Dodgy Job?

Yes your right. Unless you are a time served scaffolder who has gone into safety how can they ever understand the job and the difficulties. They just know the rules not solutions.
The Aussie scaffs use the safety guys to their own advantage for example calling them so they can sit about doing nothing while waiting earning 45 bucks an hour. they have it off pat.
 
never going to happen,once you put the safety hat on your destined to be despised,says so in the bible!
 
joebag said:
never going to happen,once you put the safety hat on your destined to be despised,says so in the bible!
Click to expand...



Like being in the military police, half the time your even hated by your own workmates never mind the squaddies
 
Icarus said:
Hi, I took on a job of painting a large domestic house and was promised a cherry picker to finish the high areas. Needless to say the picker never materialized and the punters provided a local builder to supply and erect a work platform.

He scaffolded off 3 areas with two 2x3 & one 3x3 units of scaffold at around 6 meters in height which are tied off by being roped to cast iron stacks or pipe, fixed in with 2” rusted screws, no doubt. There are no outriggers and the scaffold on the grass lack mudsills. The boards are not butted but overlap in the middle of the work area so that the elongated boards don’t overhang – Lovely little trip hazard. There is no guardrail on the wall facing side and a gap from the scaffold edge to wall of 400mm on each scaffold. These contraptions are 4 boards wide. Oh, the builder isn’t known to CISRS either.

Even at 6m I would have to use a 5m extension pole and roller, so all a bit of a nonsense in this day and age.

I have raised my concerns with the punters and requested a proper platform is erected under the supervision of a competent person or have sight of the current builder’s certs.

The builder feigned indignation but failed to provide any evidence of competency and these punters really just don’t ‘get things’. The builder has, not surprisingly, offered to get someone to do the work and will no doubt supply some poor halfwit who doesn’t appreciate the dangers. Whilst I will have the punter trying to bump me on their perception that I took on a job that I could not finish when in fact they supplied equipment that breaches Working at Height Regs 2005.

Of course I could just be being a big fairy and should consider abseiling down the building with paintbrush between my teeth every morning?

I’m in the far north of Scotland and may as well be in outer Mongola. The chance of a building inspector falling over this site is remote so I’m really wondering if I’m just being a moaning ninny or have a right to feel concerned?

Thanks for any thoughts, pointers, advice or help.
Click to expand...

Icarus, despite your obvious dislike for Jetskiers I will add my tuppence worth in just because you are a fellow Jock in need of a bit of advice.

Two stories really, first was just today on site with a potential client and her builder. His request was blah blah blah but no internal hand rails, fair enough you may say but when he said he wasn't that bothered about external hand rails I had to draw the line. I told them both that I had never erected a job without rails and not starting now, we got the job, but the moral of the story is you will only ever get what your client is willing to pay for as I don't think this builder really wanted me there at all but obviously his client is insisting on a full and proper job so speak with your client again and get them told you are a painter not Andy McNab.

Second story was a couple of years back, an old Manse was being renovated and they needed a full scaffold which we built and as usual did to the best of our ability despite it being 20 miles south of no where. A couple of months passed and low and behold the HSE turned up for a visit as they were in the area as the locals had applied for planning permission to demolish the local hall but the farmers had already torn it down by racing at it with a couple of Davie Browns. The guy had to inspect something after travelling that distance and could see my job sticking up above the tree's and went to investigate. Luckily he passed it which did give me satisfaction as location should be no defense when selecting work at height equipment, should it be Argylle Street in Glasgow or some back water barn the job should be the same.

Hope you get sorted matey as that lot you are working from should be flung in the bin, good luck.
 
bigfish said:
Them jetskiers get right up your nose,with yamaha this and turbo that,lol,a bit of a in forum joke that one pal...........no mate,in answer to your question,i suspect "bigfish" is a common username on fishing forums though;)
Click to expand...

Haha,i wondered how long it would take you to stumble on this one aom:laugh::laugh:
 
this post suprises me wa son a job the other week and as it whent over a extention single lift flat roof the painter had taken the out side board off the 5ft tower and slotted a 13ft board in on the sailed out but he put and 8ft board under the 13ft and propped the 8ft up with 3 brick (maby to act like a tranny ~) but it was 5 ft from the end of the board,
he he also made him self a little return with 1 20 ft tube with 3 standards with doubbles up side down and then a but of the 20ft with board on (but was on single) was crasy we didnt know werre to start stripping it and when i seen the painter io said what the fke feking hell are ya playing at with this. his reply was theres nowt rong with that .......put up by a painter for a painter :laugh:
 
scaff1989 said:
this post suprises me wa son a job the other week and as it whent over a extention single lift flat roof the painter had taken the out side board off the 5ft tower and slotted a 13ft board in on the sailed out but he put and 8ft board under the 13ft and propped the 8ft up with 3 brick (maby to act like a tranny ~) but it was 5 ft from the end of the board,
he he also made him self a little return with 1 20 ft tube with 3 standards with doubbles up side down and then a but of the 20ft with board on (but was on single) was crasy we didnt know werre to start stripping it and when i seen the painter io said what the fke feking hell are ya playing at with this. his reply was theres nowt rong with that .......put up by a painter for a painter :laugh:
Click to expand...

Just watch out for them scotsmen on jetski's marra:nuts::nuts::laugh:
 
ehhh, am I seeing a pattern starting to develop BF?:suspicious:

We do see some sights on our travels marra and some really daft requests but the reality is that is how some trades think of their own safety and ours, they don't know any better. That job I mentioned the builder wasn't bothered about hand-rails, he has requested system, not because he understands the idiosyncrasies of it's use more than tube or even believes it's a stronger job it's just because he wants us to complete it then he can rip it to bits easy and get his panels in where he wants them, un fekin believable.
 
idiosyncrasies enlighten me marra lol i they love rippen tube out we should get them anti theft bots for the fittings there allways moving boards and ya stand on them and irts a 3ft trap end loosen tranny's and all ways seem to leave the adjustable laying in full veiw as you pull away as if to say i we had a good go at it lol
 
It just means "Characteristics", sorry.

I might just do it with tube to annoy them.:cool:

We hand them over and take lots of pictures, can't do a lot more I don't think.
 
"Characteristics" thats even worse wt that like funny cartton pics of people that ex-saturate there features lol
 
haha, think that's caricatures, naw more like how it performs compared to other things, wee tricks and things like that.
 
joebag said:
never going to happen,once you put the safety hat on your destined to be despised,says so in the bible!
Click to expand...

People have to accept the reality that the HSE are here to stay. With most scaffolders paid hourly these days it shouldnt be a problem doing things by the book.
The guys should use safety to their advantage and let management worry about the costs. That way you dont risk losing your job.
We were on a schedule of rates and the guys were on hourly pay in Oz. It was one of my responsibilities to ensure men were working safely, following the project rules and still ensuring the job was profitable. They got their pay, kept their jobs and I had to sort out the rest. Not easy but thats what happens you have to take the good with the bad. There is no excuse for a man on hourly pay cutting corners with safety. Listen to the HSE for an hour or 2 and you still get the pay.
These days if a company does not perform well on the safety side it is a sure way to get thrown off the job and lose future work.
 
Last edited:
got no problem with safety officers but thats a very idealistic view of how they work mate,also the hse in this country i extremely agressive with having no union powerbase to stand up for blokes pay,many toolbox and hse talks have been held on my time,firms employing you but you having to provide your own ppe.

what about monthly visits on site from the housebuilders own sponsored safety officer who has a hard on for zip tying brickguards in case they blow away yet dismisses the fact that plastic link together ***** is loaded with block for an internal wall.

in the army they have a term you dont salute the man you salute the uniform,until safety is the main premise behind decisions and blokes dont lose money massively over it ,it wont get the respect it deserves!

im not particularly a union man but in britain unlike anywhere western ive seen ,people pay out and work so hard and get the smallest and worst quality of life back for it!,

the people in charge have us exactly were they want,apathy with no voice
 
Hi

I spoke with the Manager from a local legit scaffold firm yesterday with a view to having it inspected if the punters were going to mess me around on paying up. He knew the kid involved and simply said "A joiner putting up scaffold just doesn't work, does it?" He was very helpful and gave plenty of good advise.

Also popped up to the site yesterday as the punters thought they could **** me around on paying for the groundwork that had already been done. It was a bit of a hostile meeting but I managed to grab a piccy of one of the smaller builds. As you can see it would not take a great deal to have it conform with the manufacture's book.

The punters have even had NASC's Technical Officer write to them and point out what needs to be done but they are too stupid to take on-board what he is advising them.

As Joe said - You can't polish a turd and I am better off being out of this one.

Thanks for your help & advice, guys. Much appreciated...

20120615_100219.jpg
 
Why was the technical officer involved and who was he?

Got to be honest, I smell s h i t e.:laugh:
 
I must be bitter or something but for a minute I thought the bator was back.
 
im sure in time he will return but this wind up looks semi proffesional swifty sussed im right off though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom