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Posted By seanc
from my experience of working on major building sites, i know that the scaffolding should be checked on a regular basis.
there is a site close to my work that has been abandoned for over a year, the scaffold around the building is still in position, the building is next to the river Mersey and open to all types of weather conditions, to make matters worse the public have a right of way straight under the scaffolding in to a car park.
sounds complicated but its not.
does anyone know how long scaffolding can be left in this position, especially in the conditions i have just given?
if so do you think that the general public could be at risk?
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Posted By grim72
I would contact the HSE or council regarding this, it is definitely a concern. Any scaffold should receive an inspection at least every 7 days (and a pre-use check on a daily basis). The fact that the scaffold has been left for a year in potentially severe weather conditions would suggest that it is likely to be unsafe.
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Posted By seanc
thanks for your reply, you have confirmed my fears.
the building is in such a prominent position that i would be surprised if the council or HSE do not know about the situation, i am also surprised that the scaffolding company have not removed the scaffolding, unless the builders are still paying the rental?
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Posted By Bob Youel
how do you know that the scaffold has not been regularly inspected etc?
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Posted By seanc
the site is locked up, it is across the road from my workplace, and nobody at all has been on site for approx. one year.
i have been wondering for a while about the situation, even on a hot summers day it is windy on the banks of the Mersey, and i am sure that the scaffolding would have been affected in some way.
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Posted By Robert Randall
Hi Sean,
is your concern that the scaffold will be used by someone without having been inspected?
If, as you say, the site is locked up and "abandoned" it seems unlikely that anyone will use the scaffold for anything. If someone subsequently does need to use it then obviously they will need to inspect it first. I don't see the problem.
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Posted By seanc
Robert,
the building site is wrapped around the outside of an existing multi-storey car park, cars and pedestrians have to walk under the scaffolding to enter and exit the car park, the building is also next door to a new conference and concert hall, so the car park is used at all hours throughout the day.
my main concern is that if the scaffolding has not being checked (which i doubt very much that it has)and with the extreme weather conditions by the river,it might collapse, or deteriorate to such an extent that it becomes a danger to the general public.
i wish i could post a photo of the site,so you could understand my concerns.
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Posted By jon_hall
Didn't realise that was still there. And yes it gets very windy in the city centre from the river never mind anywhere on the actual river front side. Mind i've not been to the Arena for ages (not that its been open long)
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Posted By seanc
jon
so you realise the site i am talking about, good, its hard to describe in words, even when they started building the apartments, it was hard to understand why anybody would want to live basically in a car park!
To be truthful the scaffolding is nothing to do with me, but approx 2 months ago i was working on a Saturday and noticed a crane very close to my work which looked obviously wrong (leaning over) i didn't mention it to anyone and on the Monday morning it collapsed onto two other occupied properties which are apartments! it was a miracle nobody got injured or killed.
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Posted By Arran Linton - Smith
Seanc,
My take on your concerns is that the statutory inspection falls under Regulation 12 of the Work at Height Regulations. This legislation only appears to apply to scaffolding before or in use, however there is still the civil ‘Duty of Care’ and Section 3 duties which could also applied.
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Posted By jon_hall
Sean, the apartment blocks me and my flat mate were thinking of looking at. The crane driver from that collapse is apparantly still in hospital as it was in ehe echo on monday i think. They're rebuilding the actual block the crane hit, once they've removed the massive counterweight still sitting in the building. Had a good view of the block from The Baltic Fleet whilst supping a pint. (used to live on Duke St just over the round from the previous crane collapse that killed the polish worker and seriously injured the driver)
Still there is other site just before the bus station, i think they've finally removed all if not almost all of the items from that site since the developer went bust. Just the concrete tower sitting there.
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Isn't this the one where the PC is being liquidated by the administrator? If so the administrator is personally liable as he is the Director of the company currently. If DMCL rings any bells it is definitely the Administrator.
The LA has a duty if the structure is dangerous and there is a Dangerous Structures OIfficer foor the City. Knowing the inspectors covering that area I am sure they will love this one:-)
Personally I would like to see some of these administrators brought to task over their management of a construction company in liquidation. They are very good at taking all money due to subcontractors as unsecured and hence behind the banks etc in the queue.
Bob
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Posted By Robert Randall
Hi Sean,
after I posted my original response I did think about the possibility of a collapse affecting passers by etc. and it seems from your description that this is a real and present danger.
I would stir up a hornets nest if I were you. The LA seems a good bet.
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Posted By seanc
good news, there is a gang of scaffolders now on site taking down the scaffolding!!
this forum works!
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Posted By Peter F.
seanc,
how come you didn't point out the crane leaning, you could have prevented the incident.
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Posted By seanc
Peter
i realise now that i should have reported the crane, however as i was standing quite away from the crane i thought it was an optical illusion, having said that the crane driver himself should have realised something was wrong when he climbed up to top on the Monday morning.
As soon as the news report came through on the Monday about a crane collapsing, i knew straight away which one it was.
But i have learnt from my mistake, and the scaffolding is coming down!!
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Posted By Peter F.
As a H&S professional you should be on call and ready for action 24hrs a day.
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Posted By seanc
Peter
i take your words on board, and hope they are meant as tongue in cheek, but to set the record right, i am the branch area H&S Officer for my union, i am doing all the training available and really enjoy my position, especially helping members out in the workplace with any H&S Issue.
i am currently studying for a diploma in occupational Health and the environment, which would give me Tech status with IOSH.
i have no wish to proceed any further than that in my studies, but feel that once completed i will be in a far better position to stand up for the rights and welfare of our large government workforce.
Sean
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Posted By Andrew W
Seanc/Peter F
For your information tower cranes, when they are unladen, always lean this is beacuse the weight in the counter or back jib acts a counterbalance for any load on the jib nose.
Andy
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Posted By seanc
Andrew
it was leaning to the side
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Posted By Peter F.
It was meant as tongue in cheek, although many times there are posting with people who think just that.
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
seanc
Sure it wasn't you leaning:-):-)
Was the company in liquidation? As discussed this is often the case.
Bob
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Posted By seanc
the site wasn't abandoned, in fact it had not been in operation that long.
it was on a Saturday, and i had a drink the night before, but i could clearly see the crane leaning to the side, i accept a previous posting about counterweights etc... but that wouldn't be the reason for the crane to lean to one side.
what amazes me is that if from a distance i could see there was a problem, why didn't the crane operator?
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Posted By grim72
It's probably harder to notice when you are up close and personal? I imagine it was one of those things that it is obvious from a distance but less so when you are stood next to it. Either way, a simple pre-use inspection would have probably prevented the accident, hence why we designed our range of pre-use inspection systems for various pieces of equipment (incidentally we haven't developed one for a crane yet - before you ask).
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