Serious fall from broken scaffold plank

A building firm from Stratford-upon-Avon has been prosecuted after a worker suffered severe injuries when he fell from a damaged scaffolding plank at a site in South Warwickshire.

The 62-year-old man, Frederick Stuart, from Stratford-upon-Avon, was standing on a single piece of scaffolding board to cut through a pole at the site at Dark Lane, Tiddington, when the wood snapped, Leamington Spa Magistrates' Court heard.

He plummeted nearly two and a half metres and ended up straddling a joist, breaking his pelvis in two places and cutting his left thigh almost half way through the muscle.

The court heard he was off work for six months following the incident on 28 July 2010 and has been left with a permanent scar on his thigh.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the man's employer, Sibbasbridge Ltd, after an investigation revealed that in addition to the scaffolding being damaged, the company had not provided any edge protection for work at height, or installed any equipment to lessen the impact of a fall, such as bags or netting, in the area where the man had been working.

No risk assessments or method of work statements were produced or shown to workers before the incident.

HSE inspector Paul Thompson said after the hearing:

"Mr Stuart suffered very serious injuries in this incident, which would not have happened if Sibbasbridge had changed its working practices following a previous prosecution for a similar failing.

"A damaged scaffolding board collapsed underneath the man, causing him to fall into an area that hadn't even been boarded out.

"The company did nothing to prevent falls from the scaffolding plank or reduce the risk of serious injury in the event of a fall.

"Clear guidance on working at height is available from HSE and it is regrettable that the company failed to follow this."

Sibbasbridge Ltd, of Evesham Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, pleaded guilty today to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £12,000 and ordered to pay £3,353 costs.

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Helping our neighbours - Step Out 2012

Our neighbour The Stroke Association, is the only UK wide charity that's solely concerned with combating strokes in people of all ages. The charity aims to reduce the amount of strokes suffered and ensure that more help is provided for stroke survivors and their families.

Step Out is a new event organised by the charity, that will be taking place at Saltwell Park, Gateshead, on Saturday 26 May, from 10am to 2pm.

The Step Out challenge could be either walking 100 steps or following the marked route through the park. This promises to be a fun-filled day - with refreshment stalls, music, kids crafts and entertainment and you can bring your friends along.  

For more information, please go to The Stroke Association website. 

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Key messages from the IPAF Summit 2012

The theme of this year's IPAF Summit on 29 March, was analysing accidents to reduce accidents and perhaps taking a leaf out of the aviation industry's book, when it comes to setting a high safety standard.  

A number of world class speakers hosted the event and each presented compelling stories - which were backed up by facts, figures and 'graphic' images of incidents that had occurred in the access industry world wide. Tim Whiteman opened the event, with a welcome from the IPAF President Wayne Lawson.

Presentations at the IPAF Summit

The most striking presentation delivered was by Andy Studdert, CEO of NES Rentals, based in the US; 'What can Aerials learn from aviation'.  Andy explained how his experience of working as COO of United Airlines from 1999-2002 and during 9/11, had shown him just how advanced the safety standards are in the airline industry, in comparison to the construction and maintenance sector - and that we should be doing more to follow their example.  Having worked in the airline industry, he was then able to transfer this knowledge and make a big improvement in safety and operational performance at NES Rentals in the US.

He referred to the reliance of standard, repeatable safety processes in the aviation industry - for example, the first officer doing a walk-round inspection of the plane before each flight and the culture of intervention - such as the power to stop a flight, having identified a safety concern.    

Chris Wraith, IPAF Technical Officer, gave a passionate presentation concerning the number of accidents and deaths that have occurred in the industry. He introduced the IPAF accident reporting facility on the IPAF website, that's been set up to help collect data on accidents and near misses - so that we can all learn from experiences and improve safety and training in the future. Chris emphasised that all information can be submitted in strict confidence and can be done either by reporting on the site, emailing or over the phone.  He summed up his presentation with a call to action to all of us to work to make this a safer industry, something we would all like to do.

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Chemical tank explosion results in workers fall

A worker in Cheshire was seriously injured when he fell from the top of a chemical storage tank, following an explosion. The worker was not wearing a harness or using appropriate access equipment.

The worker, who has asked not to be named, was thrown from the tank and fell around two and a half metres, landing on a metal girder below. The 44-year-old from Bala, North Wales, had been carrying out maintenance work on the tank at a plant in Widnes when the chemical vapour inside set alight, causing an explosion.

Runcorn Magistrates' Court was told the worker was knocked unconscious when he fell to the ground, and suffered burns on his right arm and right leg, as well as bruising to his ribs. He was kept in hospital overnight and was off work for several weeks as a result of his injuries.

The court heard the employee had been allowed to work on top of the tank without any measures in place to prevent him being injured in a fall.

HSE immediately issued HTS with a Prohibition Notice following the incident, preventing workers from carrying out work on top of tanks without suitable protective equipment.

The company, which services and repairs tanks for the chemical and other industries, arranged for a cage to be fitted to the top of tanks within two days of receiving the notice. It has since introduced the use of other safety equipment such as harnesses.

HTS pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 6(3) of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 by failing to ensure suitable measures were in place to prevent workers being injured in a fall.

The company, of Fleming Road in Middlesborough, was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £3,588 in prosecution costs on 26 March 2012.

Speaking after the hearing, the investigating inspector at HSE, Lisa Lewis, said: "The employee's injuries could have been much worse, and he could have been killed if he'd struck his head when he landed on the girder.

"HTS was able to introduce the use of new equipment within just a few days of the incident happening, that has significantly reduced the chance of workers being injured in a fall.

"This case should act as a warning to other companies whose employees regularly carry out work at height. Taking simple steps could prevent workers being injured."

More than 4,000 people suffered a major injury in a fall while at work in Great Britain last year, and 38 lost their lives. Information on carrying out work safely at height is available at www.hse.gov.uk/falls.

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Winners of the Safety Champion of the Year award and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the IAPA Awards 2012

Austin Baker from AFI-Uplift collects the Safety Champion of the Year award at the IAPA Awards 2012 and the daughter of the late Lars-Petter Godenhielm, Karin Nars (Dinolift) takes away the Lifetime Achievement Award, on behalf of her father.

Austin Baker was chosen by the judges, due to the work he has done with IPAF and for his commitment to promoting safety. The judges were impressed by his willingness to share his experience, effort and expertise - in order to create solutions for the common good, rather than his own.

The judges awarded Lars-Petter Godenhielm for being a great entrepreneur and for being good to do business with, as well as having been a huge supporting force in the industry - through his work with the industry regulations and with IPAF.

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Mills Rental wins the Access Company of the Year award at the IAPA Awards 2012

The Brazilian rental company Mills Rental won the Rental Company of the Year award at the IAPA Awards 2012, held at the Sheraton Hotel in Rome.

Mills Rental was selected, for its outstanding work in developing an access rental company in a young market. They have helped to encourage the promotion of powered access and safety and to expand the market in a rapidly developing region.

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IPAF Training Instructor of the Year Award won again by Masterclimbers LLC, USA

Kevin O'Shea of Masterclimbers LLC, USA has outshone all others again to receive the IPAF Training Instructor of the Year Award, for a third year successively.

The judges have noted his constant energy and dedication to developing the USA market and a huge commitment to safety - with IPAF and AWPT training.

Will he manage to win this for a fourth time in Miami 2013, we wonder..

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Facelift's Gordon Leicester presents award at the IAPA Awards 2012 in Rome

Facelift's managing director Gordon Leicester was proud to present an award at the IAPA event 2012, that took place on the 29 March at the Sheraton Hotel, Rome.

Gordon stepped in on behalf of Facelift to present the Product of the Year, for Mast Climbing Work Platform Hoists to Geda-Dechentreiter - Multilift P 18 S. The judging panel settled on this decision, as they saw that this product has an innovative solution for end users.

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Winners of the IAPA Awards 2012 are announced in Rome

Facelift was proud to join and be part of the judging panel, for this year's IAPA awards, which took place on 29 March in the cultural city of Rome, at the Sheraton Hotel. The awards ceremony was an impressive event - with over 400 industry professionals attending world wide, (including Europe, North and South America, Russia and the Far East).

These annual access industry awards are organised by Access International and IPAF. Sponsors this year include the headline sponsor Italian manufacturer Co.Me.T Officine - along with supporting sponsors of Henderson Insurance, Hinowa and Platform Basket, Genie and JLG.

Facelift Access Hire is proud to sponsor a brand new artistic category - the award for Access Equipment Photograph of the Year. This was awarded to Uwe Schneider of the German rental company Mateco.

Amongst the many awards presented on the evening, there featured; Access Rental Company of the Year, that was awarded to the Brazilian rental company Mills Rentals and Lifetime Achievement Awards, awarded to Gerhard Hillebrand (IPAF's Italian representative), as well as to the late Lars-Petter Godenhielm (a former president of IPAF and managing director of Dinolift). Lars- Petter Godenhielm's award was collected by his daughter Karen Nars of Dinolift, along with the Safety Champion of the Year award, received by Austin Baker of AFI-Uplift.

Our managing director Gordon Leicester stepped in to present the Mast Climbing Work Platform/ Hoists award to Geda-Dechentreiter  -Multilift P 18 S. 

Two awards were catered for IPAF members alone; the IPAF Training Instructor of the Year and the Best New IPAF Training Centre. Kevin O'Shea from Mastclimbers LLC, USA has proven to be a consistent winner - claiming the IPAF Training Instructor of the Year for a third successive year.  

On the judging panel were: Andy Studdert, CEO of US-based NES Rentals; Facelift's Gordon Leicester; Mikael Kämpe director of group fleet at Finnish rental company Ramirent; Richard Tindale, former global sales and marketing director of Snorkel; and Wayne Lawson, JLG vice president and managing director of EAME and IPAF president.  

Here's a complete list of the winners of this year's awards;  

• Access Rental Company of the Year - Mills Rental, Brazil 
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• Lifetime Achievement Awards - Lars-Petter Godenhielm and Gerhard Hillebrand
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• AFI-Uplift (IPAF Safety Champion) - Austin Baker
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• Contribution to Safe Working at Height - Nationwide Platforms, UK
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• Access Project of the Year - Alimak Hek, the Garibaldi Porta Nuova project in Milan
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• Product of the Year - Self propelled (booms, scissors, atrium lifts) - Manitou - 280TJ telescopic boom 
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• Product of the Year (Vehicle/Trailer Mounted) - Ruthmann - Steiger T330
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• Product of the Year (Mast Climbing Work Platform/Hoists) - Geda-Dechentreiter  -  Multilift P 18 S 
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• Product of the Year (Low-Level Access) - Edmolift - Air 
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• Award for Outstanding After Sales Service - TVH
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• Access Photograph of the Year - Uwe Schneider of Mateco, Germany

IPAF Award Categories

• IPAF Training Instructor of the Year - Kevin O'Shea
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• Mastclimbers LLC, USA Best New IPAF Training Centre - Maquinarias Paco, Spain    

Next year's IAPA awards will be an even more glamorous affair and will be taking place in Miami, USA. The awards ceremony is set for the 26 March 2013 - for more information go to www.iapa-summit.info

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IAPA Access Equipment Photo of the Year – Winner Uwe Schneider

Facelift Access Hire is proud to sponsor a new, artistic addition to the IAPA Awards categories - the Access Photograph of the Year. This was won by Uwe Schneider of the German rental company Mateco, for a shot of one of the company's Teupen XTG 230s cleaning the glass roof of the Medical Association building in Hanover, Germany. The work is being carried out by Hayko May Cleaning Company, based in Einbeck Germany.

Uve’s stunning shot was chosen, not just for its artistic merit - but because it demonstrates the increasingly broad range of areas where professional access equipment can be applied.

See the Winning Access Equipment image in our gallery.

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