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Posted By andy tetlow
hi,
could anybody enlighten me on the guidance/regs
for the use of gates at the top of an access ladder. obviously there should be a safe means of access and egress to and from a scaffold but does clambering under a guardrail give you that? my question is 'are gates a legal requirement?'
the reason i ask this question is there seems to be a grey area when different scaffolding companies erect scaffolds and have varying standards.
cheers.
andy
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Posted By The toecap
Basically, the self closing gate is best practice. I think it states somewhere that the access gap should be a small as is reasonably practicable. Why not eliminate it? Ask the company why they don't use them.? Are they cheaper? Check the scaffold erector competencies .
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Posted By Des Daly
Andy,
Another thorny old issue for the construction industry. As the Toecap says self closing gates at the top of external ladders on scaffolds are the best and safest. As for ducking under a guardrail to get on or off a scaffold, although this is a petrochem practice it does not please HSE or people like myself on the wrong side of 50. HSE say ladder access points on scaffolds without gates must keep the opening as small as possible - this means someone getting on or off sideways. Other options may be installing ladders internally. The NASC has excellent guidance on ladder access points -might be worth getting hold of a copy for yourself.
Des Daly
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Posted By patrick carr
Hi Andy
REG 8 WAHR 2005
Requirements for particular work equipment.
External ladder openings must be protected (preferably a proprietary ladder gate)or a moveable barrier, internal ladder openings must be protected also.
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Posted By Robert K Lewis
Best answer is however to get rid of ladder accesses and use stairs instead - far safer and business efficient as well!!
Bob
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Posted By andy tetlow
thanks for all your responses...it seems there will always be a grey area with this topic.
i dont know about the rest of your experiences on site but the major problems i have had as an operative and health and safety officer on site is with poor standard scaffolds and access points. i know scaffolders have a tough job and respect the difficulty sometimes in erecting scaffolds but it seems the basics of simply putting a lifting tube or a swinging gate at top of ladders regularly gets overlooked. i understand now that 'clambering' under a guard rail at the top of the ladder is illegal. am i correct?
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Posted By The toecap
Well its okay. Until somebody falls. The you got to demonstrate that whoever inspected the scaffold did so properly and was competent and trained etc.
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Posted By Garry Adams
Andy
You never mentioned the type of Scaffolding component parts that are in use on your project ?. As you probabally know S.G.B. have a modular system (cuplok) on of the component parts of this system is designed to form an access and egress point...the component tube is called a swan neck the tube is offset mid way along its length this allows room for a gate to be installed flush with the facade of the structure...and your quite correct no armature gymnastics or mountaineering on a Scaffold Structure.
Regards, Garry...
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Posted By Angus232
Please see TG20:05 para 16.1 (good practice I know)hierarchy of access to and in scaffolds and WAHR Schedule 1(d.
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Posted By Anthony Mullen
The trouble with ladder gates are they don't usually come with a toeboard, this would not be compliant with the regs when used to directly access a working platform. The answer is to integrate a ladder into the scaffolding and use a moveable hatch cover.
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Posted By chris lee
gates and trapdoors are now only acceptable means of access gap protection the rules state no man should have to climb over or climb under anything at the top of a ladder. i suggest where possible use stairtowers but never allow a handrail you have to duck under
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Posted By andy tetlow
thanks again, for all your very helpful responses.
regards
andy
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