Does Old School Really Exist?

aom

aom

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Due to a couple recent events, I have started to wonder. Up to this point my working day is just a smattering of one fall out to another. If it's not brickies ripping out hand rails and toe boards it's clients trying to think of ways to delay payment, even the squad itself can break down from time to time and when it does it's like watching a load of old crows fighting over a dead rabbit.

Turns out the young labourer, doesn't like the way the squad speak to him and hurts his feelings when they are still waiting for gear and he has sloped of for a smoke or he has stacked a load of gear exactly where they have to build the job and he has to move it again. With employment laws constantly changing almost as quickly as the work at height regs, are there any truly old school outfits left or has the P.C brigade finally won.
 
Ah ha.
A good thread, Aom sir. :)

Old school does still exist, i believe.
But.

Most 'old school' ive met are nothing like the old monsters i remember from when i was a kid.
I started (as most of you probably know now) on TRAD Scaffolding (working for that prick Des Moore, sorry about slagging him off again Paddy, lol.) and i was beasted beyond belief... They would scream at me all day long, id have to sprint around the job, carry far more then a normal 17/18 year old could handle, make me pull up on a rope all day without letting me wear gloves - hands would be red-raw or worse!

All of them animals.
All of them couldn't half Scaffold also.
Some of them, even now were VERY good Scaffolders...


Unfortunately as ive gotten older, more aggressive (or maybe more arrogant, lol) and more experienced, the newer 'old school' seem to actually need to go back to Scaffolding school to learn how to Scaffold properly, lol.

Some of the old school guys i work with now, are proper shiit.
Cant do anything, without fukking it up, like the very basic of jobs.


It might be now, because i know how to Scaffold, the older guys dont seem as god-like and excellent, as i once remember them.
Either that, or standards are slipping? :suspicious:
 
I have very simple rules Aom , Do it once and do it right , get it up and get home , and if the labour aint moaning he aint working hard enough , and thats the way i will keep it .

and the " well strictly speaking your Hi-viz dosent conform" brigade can go shove it where the sun dont shine :bigsmile:
 
You may be right jakdan but I reckon we could give him a run for his money in the old school stakes, well up until very recently.

That's the thing Jason when you think back, is it through rose coloured glasses or what. Was your training as old school as you remember really. There has got to be a place for old school without ending up in court facing constructive dismissal.

---------- Post added at 06:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:31 PM ----------

Like your style Phil.
 
Trouble is if your stuck on a site all day with some doughnut looking every time you fart you dont have a choice you either conform or fu ck of , get the young fellas on the street work
with a small firm and a good scaffolder and he will learn his trade the proper way , scaffolding is a mans job it does have risks and we accept that when we put our belts on every morning .

---------- Post added at 06:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:39 PM ----------

not for a couple of old timers like you two hahahahahhahahhahahahha
 
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:

lets start a firm called "Geriatric scaffolders ltd "


hahahahahhahaha

no scaff steps we use zimer frames mate
 
I'm with Phil on this one too. Get it up and get gone.

I have been trained upto a scaff officially in the last couple of years but been doing it for longer than that, so know how to erect jobs to the law. But the job is hard enough with out the hi viz posse after your balls for silly things. We all know the dangers but thats the reason most of us do the job (is for me)
 
Spunkywads26 said:
The job is hard enough with out the hi viz posse after your balls for silly things.
Click to expand...

100% agree.

Take today for instance...
Central London. Big, 'prestigious' job...
Pissed down all day.

I was striking a job, about 20ft above a concrete slab, about 50ft away from a LIVE railway line, which had regular trains run through it.
I could have easily (if i was a w@nker), dropped a tube on the track.

It was also right next to a working heavy goods hoist and was also over a 30ft hole, right over a staircase.

Making me, 50ft up and striking a job over a used staircase, people below me, in the pissing rain, next to a working railway line, ontop of a moving hoist. - And what did the 'safety' bloke tell me, when he saw me???

"Can you put your safety glasses on please, mate." :suspicious:

I mean, what the fukk is that all about, lol. :amazed:


(Ofcourse, the job i was doing 'HAD' to be done.)
 
Started scaffolding for a small street firm where we all counted/depended on each other if you finished a job you would go and help the other gang & vice versa, obvious geographic predicted a lot, no ppe just gloves in winter, load / off load in yard 1st thing, then cafe for scoff.
Go like fcuk all day then down to pub for a few.
Today's scaff's/ labourers want more brakes than kit kat.
Moved on to blue books(sites) to find that the culture is a totally different way of life , back on town work but not through choice and enjoying the "old school" scaffolding, domestic work and "I fcuking loves it"
Yes I've learned a lot about scaffolding in all jobs I've gone too, the old school is still there & like you said earlier h&s is making the job safer( but slowing it down) but I think all the tricks we did before is slowly dying out, ticket for everything.
Safety is paramount !!!!!!!!
 
Old school is alive and well,its all about morals and respect.
The young guns will get it eventually if you can get the ***** off the phone.
Stacking gear were you are going to erect will soon stop after he has to move it a few times.
As the animal says on his avatar(i think thats what its called)
the hardest game going ;)
 
Paulapex said:
Started scaffolding for a small street firm where we all counted/depended on each other if you finished a job you would go and help the other gang & vice versa, obvious geographic predicted a lot, no ppe just gloves in winter, load / off load in yard 1st thing, then cafe for scoff.
Go like fcuk all day then down to pub for a few.
Today's scaff's/ labourers want more brakes than kit kat.
Moved on to blue books(sites) to find that the culture is a totally different way of life , back on town work but not through choice and enjoying the "old school" scaffolding, domestic work and "I fcuking loves it"
Yes I've learned a lot about scaffolding in all jobs I've gone too, the old school is still there & like you said earlier h&s is making the job safer( but slowing it down) but I think all the tricks we did before is slowly dying out, ticket for everything.
Safety is paramount !!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

sounds like skyline in the 80's
and zenith last week;)
 
I get what you are saying boys but I wasn't really referring to our beloved safety men. I was thinking more do you still ram it up the young labourer get him running from first thing and shouting all day long for steel or do you go in for the softly softly please and thank you?

We have always made them run and I have turned out my fair share of quality young scaffolders with the tools to carry them through life and give them a damn good living. Seems there is a softer centre to the new batch starting off and I just wondered if there is still a place in our industry for a dinosaur.
 
philliosmaximus said:
Trouble is if your stuck on a site all day with some doughnut looking every time you fart you dont have a choice you either conform or fu ck of , get the young fellas on the street work
with a small firm and a good scaffolder and he will learn his trade the proper way , scaffolding is a mans job it does have risks and we accept that when we put our belts on every morning .

---------- Post added at 06:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:39 PM ----------

not for a couple of old timers like you two hahahahahhahahhahahahha
Click to expand...

its just a pity the most we are risking nowadays is getting cought not cliped on i miss the old days i just dont get a buzz out of scaffolding any more no adrenilin rush just dik head safety men
 
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