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Posted By Andrew Blair
I have been advised by the HSE that the gap between a scaffold working platform and the structure under construction must be protected by two handrails (if there is no scaffolding hop-up erected). In other words the internal scaffold must mirror the outside edge of scaffold (if there is a fall hazard of 2m and over). Until recently I assumed that a single handrail was sufficient?
Please contact me if you have had any similar advice/experience.
Andrew
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Posted By Denis Hands
In my days as a Safety Adviser with a curtain-walling company, we often had to have scaffolds erected with a 0.6m gap between the inner edge of the scaffold and the supporting structure in order to enable the curtain wall panels and supporting framework to be installed. Inner guard-rails would have made the installation impossible. Our safe method of working was for the installers to wear harness and inertia reel block, clipped to a suitable point on the scaffold. We often took over a building when only the primary steelwork was erected and so there was a risk of falls from the inner edge of the scaffold into the building itself. In the event of the installation being a foyer or atrium,the potential fall height could be anything up to 10 or 12m, or more.
As far as I can see, unless you find it necessary to go along the fall-arrest route as described above, where there is a risk of a fall of 2m or more, even if it is from the inner edge of the scaffold, Reg 6 of the Con (HS&W)Regs would apply and a mid guard rail (and toe board) should be installed.
I hope this helps.
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Posted By Ken Taylor
Basically it's a matter of providing adequate edge protection or other safe means of preventing 2m+ falls or other significant fall hazards (so far as reasonably practicable) irrespective of what part of the working platform - which may well involve handrails. [My only relevant experiences are of having to insist that people to properly address this often-neglected part of scaffold structures.]
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Posted By peter gotch
Andrew,
The message has always been that you apply the same standards at any edge from which liable to fall more than 2m, except that protective measures could be removed "for the time and to the extent necessary", and expression which has been replaced in CHSW Reg6 by the exemptions for measures which are not practicable/reasonably practicable.
My ex boss in HSE doing a presentation to contractors at Scotbuild 1990 commented that on refurbishment works on tenemental buildings, he expected his Inspector to be able to write out two Prohibition Notices before arriving on site and have them 90% right (whoever the contractor!!)
One would be for the rot works inside and inadequately protected openings.
The other would be for inadequate protection at inner scaffold edges especially at architectural features such as oriel windows.
Lost count of the number of notices I wrote out in four years for the latter fault, particularly where system scaffolding, rather than tube and fitting was erected.
The only thing which has changed since is the general upgrade in requirements to include for mid-rail or equivalent additional protection at all such edges.
Regards, Peter
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Posted By Edward H
Two other situations where this is becoming an increasing issue:
Traditional housebuild where to save an extra scaffold lift contractors are having the top lift of scaffold erected with the platform within about 300mm of the top of the wallplate so that the tilers can step up on to the roof surface, however this removes the inward fall protection usually provided by the house wall
Timber frame housing, motels etc. here the scaffold is typically erected to the full height of the finished structure before the structure is started. Unless the platform heights have been coordinated with the frame panel heights again there is typically no inward fall protection.
I am aware that Barratts have been prosecuted for an inward fall and a search of the HSE Notice database should reveal several PNs.
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