Engineers are the people that scaffolders look to for correct information and specifications so they can build a scaffold work platform safely. What are the risks that engineers need to know about scaffolding?

Scaffolding methods and equipment have changed considerably: in 2020 scaffolds are bigger, more frequently cantilevered and prefabricated.
 

Scaffolds provide the best possible temporary work platform in construction, but they are often replaced by cheaper or more convenient forms of access. In the high-rise industry and other heavy industries, scaffolding gets into those places that mobile plant (such as EWP’s) cannot access.
 

Throughout the 70’s and 80’s scaffolding was very rarely policed until serious injuries and fatalities caught the attention of newly formed regulatory bodies. From this time processes for the safe erection and dismantling of scaffolds have been developed and refined.
 

In this webinar we will explore the relationship between engineers and scaffolders, covering the following topics:
 

• Planning the job: necessary consultation and documentation and determining the right scaffold for the job
   
• Procurement: project timelines, costs and delivery
• Erection: necessary licences, the right scaffold teams, correct equipment, SWMS/risk assessments, and completion certificates and scaff tags
• Scaffold management: inspections and things which can go wrong
• Dismantling: timelines, scaffold teams, dismantling risks, storage and transport, and sign off

Consultation is a key to the safe and effective erection of scaffolding; register for this webinar to learn more about the critical points where consultation can be utilised to reduce risk.

Speakers

Paul Chapman: Construction Industry High Risk Work Trainer and Assessor (Scaffolding Specialisation), CFMEU Education and Training Unit

Paul Chapman has been in the construction industry for 37 years, starting at 19 years old as a labourer at Loy Yang A power station. Paul quickly trained up into skilled labouring classifications specialising in scaffolding for the energy and offshore oil and gas industries.  Paul worked on the Sydney monorail before moving to Melbourne where he worked on major hazardous facilities and pulp and paper. At a very young age Paul was on site where a young worker fell from a scaffold and died. This memory influenced Paul throughout his career. In 2019 Paul joined the CFMEU as a WorkSafe authorised high-risk work trainer and assessor