Rank: Forum user 
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Can anybody tell me the safe method of rescue from aluminium scaffold?I have a BS 1004 but cant seem to see any information on emergancy procedures.
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Rank: New forum user
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Unless you have access to a tower crane or mobile crane that can reach the injured person with a rescue basket then the only real method is by calling the fire brigade.
The problem lies with the seriousness of the injury. If the person has back, neck or major fractures then unless you have a specially trained rescue team on site you will not be capable of lowering them to safety with the guarantee not to cause more serious injury (think 'I will sue you').
Also, the action of lowering a heavy person from a scaffold tower may cause the tower to become unstable and then you have a new set of problems.
If you have a trained medic on site they can go up the tower to treat / care for the injured person until professional help arrives. Better to be safe than sorry in this regard, let the professionals handle it, but have this as part of your emergency plan.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Pritchie
A crane is all very well if you are working outside on a large site
We are all advised that we can not rely on the emergency services when producing a rescue plan - with cuts to their budgets they may not have the necessary training or equipment
Bear in mind the SWL of the tower - two burly firefighters plus injured person and equipment!!!
What about a workplace where only two person are present - one is the injured / ill person?
Perhaps the PASMA have the answer, or perhaps the hire companies?
I realise this comes across as a big negative - but what are we suppose to do?
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Rank: Super forum user 
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There is the requirement for rescue plan for WAH and the Plan has to be practical.
I would advise if you write the FRS into the Plan you seek the approval of the local Fire Station senior officer, if he/she says no then you have to think again.
How do you think a firefighter would rescue a person from high level on a tower platform? They do not have specialist equipment for such uses, especially indoors.
Do you think they would use a ladder?
You probably think they have lots of special appliances available but with the present cuts they may not have any such appliances at the time you require them?
They do have firefighting responsibilities and do not sit around awaiting your call.
Don't include anyone into the Plan without their knowledge as they may refuse to assist, it is not part of there remit any longer.
Why not get away from the traditional access platforms and hire or purchase a small MEWP? There are many on the market now and suitable for one or two person use. Saves time erecting and dismantling and far safer in use than a tower.
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No way can you rely on FRS and must have own procedures in place.We have two methods on site for rescue from height,Manrider and Gotcha kit.I think the gotcha kit could work in certain areas within a construction site.You could possibly use a MEWP and use the same method as you would if a person became incapable of coming down unaided or the operative on the ground could not lower MEWP down using ground level controls.My concern is for aluminium towers within construction biuldings.
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Rank: Super forum user
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If you consider MEWP for WAH rescue than why not use a MEWP for the work, with a second MEWP as back up?
(Only in case the ground controls fail to lower the MEWP)
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Rank: Super forum user
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I think you might be giving yourself unnecessary work! I have never seen a rescue plan for working on a scaffold, nor would I expect to see one. As I see it there are 2 risks, a person is incapacitated (unable to descend the scaffold) through injury or illness. First aid requirements are that the person is made comfortable, not placed at risk and await the emergency services. Pritchie63 is bang on with his comment.
The WAH rescue plan came about from the risk of suspension trauma where you have a limited amount of time to get the person safely to ground before serious injury or death occurs from being suspended in a harness.
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Rank: Super forum user
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jonty have a look at posts 5 and 4 above.
Fire brigade will not assist, even if they wanted to they may be unavailable dealing with other incidents when you call for help.
WAH REG 4 Plan for emergencies and rescue.
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Rank: Forum user
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Firesafety101 wrote:If you consider MEWP for WAH rescue than why not use a MEWP for the work, with a second MEWP as back up?
(Only in case the ground controls fail to lower the MEWP) I agree with Firesafety101 but would like to add that most MEWPS available on the market these days do have a an emergency facility to bring them down even if power is lost or ground controls fail, so they can be quite useful as they basically have their own in built rescue plan so to speak.
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Rank: Forum user
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unfortunately if you have the special circumstances you need to make the special arrangements, and not rely on 999 or 112 as a mitigation measure
Phil
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jontyjohnston wrote:
The WAH rescue plan came about from the risk of suspension trauma where you have a limited amount of time to get the person safely to ground before serious injury or death occurs from being suspended in a harness.
Your bang on Jonty! Following a recent review of Paul Seddons excellent research document, The current guidelines for "suspension trauma" from a FAW point of view are that: it doesn't exist, and normal first aid treatment should apply. Many of us outside of FAW don't buy into this and still use alternative appropriate treatments as per crush injury protocol, but for FAW your hands are tied.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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If you multiply the probability of someone needing rescue from such a working platform with the probability that the under employed F&RS will be not be available to help at the time then I would suggest you get a number that is very close to zero.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I know you should not answer a question with a question but:
What did the tower manufacturers say when you asked them?
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Rank: Super forum user
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redken wrote:If you multiply the probability of someone needing rescue from such a working platform with the probability that the under employed F&RS will be not be available to help at the time then I would suggest you get a number that is very close to zero. redken - you must have your eyes and ears closed at present when you say under employed? You are in Merseyside where the fire and rescue service has already bee decimated by cuts and with further cuts planned for the next financial year. Are you aware how many arial appliances they have available at any one time? Obviously not. There are occasions when there is only one such appliance available to cover the whole of Merseyside - do you think they will plan to take that appliance out of use to rescue a construction worker whose employer has the responsibility to plan and prepare for such emergencies? The Chief Fire Officer has planned his budged to deal with incidents that are requirements of the fire service. Rescue of construction workers is not part of that remit. Please contact MFRS and ask them that question and post the answer here. Take care y'all.
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Rank: Super forum user
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As correctly pointed out on here, a rescue plan MUST be in place for all work at height. Even Alloy Towers.
This is included in my R/A for working on towers.
In the event of any medical condition the employee would be made comfortable whilst first aid is given if
required and medical assistance is obtained - after treatment the employee would be assisted to
ground level by first aid/medical staff with the assistance of other employees if necessary.
Arrangements would then be made to allow the I.P to recover or to be taken for further medical treatment e.g. Hospital.
In the event of the delegate being unable to climb down, even with assistance, they would be lowered
down by first aid/medical staff (under direction from the emergency services) for further
hospital treatment.
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Rank: Super forum user
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jontyjohnston wrote:I think you might be giving yourself unnecessary work! I have never seen a rescue plan for working on a scaffold, nor would I expect to see one.
Not sure if you plan or organise any work at height involving towers, Jonty but you might be interested in looking at The Pasma Towers for Managers Training Course. Good clarification on there for requirements of rescue in both assisted and self rescue.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Fair point Frank
Will take a look, thanks.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Frankc
you made a statement that the injured person would be lowered to the ground under the direction of the emergency services, simply question How?
Most mobile access towers are not used on construction sites.
There is not always a team of first aiders or anyone else - trained to carry out rescue at height
There is not always rescue equipment readily available
Ask contractors who use mobile towers how many operatives they have trained to carryout a rescue from a tower
Ask the hire companies how often they rent out rescue equipment to contractors who rent towers
If we all live in a perfect world we would use MEWPs, but not always possible.
Its all very well asking for a suitable rescue plan, but lets face it no one wants to pay for it.
Are you going to have trained operatives available to go out and perform a rescue for a crew of two you sent out to change light bulbs?
The Fire Brigade is now called Fire & Rescue Service - so they will help if a persons life is at risk - but even they may not have the right training or equipment to do so.
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Rank: Super forum user
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MEden380 wrote:Frankc
you made a statement that the injured person would be lowered to the ground under the direction of the emergency services, simply question How?
That would depend on where the tower was assembled, the access to it, what equipment was available, the point of where the IP was on the tower and the injuries of the IP.
Its all very well asking for a suitable rescue plan, but lets face it no one wants to pay for it.
No one wants to but they have to. Even if it's only a case of giving first aid and keeping the IP comfortable until the Emergency Services arrive.
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Rank: Super forum user
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MEden - I think you might have got to the root of the issue. Earlier Frankc asked me if I organise work at height, the answer simply is yes, frequently. I work for the HV transmission system operator for Ireland (North & South) and frequently review RAMS for work at height. I expect to see rescue plans for use of all MEWPS, structural steel works, rope access work, tower stringing.
But I must be honest and again say I do not expect to see them for the use of any form of scaffold. The rescue plans I am familiar with are intended to rescue someone where an incapacitating injury or condition places them at further risk.
If someone is incapacitated on a scaffold, providing its not on the verge of collapsing (which is a very different issue) then they should be attended by a first aider, made comfortable until the blue light services arrive. The scaffold should have been constructed to provide a suitable, stable working platform after all?
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Hi Jonty,
The problem arises if the casualty is "big sick" (chest pain, asthma, big bleed, unconscious for any reason) and the first vehicle that turns up is an ambulance.
Even If you're lucky enough to get the 8 min response required for a cat A call, the chances are they wont go up a scaffolding, as they don't carry safety at height kit on standard vehicles, and have no training even in simple access systems.
You may be lucky enough to get the HART team from the ambulance service, but thats if they're not busy, and they can only use simple safety at height kit and have no kit or knowledge to lower a casualty. The same story for Fire and Rescue unfortunately, unless it is the USAR team, but they could be busy too!
So you cant rely on them, you must be self reliant.
Phil
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Rank: Super forum user
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Phil,
Since it takes the skills and resources of a HART or USAR team to get a "big" sick person down from an aluminium scaffold, I assume that you don't use such scaffolds since it is unlikely that you would have thsese skills in house.
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Rank: Super forum user
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You're right there Ken.
The way I see the requirements for WAH rescue you have to have whatever manpower/equipment you have written into the Plan available for use in an emergency.
FRS are not immediately available so you can't include them in the Plan.
Even if they do offer to help, if available on the station, they may still be 20 minutes away. Is that quick enough for emergency rescue?
OK you have to call 999 for an ambulance as they will not be on site but it makes sense to call them as they are the required transport to A&E.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rank: Forum user
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redken wrote:Phil,
Since it takes the skills and resources of a HART or USAR team to get a "big" sick person down from an aluminium scaffold, I assume that you don't use such scaffolds since it is unlikely that you would have thsese skills in house. When used indoors I've always had an in house team medically trained, and rescue trained to lower from height, and a suitable stretcher available. Drills carried out often. Offshore we have trained teams in house at all times as there is no suitable 999 response once your off the beach. Phil
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Rank: Super forum user
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I was always taught that mobile towers above 6 foot required out riggers. You as the person directing WAH should select the persons doing the work, and ensure that they are fit to carry out the job and trained to rescue the persons who they are working with. You can not rely on emergency services to do your job. What if they are at a RTA or burning house with kids, oh must leave here as foolish firm with IP on mobile tower needs rescue. Don't think so. Justify the risk and train ops in rescue plan.
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Rank: New forum user
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Or you could specify a stair tower for your sites instead of a ladderspan tower - then you would be able to get the person down more readily.
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Rank: Forum user
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Monicaaa
Welcome back. We missed you
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