Guidance update

Guidance Library Update

Since Spring 2022, 8 titles have been added to the NASC’s 100-strong guidance library.

A list of all NASC titles can be found on pages 25 to 27. To download a digital list of NASC titles, visit the NASC website and search ‘guidance index’.

New since Spring

Safety Guidance

• SG6:22 Management of Manual Handling in the Scaffolding Industry • SG42:22 Working Over or Near Water • SG43:22 Lone Working in Scaffolding • SG45:22 Management of Scaffolding Operations to BS 5975:2019

Technical Guidance

• TG6:22 Care and Maintenance of Scaffold Boards • TG23:22 Prefabricated Beams • TG26:22 Galvanic Corrosion of Aluminium Tubes and Prefabricated Beams

Sustainability & Environmental Issues

• SE1:22 Becoming Net Zero Carbon

SG6:22

Management of Manual Handling in the Scaffolding Industry

1. INTRODUCTION

More than a quarter of the injuries reported each year by NASC members to enforcing authorities are associated with manual handling and NASC analysis show that the majority of scaffold related manual handling injuries

Many scaffolders suffer long term effects from poor handling techniques or work-related upper limb disorders (WRULD’s) through the repetitive nature of scaffolding operations. Scaffolding has been referred to as a ‘young man’s game’, with many leaving the industry prematurely due to manual handling related injuries or ill health.

today. Very rarely do scaffolders reach retirement age still working on the spanner!

Scaffolders spend most of their time lifting and handling scaffolding materials under a variety of conditions. Manual handling is an inherent part of the scaffolding trade. The specialist skills and techniques used by scaffolders when handling heavy and often unwieldy materials are the basic enabling skills of the scaffolding industry.

In the average working day, a scaffolding gang can typically handle over 15 tonnes of materials. The average scaffolder, in their working life, could handle more than 150,000 tonnes of scaffolding materials, the equivalent of Cunard’s cruise ship the Queen Mary II.

The nature of the job dictates that scaffolders must be mentally alert to the inherent dangers of a physically strenuous job.

• support loads, often in awkward positions. • move heavy and unwieldy materials. • carry loads over rough, uneven ground or within buildings. • carry out highly repetitive tasks.

Some items of scaffolding material are of such a weight that they require special handling techniques to prevent injury e.g. beams. Although scaffolders do require certain physical capabilities most of the more strenuous, awkward or unwieldy tasks rely more upon special techniques than pure strength.

The recommendations within this guidance note should help scaffolding operatives and their employers reduce the risk of injury and long-term health problems associated with manual handling in scaffolding.

N A S C

1 of 16 March 2022 SE1:22

Becoming Net Zero Carbon

Why is this important to your business?

There are obvious ethical reasons as to why we all need to contribute to protecting our planet for future generations. There are also legal and economic ones that will apply to all our businesses.

Because of this there are changes to the way that buildings are being built, and our clients, the contractors, will have to work to stricter targets to ensure their whole supply chain is contributing to a Net Zero Carbon future.

From small house builders to large scale contractors, every construction project will be delivered by a Net Zero Supply chain by 2050 in line with both Government and Construction Industry targets. Contractors and developers are adapting their procurement scoring to appoint scaffolding specialists that will contribute to this target. NASC member businesses account for the vast majority of scaffold revenue in the UK and are in prime position to lead in decarbonising our industry, whilst preparing our businesses to be selected as part of the Net Zero Supply Chains of the future.

A sustainable business also increases efficiency and reduces costs.

This pack of information will help you:

1. Meet contractor requirements for a zero-carbon supply chain 3. Reduce material waste and costs.

2. Reduce energy use and costs. 4. Significantly reduce your carbon footprint and meet

Net Zero Carbon targets you set.

1 of 12

February 2022

TG6:22

Care and maintenance of scaffold boards SG45:22

Management of Scaffolding Operations to BS 5975:2019

INTRODUCTION

Timber scaffold boards should be graded and manufactured to BS 2482. They should have a nominal thickness of 38mm and a nominal width of 225mm. Boards are available in 2 strength grades, specified as their target span. (i.e. the required centres of supports).

Scaffold boards manufactured to the minimum grade have a target span of 1.2m and may be graded visually or by machine. Boards manufactured to the higher grade have a target span of 1.5m and must be machine graded only.

Scaffold battens, with a nominal thickness of 63mm and a nominal width of 225mm may also be manufactured to BS 2482. These are generally used for system scaffolds without intermediate support and have a target span of 2.5m. Scaffold battens may be visually, or machine graded.

When in use, scaffold boards are often subjected to harsh conditions and mistreatment and may deteriorate to such an extent that they become unsafe. To ensure that they remain in good and serviceable condition, they should be subjected to regular inspections/checks and where necessary refurbished to ensure that they remain fit for purpose.

RE-BANDING AND RE-GRADING

To ensure the maximum life of a scaffold board it must be examined regularly.

Scaffold boards should be checked when in-situ as an integral part of all statutory scaffolding inspections. Boards which are found to be defective should be immediately replaced.

In addition, all boards should be subjected to a more thorough visual inspection when the scaffold has been dismantled and they are returned to the yard or site compound or before they are returned to service.

Checks should include the following:• Loose or missing end bands and/or nail plates. • Excessive splits or surface breaks. • Warping or twisting. • Flaking or rot. • Surface nails or staples. • Surface contamination (e.g. cement, paint, moss, chemicals). • Surface damage or crushing due to vehicles or landing of heavy objects. • Notches or excessive edge wear. (See also ‘Care and Maintenance’ section below).

NASC

1 of 2 August 2022 INTRODUCTION

This guidance has been produced to assist scaffolding contractors and others who are involved with the delivery and management of temporary works as set out in ‘BS 5975:2019, ‘Code of practice for temporary works procedures and permissible stress design of falsework’.

either an existing structure or the permanent works during construction’ and also includes ‘providing a safe platform for work activity on land or water (e.g., jetty, scaffolding, edge protection or towers)’. Temporary works therefore incorporates all types of scaffolding.

include recommendations and guidance on the procedural controls which should be applied to both falsework and general scaffolding.

The guidance contained within BS 5975 is not a legal requirement and its recommendations for suitably managing scaffolding operations do not have to be followed. However, scaffolding contractors may need to justify that their processes and systems are at least as good as the recommendations laid out in BS 5975. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can visit any project at any time and will expect to see evidence that adequate and appropriate controls are in place for the management of temporary works. They have powers to impose enforcement action, which could hold up the work if they have any major concerns.

There are of course a number of statutory requirements which apply to temporary works, some aspects of which are referred to throughout this document. These include, but are not limited to: • Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM2015) • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 • Work at Height Regulations 2005 • Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 • Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998

Further and more detailed guidance regarding the management of temporary works can be found in the guidance document recently produced by the Temporary Works Forum – ‘Effective management of scaffolding to BS 5975:2019’ (the TWf Guide) which should be read in conjunction with this guidance. A copy of the TWf Guide can be downloaded, free of charge from the TWf website.

Link here.

N A S C

1 of 6 March 2022

Above: Four of the new additions to the NASC Guidance library.