Scaffolders call for changes to work at height regulations

Feb. 4, 2012 - PRLog -- The scaffolding industry is calling for work at height regulations to be tightened much in the way they are in the gas fitting industry.

The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) issued the call in its response to the Lofstedt report, the government-commissioned review of the UK's health and safety legislation.

The Work at Height Regulations are due to be reviewed by 2013.

To improve safety standards the NASC wants regulations to stipulate that scaffolders are 'qualified' rather than 'competent', as is currently the case.

It said the current use of ambiguous terms are flaws at the heart of the existing regulations.

Since their introduction in 2005, the Work at Height regulations have provided an increased awareness to both operatives and employers on the inherent risk when working at height, including what the requirements are to work safely and legally, the NASC said.

But it warned: "One particular 'grey' area is the use of the terms 'competent' and 'competence' which occur frequently throughout the current legislation."

"These terms are both ambiguous and open to interpretation. This non-specific term has resulted in different interpretations and hence different standards of safety protocol – yet these terms are also at the 'heart' of the regulations."

Replacing 'competent' and its related terms with the indisputable term 'qualified' put the industry on a much clearer footing.

http://www.pwc.uk.com

Article sourced from:
http://www.aviva.co.uk/risksolutions/news/2012/01/11/scaf...

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PWC, as a working at height service providing company, has many years experience providing professional services to both the commercial and construction sectors.