The knowledge of scaffolding clients of the requirements of scaffolding has created a peculiar situation: the client has started to “train” its scaffolding suppliers on how to build scaffolding correctly. Weird arrangement. Now that clients have been trained by Patera on scaffolding safety requirements in Finland, it has been noticed that the supplier is unable to meet the manufacturer’s and legal requirements in its scaffolding deliveries, which is really worrying.
Denial of defects
Another unfortunate feature is that the supplier questions the client’s requirements: “How can the client, as an ‘amateur’ in scaffolding work, know how the scaffolding should be installed?” During a field round during one of our training courses, the client called the supplier’s foreman and told them about a defect in some scaffolding, which the client had observed based on what they had learned in the training. The supplier very rudely questioned the client’s understanding of scaffolding issues. However, the deficiencies were real; I was standing right there when this happened.
Responsibility of the scaffolding supplier and the scaffolding client
The client pays the scaffolding supplier to ensure that the scaffolding is in perfect condition. Once the scaffolding has been completed, the scaffolding supplier must ensure that the scaffolding is inspected by a competent person before handover. After handover, the responsibility passes to the scaffolding client: “The employer providing scaffolding for use by its employees is responsible for maintaining the safety of the scaffolding throughout its use.” The client must decide whether the scaffolding still needs to be inspected before it is handed over to others. Due to the transfer of responsibility, use a high-quality scaffolding company that has familiarised the employees and verified their qualifications as thoroughly as possible. As a client, also train your own personnel in scaffolding safety, so that they can work more safely and easily and act responsibly.
Only a written document is valid
When concluding agreements, verifying qualifications or carrying out inspections, for example, remember that only written, verifiably existing material is relevant. Example of scaffolding commissioning: if there is no commissioning report, you cannot verify whether the scaffolding complies with law, if necessary. Similarly, a verbal agreement is worthless in the event of accident, as it cannot be proven to the authorities. Documentation for your safety.
Author:
Janne Parantainen
Scaffolding Safety Expert And Instructor
+358 40 554 5889
janne.parantainen@patera.fi
