I was just wondering how far rival Companies would go to discredit the opposition ???.
This is what surprised me about Sheffield, this happened to us and caused huge embarrassment to the customer, the company and ultimately although we did nothing wrong cost us a customer as we have never worked for them since, I will not mention the instigators but they know who they are and most importantly they “know we know” Things always have a knack of evening themselves out...Karma I believe.
A few years ago we did a bridge scaffold over a local canal on behalf of a department of the Local authority, this job was designed and erected as such and duly handed over. After about 5 weeks we were contacted by the customer asking us if there were any problems with the job as the HSE had contacted them saying they had been informed the job was dangerous and in an imminent state of collapse. We inspected the work on the customer’s behalf and apart from some very minor user interference issues (Toeboards moved etc) we amended the faults and re-issued a hand over.
Two days we were called to site as the HSE had made a surprise visit and wanted to talk to us, we duly went to site with all the job info, the HSE presented us with some photographs that had been sent to them of the supposed faults in the job and comments, the wording of the comments could have only come from a scaffolder. (We found out who at a later time) Now because the HSE Inspectors were ill equipped to say one way or the other whether the scaffold was up to spec or not because it was a none standard job they decided to ask the Client to stop site operations until such a time as they could get a competent inspection done, not a Prohibition Notice or even an Improvement Notice so strictly speaking the works could have continued but of course the customer is not going to go against the HSE request.
It took a week for an independent to come up, inspect the work, make a few very minor comments (They have to earn their corn don't they!!??) which were sorted immiedietly, we re-re-handed the scaffold back over and work continues.
The damage overall was our customer has had the indignity of being on the HSE Radar and all that involved with that, has had Contra Charges issued to them from other subbies due to the delay which they came after us for and most of all the embarrassment and even though we were found to be squeaky clean it still sows that seed of doubt and the customer would rather not have the hassle.
All this because of a photo, comments and a few phone calls to the HSE from a rival who dressed it up as his duty under Health & Safety....That's the lengths they go to in this particular area.
Funny though....They don’t like it when it’s done to them, I’m sorry to stoop to that level, and that’s the only time I have EVER contacted officialdom in regard to another Scaffold Contractor....but as they say....When in Rome.....Or Sheffield in this instance.
