’re aiming to continue bringing this number further and further down. Bespoke Scaffolding Required Due to the Work at Height Regulations 2005, it is required that your scaffolding is assembled to a generally recognised standard configuration. It must also be designed using bespoke calculation ensuring that adequate strength, rigidity and stability are guaranteed whilst it’s being erected, used and dismantled. Here at Network Scaffold Services Stafford, we understand that and work hard to ensure that any scaffold gets properly designed around your project’s specification. In order for us to be able to design your bespoke scaffolding across Derbyshire and the surrounding Midlands, we will need certain information to base our design upon. This includes a variety of information including anything from the location of the site to the maximum working loads to be imposed on the scaffold. To see the full list of information to include, you can take a look at our scaffold design page. What Bespoke Scaffold Design is Available? Here at Network Scaffold Services Stafford, we have provided scaffolding for a variety of sites across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Loughborough and Staffordshire. Therefore, you can trust us to cater for a wide variety of projects. In order to provide our clients with the ultimate experience, we also offer the following services: Access Scaffold Erecting Edge Protection Alloy Towers As a part of each of these services, our team can work alongside you to understand your needs and supply...
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