Making scaffolding simple to track
September 1st 2009 Scaffolding by its nature is difficult to control, but when Morgan Est trialled a new electronic system from Scafftag it found streamlining the process of inspecting and decommissioning its scaffolding structures needn’t be an Olympic effort
There is huge pressure for companies to be cost effective and achieve best practice and this applies to all aspects of business, especially to health and safety.
Morgan Est specialises in the design and delivery of complex engineering projects for the private and public sector. It also provides specialist tunnelling, utilities, civil engineering and mechanical and electrical services to the water, transport and energy sectors.
One of the company’s highest profile projects at present, is the delivery of a £1.5bn project at Stratford City, which lies adjacent to the Olympic Park. In order to secure contracts Morgan Est needed to demonstrate a robust, efficient approach to safety, maintenance and identification to manage key issues specified in the Olympics Delivery Authority’s (ODA) standards.
With a company of this size and complexity, being able to streamline processes to manage business requirements in a cost-effective manner is essential. To achieve increased efficiency, Morgan Est turned to the Safetrak system from Scafftag to help improve the inspecting and reporting process for its scaffolding structures. Furthermore, Scafftag has now developed purpose designed systems to help manage key issues specified in the ODA’s standard.
Safetrak is an electronic system designed to transform safety, maintenance and identification activities into paperless, efficient and simplified processes. Since adopting the system on a trial basis, Morgan Est has seen a significant reduction in the time taken to carry out inspections and complete reports, as well as a decrease in the potential for human error.
Before Safetrak
Before using Safetrak, Morgan Est relied upon a paper based system to comply with legal scaffolding requirements.
Scaffolding is, by its very nature, difficult to control. With the constant turnover of scaffold jobs, knowing what structures are erected, inspected and decommissioned becomes difficult leaving a high potential for errors.
Each scaffolding structure has to conform to the legal scaffolding requirements. For projects involving working at height, a risk assessment must also be completed to determine the appropriate equipment and provide guidance on the inspections.
After adopting Safetrak With the introduction of Safetrak, paper reports no longer have to be filled out, filed or sent off. All relevant parties have instant access to information on each scaffold structure and can use Safetrak’s simple report generation tool to compile all legally required documentation.
The Safetrak solution is made up of several integrated components:
• Visual tagging systems enclosing an ‘automatic identification’ chip (principally Radio Frequency Identification (RFID))
• Mobile computers
• Safetrak core software (planning and reporting function)
• Plug-in inspection software modules for managing specific equipment e.g. scaffolding, ladders and lifting equipment
A visual tag is attached to each scaffolding structure. The electronic chip contained within each visual tag has a unique reference number to identify the specific structure. The unique structure references are entered into the Safetrak system and a current status report is created for each scaffolding structure.
Inspection routes are then planned using the core Safetrak software. These are downloaded to the mobile computers and given to the qualified scaffolders to take out with them in the field.
The mobile devices then guide qualified scaffolders through planned routes, identifying the correct location. By scanning the visual tags, the correct specific structure can be confirmed. The required inspection checks are then specified, either for a weekly inspection (pass/pass with observations or fail), or a handover.
This means that for a report to be generated, the qualified scaffolder physically needs to be at the correct structure and scan the visual tag. This eliminates the risk of vital information being forgotten between being onsite inspecting and returning back to the office to write up a report - or a report being created without a qualified scaffolder being present.
The results of the inspection are recorded onto the handheld devices. Once the handheld devices are returned the office the data can be downloaded and recorded in the core software. This centralises all of the information collected in the field, providing the relevant managers with the latest status and an audit trail for all of the scaffolding structures. Any noncompliances are identified immediately, allowing them to be dealt with instantly.
Alan Barnes, scaffolding fofeman, explains further: “My responsibility is to look after scaffolding structures on numerous sites, including Heathrow and the Olympics. In fact, especially with the Olympic sites, where we are working alongside numerous contractors, the system gives me a clear picture of where my scaffolds are and ensures that the weekly inspections tie in with the locations. I can also identify instantly any issues that I need to deal with and make sure that I either visit the site or speak to the site manager.”
The trial has been well received, although slightly daunting in the initial stages. After training, the workers carrying out the inspections began to embrace the system. They were immediately able to see the benefits.
To find out more about Scafftag, visit them at Health & Safety ‘09, Bolton, Stand 66 More articles from Scafftag Limited: | 
