Untrained scaffolder suffers serious injuries

Posted on 17th Jul, 2014 | By Lorretta Tatham

A recent news story has highlighted the importance of working at heights training following the serious fall of an untrained scaffolder.

Andrew Gore, 37, from Cynon Valley, Wales, was helping to dismantle scaffolding outside a nursing home in Bridgend when he fell four metres to the ground. Gore had never had any recognised training and had no safety mechanisms in place; he now has life changing injuries, including an amputated leg.

The importance of safety awareness

On the day of the accident, Gore was not wearing a harness and the lift was just two boards wide. His company had also failed to put any guardrails in place. The accident happened as Gore undid the swivel coupling at the bottom of a brace, which he then inadvertently leaned on. The brace moved and he fell to the ground.

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident. As a result, Mills Scaffold Company Ltd, were prosecuted on 23rd June 2014. The company pleaded guilty to a breach of the Work at Height regulations and the Reporting of Injuries Regulations and were fined £15,000, and ordered to pay £1,118 in costs.

HSE inspector Hayley Healey explained, “This was a totally needless incident which could have been avoided if Mills Scaffold Company had ensured a safe system of work had been in place. It was their responsibility to make sure trained workers were used on the scaffolding.”

Keep your scaffolding safety training up to date

Our In House Mobile Towers course is suitable for 3T (through the trapdoor) and AGR (advanced guardrail) systems. It ensures that all those who attend gain a high level of competence in working at a height – from erecting, mobilising, inspecting and dismantling alloy scaffold towers.

This one-day scaffolding training course comprises on lectures, a theory assessment, practical training and practical assessment, giving all attendees a thorough working knowledge of health and safety when working on scaffolding.

Our scaffolding training course – what you’ll learn

Health and safety legislation – including employer and employee responsibilities and duties of care.

Accident awareness and prevention – including how to properly inspect towers for safe working, and how to assess hazards.

Tower components – ensuring good knowledge of the equipment you’re working on.

Assembling procedures – particularly focusing on how to assemble a tower.

Working with towers – from moving towers, to dismantling towers, ensuring you’re safe through each part of the work operation.

Stability – familiarising yourselves with how to keep towers stable and the importance of stability.

At the end of the course, you’ll complete a theory test and several practical tests, which assess your ability to inspect, erect, move and dismantle alloy scaffold towers.

If you’d like to find out more about our scaffolding training course, or any of our other safety training courses, please do get in touch with the team at Browns Ladders. Our knowledgeable staff will be able to advise on which courses best suit your requirements.

What safety mechanisms do you have in place to keep you and your workforce safe on scaffolding towers? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @BrownsLadders

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