A powerful Combi-nation
December 1st 2005 Changes are afoot in the construction industry, whether it be the way in which site safety is organised due to cultural shifts or those that will be imposed with the Proposed Construction (Design & Management) Regulations. Ian Clay visited Combisafe’s Safety Centre in Northampton to find out where the company fits in this changing environment.
The red Combisafe logo is becoming a familiar site, you have probably seen it while you were stuck in a motorway traffic jam protecting the edge of a bridge refurbishment or wrapped around the edge of a high rise development in a town centre near you. However, while edge protection is what the company is known for according to Barney Green, business development manager "We may be best known for edge protection but [we] do everything in fall protection".
It is an interesting time to be involved in construction site safety as there are many forces at work that are pushing forward significant changes in the way safety is implemented, managed and regulated. The first of these, explains Barney, is something of a change of habits.
Traditionally a manufacturer, like Combisafe would just liaise with the steel frame contractors and discuss and implement their requirements for edge/fall protection. But, increasingly Combisafe is beginning to discuss safety with the Principal Contractor (PC), discussions that do not just meet the needs of the steel frame contractors but also meet the needs of other contractors involved in the project. By planning edge/fall protection across the whole of the project at this stage it is possible to save "One week per floor in terms of time" says Barney. Such a saving obviously means huge savings in terms of labour costs and is a major benefit in attracting future clients.
As well as this change in behaviour there is also the Proposed Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM) that are due to be published at some point in 2006. These Regulations will, according to Mark Bush, senior tutor at health and safety training facility Woodland Grange "Regulate designers to reduce and elimninate risk in design and ensure that health and safety is not outweighed by aesthetics, commercial considerations and costs." They also say that only one Principal Contractor can be responsible for the whole construction phase, and this includes responsibility for health and safety standards of sub-contractors.
While it must be emphasised that the CDM Regs are only at the proposal stage it seems that there will be a greater need for designers and PCs to consult with specialist manufacturers at an early stage. As well as the ubiquitous steel mesh barrier system, that can be attached at floor level and craned into place, there are other award-winning products available from Combisafe that can be specified as part of one system that can be easily adjusted to meet all the various contractors’ edge/fall protection needs.
In 2003 Combisafe won the prestigious Beaumont Safety Trophy, awarded by the CHSG for its Safety Net Fans that peform the dual function of forming a fall arrest system for the workforce while also protecting pedestrians and workers from falling objects and debris. In 2004 the company again won this award for effective innovation in health and safety but this time for its Net Barrier System that offers a flexible edge protection solution for all manner of roof construction, and when combined with internal safety netting provides a confident cocoon within which the roofer can operate in complete safety. Hoping to complete a remarkable hat-trick is the company’s Alsipercha product that Barney describes as "Your dream sky hook". Developed in Spain, this product prevents falls from height during the decking for horizonatal formwork operation.
But having these products is only of so much value if the architects, designers and PC’s can build edge/fall protection into their plans at an early stage. This is where Combisafe’s Safety Centre plays a major part as it allows these poeple to get a hands-on insight into the problems that are faced on construction sites. The Safety Centre, for example, has a climbing wall so that people who have no experience of being in a safety harness and being high above the ground can experience that feeling. It has a station where site managers can drill the required hole in a steel frame so that they will know what their co-workers will have to do to install the Steel mesh barrier, and they can see and take part in an exercise to change the height of that barrier, a simple operation.
The Safety Centre has the whole range of Combisafe’s products in a spacious, indoors, monitored environment so that those that need more information about the equipment can interact with professionals who crucially know about edge/fall protection and know about construction. It’s a powerful combination.
With all the changes surrounding safety on construction sites, a manufacturer like Combisafe can offer a great deal of expert advice as well as high quality products to those whose specialisms may well lie in other fields.
Bulletin
Combisafe International develops, manufactures and supplies fall-safety solutions for the construction industry.
COMBISAFE comprises not only individual fall safety products, but also many different products that can be combined to form a system. Currently there are two guard rail systems available, designed for different types of construction.
The Safety Posts and the Steel Mesh Barriers for the basis of both systems. These can, together with a number of different attachments, be used during the entire building process.
Should a standard product not be suitable a special product will be custom designed. More articles from Combisafe International Limited: | 
