Do any of you know the recommended way of lifting scaffold poles to a higher level from ground level? Background is that our contracted scaffolders were raising some 2 poles together some 40' using a rope lashed round them (tied with a "granny knot" I'm told!) when 1 of them slipped and penetrated a roof below. The company owner when asked to explain was adamant that this was the accepted way used by all scaffolders and that some lift 5 poles at a time! Surely this can't be the case.

guru that is a good document and I think exactly what ians wants. I was interested to see that a rolling hitch and a half hitch were recommended. That's what the fire brigade use when hauling similar items aloft. Also the guide that never 2 or four or more should be lifted. 1 or three to maximise the frictional contact between ropes and tubes. There should always be a design written by a competent scaffolder and that should include the method for lifting aloft. Also interested to note that manual hauling is one of the three recommended methods.

Take care chaps, that OC pre-dates the publication of the Work at Height Regs. Indeed, the OC would appear to reference a practice published in a paper of 1993. I'd check with NASC SG4:2010 for current accepted best practice. We must be generally wary of those OC documents lurking on HSE's website - they aren't always current or correct.

IANS The method you describe is the correct way of transporting Scaffolding tubes up a scaffold using a rope and Ginny wheel. As to the weight restrictions and on how many tubes that can be pulled up in one go, remember the S.W.L OF the Ginny wheel is 50kg when used on scaffolding so the lifting of tubes should be restricted. In my 13 years as a Scaffolder I have ever seen materials fall when tied to a rope on a Ginny wheel, so scaffolders are to ensure that the correct knot is to be used by a competent person.Lifting 5 scaffold tubes can be the norm in some Scaffold contractors, however it is not generally accepted as to again weight restrictions and manual handling requirements of the operative doing the pulling. Hope this gives some insight on the problems of transporting materials up a Scaffold. Allan

As AllanFS has already pointed out; scaffolders are to ensure that the correct knot is to be used by a competent person The point being is that most people do not know how to tie knots/use rope properly and thats the basic problem so staff should be trained to use rope/tie knots properly

This post highlights the need for a consolidation of health and safety information, legislation, CoP, Guidance (or whatever) which I hope is part of the review by Loftsted. There is loads of conflicting advice (even on the HSE website) which can lead anyone into trouble - and saying "I followed such and such" has been found not to be a defence if you find yourself in a court of law. Ron Hunter's post if most valuable when prior to this the original post had appeared to have been adequately answered. How do you overcome outdated stuff? and how do you know you have the latest, correct advice? Rich