the step an accident waiting to happen

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daddycoolscaff

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after 32 years in the scaffolding industry the step as by far surcome to being the worst design i have ever come across in my long service to the mechanical and construction industry,has our industry just become a gateway for someone to come up with a pathetic idea for him or her to make a fast buck,if the idea of the step is to stop you climbing up onto the lift to prevent you working on a un protected area so you can be pre emtive to erect your handrail then working from a 2x2 square is just madness,if a safe system of work is to be in progress and you are erecting a 100% scaffolding every lift boarded then surely we need to change our perception of scaffolding,wouldnt it be far safer to work from a dummy lift from the handrail then erect your advanced guard rail strip the dummy out then log out your lift a presto 100% protected lift for you to access,NO OPEN AREAS,
i had the pleasure of working with the new advanced handrail what a joke,this system slides up the tube,i see where they are coming from it works a treat on new galve,but what about tube that has concrete and dry cement on it the system becomes an hazzard,and what about when it runs into a sleeve,yes you have guessed it good old fashioned harness to the rescue to free something to protect you,My opion is gimmicks make someone rich common sense will keep you alive,and the ironic thing about this is the person that as invented this does:cool:nt obviously work at heights,
 
I spoke to a safety officer some weeks back,he works off shore.I was talking about glasses he told me if you dont want to wear them ask him to show you a method statement for wearing gloves as it introduces a secondary hazard to your work.Id wonder if you could go down that road.I worked with that step up about 3 years ago,it got left on the first lift,total pain in the arse.
 
no what you saying mine didnt make the first lift ,but they come up with these devices they dont have to work with them,
 
What I wana know is how come every other trade is no longer allowed to work off a ladder/step ladder yet...in scaffolding its the best thing since sliced bread..and the idea of that front harness is as stupid an idea as the idiot who thought it up...so ur on this step and u fall off it, ur clipped on with this front short lanyard...is it only me that's thinking bye bye teeth ??
 
Just had a bit of an idea...what about when u have based out a job, surround the scaffold with them "bags" that roofers and other trades use in case u fall...not sure how high ur allowed to fall for them bags NOT to work but it would work a treat on the jobs were on...nothing higher than 3 lifts and timber frame so could put bags in the middle and around the scaffold ??...the roofers use them on our site when there putting the trusses on...they fill the top floor of the house up so if they fall off the trusses they land on the bags...suppose it's a cheaper alternative to a birdcage / crashdeck..any thoughts ??
 
haha Phillo, spoken like a proper scaff, was thinking the same myself.
 
well theres some interesting points of view comeing across ,eurika i have had an idea why dont we erect step scaffolds.if they can build the pyramids in steps what about the scaffoldings.but all jokes to oneside up to now were all unanimous in saying that this change isnt for the best.we will have a sentance for the week and will stick by it
GIMMICKS MAKE IDIOTS RICH,COMMON SENSE KEEPS US ALIVE
 
i am still trying to find out how many SCAFFOLDERS are killed each year by falling of the scaffold but all i can find are X amount of deaths from falls from height , i think it is the builders and painters that do the falling and not the scaffolders
 
gmanscaff said:
What I wana know is how come every other trade is no longer allowed to work off a ladder/step ladder yet...in scaffolding its the best thing since sliced bread..and the idea of that front harness is as stupid an idea as the idiot who thought it up...so ur on this step and u fall off it, ur clipped on with this front short lanyard...is it only me that's thinking bye bye teeth ??
Click to expand...

i thought you could work off ladders for a certain amount of time?
Do you have to use the front lanyard ive never heard of that?
Thanks in advance
 
good evening philosmaximus hope you have earned your sesstersees today in a safe manner,you will never find this out because the deaths are recorded as a statistic for construction figures my good man,but if they did reveal these figures for how many scaffs died from falls they would probably be out of work selling there stupid gimmicks to a blind arab in some sordid mkt to a blind arab in saudi because thats where most of the bull ends up
 
scaffcon said:
i thought you could work off ladders for a certain amount of time?
Do you have to use the front lanyard ive never heard of that?
Thanks in advance
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No, I recently renewed my cscs cards and a question was when is it safe to work off a ladder, the answer was never....yeh apparently with these steps, ur supposed to have a newer style harness with d ring on the front with a short lanyard..u have to clip onto the ledger / hrail while on the step in case u fall off the step...isn't the idea of the step is that scaffs abuse the "clipping on" rule and so this avoids it...this step doesn't solve a problem it just causes another..I'm all for solutions to problems but this to me is just a problem in itself...in the words of daddycoolscaff, "gimmicks make idiots rich, commonsense keeps u alive" :)
 
31 years daddycool and all without any gimmicks , we used to do a lot of rope cradles and had to walk along ledges and roofs that angles feared to tread , no you cant fart without a RA MS
 
gmanscaff said:
No, I recently renewed my cscs cards and a question was when is it safe to work off a ladder, the answer was never....yeh apparently with these steps, ur supposed to have a newer style harness with d ring on the front with a short lanyard..u have to clip onto the ledger / hrail while on the step in case u fall off the step...isn't the idea of the step is that scaffs abuse the "clipping on" rule and so this avoids it...this step doesn't solve a problem it just causes another..I'm all for solutions to problems but this to me is just a problem in itself...in the words of daddycoolscaff, "gimmicks make idiots rich, commonsense keeps u alive" :)
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ah i got told you just had to clip to the back ledger when on the step.
 
well quoted gmanscaff well quoted as you can guess i have had a bad day with gimmicks bn biteing the bullet today and yesterday i never thought ******** would start to dominate our work ,by these tarmac suits surely someone who works at heights is the best deligate
 
scaffcon said:
ah i got told you just had to clip to the back ledger when on the step.
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Nah mate, cos u wud hit the lift before ur harness wud do anyfink, prob a broken ankle..I argue that the short lanyard wud cause a few teeth to go missing tho...
 
philliosmaximus said:
i am still trying to find out how many SCAFFOLDERS are killed each year by falling of the scaffold but all i can find are X amount of deaths from falls from height , i think it is the builders and painters that do the falling and not the scaffolders
Click to expand...

I was told two, over a five year period. Whilst carrying out his scaffolding duties.

There have been more from falls from walking over sky lights but the step would not help there.

Ragscaff
 
philliosmaximus said:
i am still trying to find out how many SCAFFOLDERS are killed each year by falling of the scaffold but all i can find are X amount of deaths from falls from height , i think it is the builders and painters that do the falling and not the scaffolders
Click to expand...

Phill when I done my supervisors course, when speaking of deaths/serious inuries from falls from scafolding, we were told that statistically, the only people safer than the scaffolders were the site management because they are most likely keeping their arses warm in the office.
In my experience good scaffolders rarely fall, cowboys who cut corners galore are another story. In almost every case, falls from scaffolding are caused by customer interference eg. removing edge protection or carrying out alterations to scaffolding themselves.
 
philliosmaximus said:
i am still trying to find out how many SCAFFOLDERS are killed each year by falling of the scaffold but all i can find are X amount of deaths from falls from height , i think it is the builders and painters that do the falling and not the scaffolders
Click to expand...
Phillo, got this off the NASC web site, and I assume their talking about scaffolders.

3 fatalities on Nasc sites last year 2010.

1 operative fell from a platform when unknown persons removed a guardrail.

1 operative fell through a skylight.

1 member of the public was killed when his motor bike was in collision with the outriggers of a mobile crane being used by a NASC member.

It also gives a list of non fatal falls, age groups, experience etc. They estimate that over 70% of scaffolders are employed by NASC member companies, so the figures are only theirs.

Any body that wants to know all the statistics can get them off their site.
 
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