Who wants to keep the scaffstep?

The general way the Industry has gone, the pressure on completing the job, other trades working on or around you, cranes working over you, trades tampering with your scaffold, the general quality of some of the guys doing the job! Having to look over your shoulder because the site has different rules to everyone else.

Not my old age, the fact that base principles I was taught have now been thrown out of the window & such a poorly thought out idea is being used because its cheap. To hemp vertically is not a thing I would teach any one to do. Yes I can do it but its not best practice. I can hemp a 21ft tube at full arm streach but would not need to anymore because I have learnt to base properly now! I can stand a 21ft whilst on my knees but would not want to bring that into a method statement.

I can tunnel without any danger to me or anyone else. Should never have been changed:eek:

Ragscaff
 
if you see someone with a step ladder on a working platform, what do HSE (or anyone) say/advise????

sorry my opionon is we are going backwards!!!!!!
 
Well where I was working as there health and safety manager they used the step on most new build housing sites, I agree totally with paddy that the step is impracticable for new build brickie scaffolds.The contracts manager was in the same mind as me to this as it doesn't comply to the WAH regs 2005. I tried to bring in the B-safe fast guard but as soon as the director found out the price he said like f@@k are we shelling over 15 grand out. They can use that aluminium piece of **** until somebody tells me I'm breaking the law. So overall COST does dictate SAFETY. I have since left that company.
 
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So overall COST does dictate SAFETY. I have since left that company.


Cost dictates everything we do in life and to think different is just naive.
 
RedViking said:
Ragscaff: "Knees won't last much longer" that's not down to the step that's "30 years doing this trade" ?yes??

Could you explain more on " Never felt more unsafe." as it is only a step up to put a guardrail in so how are you down a hanger ?? Fine I presume as 30yrs counts for a lot so why uneasy on a step ?

As you all know I like the step , if I didn't I would leave my current employer and start slashing it up with gay abandon in shorts and trainers .
WHY ??because we all have a choice don't we ?
It is not law , it's down to your employer and their clients so jack in and be taxi driver or be one of them fellas in the cafe that's says "I've done a bit of scaffolding " or stacking shelves in ASDA....oh hang on forget the last one you'll need the traverse method to put the bog rolls on the top shelf as opposed to the step !!!!

RV
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good afternoon redviking long time no see good to hear you bumping your gums never used the step as such but looks like its comeing to a venue near us soon wether it gets used or not were see!!! all i can say is if your employer is quite happy for you to use it and plod along then thats fine all i can say if our firm ever has to use it then there gana have to put another day or too on to the job scedule :laugh:ps my legs and knee caps are gone too jesus the thought of going up and down a step ladder like a painter is a no go as for asdas and tesco dont forget morrisions lol!!!
 
The thing is Swifty they actually do. Look at the industry guidance, says it all really. What method of protection would your RAMS advocate?
 
ha remember it always says 'suitable and suffucient'

best practice says the step in the rams, question is are they trained in the step!
 
Obviously, in house.;)

---------- Post added at 01:30 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:26 PM ----------
frederik said:
So how many want it.
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So far just 2 by the looks of it Frederik, but remember that's a 50% increase from last night.:D
 
Aom, wrappa slings and double lanyard would be my by the book option. SG4:05 would be the sensible option.
 
im not a big bloke by any stretch of the imagination [5 ft 10 and shrinking] but i have noticed that if you turn side ways on to the handrail , as opposed to facing it , hemping over the handrail with 21's becomes a lot easier.
 
Double lanyards are in the book Swifty so is sliding it. The traverse is gone forever but Ragscaffs advanced slide did make it in there.
 
The only problem with double hooks is obviously they don't stop you falling. What's the slings used for?
 
The step aint practical.
Its flimsy and awkward to carry and on it you CANNOT fix returns... or erect splays properly.

Reason being is that the top section hooks on the top handrail (or any horizontal tube) and to bottom goes where? - On a standard. So that alone severely limits where and when your able to properly use it.

Its design as usual has been rushed and is untested.
Its f.ucking shiit and if it aint banned, then it needs alot of 'fine-tuning', before its ready for day in/day out usage.


The other type ive seen, but not used is the kind of small step-ladder thing.
This is even worse, as it relies on resting on your boarded lift and your top handrail.
Which means that if your top handrail is even a little bit over/under the 'recommended' minimum height - your f.ucked again and it dont sit right.


Either type ive seen are both shiit.
They are only good on the absolute perfect jobs where everything falls into place and everything worked exactly to SG:04 or whatever regulations.

VERY FEW JOBS IVE WORKED ON DO ACTUALLY WORK OUT LIKE THAT - something always goes wrong and needs to be changed/adapted.

In my opinion.
 
What paddy is trying to say that on most new builds that the ledger which is your guard rail when on the step is too low if they only lay 18 or 20courses I no exactly where he is coming from.
 
aom said:
The only problem with double hooks is obviously they don't stop you falling. What's the slings used for?
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You wrap the sling above head height on a standard closest to your access point and clip to it you then fit another wrappa to another standard and install your single guardrail progressing along the lift hemping before installation of the guardrail.
 
Make that 3 for the step. I don't have a problem with it. I have used it for a couple of years now on new builds. If you put both the handrails in then then the bottom handrail provides the protection needed to put the top handrail in. Hope that makes sense, it does in my head anyway.
 
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