Make scaffold safe
June 1st 2005 Working at Height Regulations have had a major impact on reducing accidents at work and on construction sites in particular and one of the most significant contributors to improving site safety is scaffold sheeting. Scaffold sheeting is a temporary containment and weather protection enclosure system. Apart from minimising weather-induced delays to a project, scaffold sheeting enhances site safety by preventing debris and small objects from falling and to reducing the risk of persons falling from scaffold platforms.
Furthermore, it improves the working area by reducing wind-chill factor, it improves heat retention and it contains dust and pollutants. Environmental impact is thus minimised.
The market for these products has steadily increased over the last two decades as the HSE (Health & Safety Executive) and the Building Industry Scaffold Association recognised the benefits and costeffectiveness of installing scaffold sheeting.
BS 7955:1999 was drawn up by the BSI (British Standards Institute) in consultation with the HSE, manufacturers and industry representatives including the NASC (National Association of Scaffolding Contractors). One of the members of the BSI working group committee and a major contributor to the development of the Standard was Industrial Textiles and Plastics, manufacturer of the product Powerclad.
Meeting the standard “Scaffold sheeting requires minimum performance characteristics as specified in BS 7955 and as with any non-conforming product, non-compliant materials inevitably compromise site safety and put construction workers at risk. In addition to conforming to the Standard, Powerclad incorporates a number of technical elements to provide a complete system. We are great advocates of improving safety on construction sites and we promote the Standard vigorously. We also recommend that Flame Retardant products are used on any refurbishment project because the building is most likely occupied throughout the works.” says Richard Menage, director of Industrial Textiles & Plastics.
The two relevant Flame Retardant Standards LPS 1207 and LPS 1215 were developed by the Loss Prevention Council Board. LPS 1207 covers the minimum specification for temporary protective materials indoors (temporary screens and enclosures) and LPS1215 covers temporary protective materials outdoors (tarpaulins and scaffold sheeting).
Make scaffold Powerclad FR complies with both.
BS 7955 specifies test methods and minimum tensile strengths of the material, its attachment points and the fixings themselves. For example, the material must have a minimum tensile strength of 630 Newtons in each direction, the eyelets should withstand a minimum of 500 Newtons and the fasteners should withstand a minimum of 500 Newtons.
Powerclad is designed with additional safety features. Scaffold designers can alter the method of attachment in order to vary the wind resistance of the system. This ensures that in gale force winds, Powerclad scaffold sheeting detaches to reduce the risk of damage or collapse of the scaffold structure. In windy conditions, an inadequate number of ties will inevitably result in the sheeting detaching prematurely and too many ties may put excessive forces on the scaffold structure leading to it’s collapse. In high winds, the sheeting should be regarded as sacrificial in order to maintain the integrity of the scaffold structure. Sheeting begins to detach as soon as the wind forces exceed the breaking strength of the ties and/or the eyelets and/or the sheeting material.
Clearly, all structures require individual design interpretation depending upon site location, elevation and shape, the period of installation, the variability of the wind speed factors and whether the sides of the structure are sheeted or open.
Don’t be mistaken Compliant scaffold sheeting is easily recognized, BS 7955 is printed at regular intervals along the edge of the scaffold sheeting. Scaffold sheeting should be installed to another British Standard, BS 8410 (which superseded BS 8093).
Occasionally some products are offered as compliant to BS 8410. This is in fact misleading since BS 8410 is a method of installation rather than a measure of performance. Prior to installation, it is essential that a thorough safety review and risk assessment of the scaffold design is undertaken to ensure that the structure will withstand the additional forces caused by sheeting the scaffold. The safety review and risk assessment should be far reaching and include consequences of installing sheeting close to unusual suction forces (such as motorways, bridges, tunnels & railway tracks), to surrounding buildings and areas, the public, pedestrian and vehicular traffic and the consequences of accidental collapse. BS 8410 assists with both the risk assessments for scaffold designers and installation for contractors.
Industrial Textiles & Plastics is a producer of technical textiles and special fabrics.
Innovative products include woven meshes and knitted nettings, coated fabrics, reinforced and coextruded films, nonwovens, composites and laminates.
ITP's wide ranging product portfolio has been developed to meet the requirements of fabricators, converters and end users, and in markets as diverse as building and civil engineering, automotive and transport, agriculture and horticulture, healthcare and defence - in the UK, Europe and overseas.
Richard Menage, Director, Industrial Textiles & Plastics Ltd.
Stillington Road, Easingwold, York YO61 3FA Tel: 01347 825215 | 
