There is conflict between the requirements of legislation and established practices regarding orientation to safe scaffolding work. Orientation is too often not implemented in practice, even though it is required by law and the manufacturer’s operating instructions. Patera’s scaffolding safety training can be used to ensure that everyone involved in scaffolding work has sufficient prerequisites to work and promote safety.
– Scaffolding work is high-risk work, and yet it is done in Finland almost invariably without proper orientation”, says Janne Parantainen, scaffolding safety expert at Patera.
– Almost every time I have asked people doing scaffolding work on sites whether they have been trained in safe scaffolding work, the answer is no”, says Parantainen.
Often, reading the scaffolding manufacturer’s instructions is considered orientation. Parantainen points out that this alone is not enough. The manufacturer’s instructions require compliance with local, country-specific legislation. The instructions are translated from a foreign language, and the images in the instructions are not localised to meet country-specific requirements.
– A typical situation is that scaffolding work is learned by watching how other employees do it. However, Section 57 of Government Decree 205/2009 and the scaffolding manufacturer’s operating instructions require orientation”, says Parantainen.
It is also often forgotten that the client bears major responsibility for the safety of employees working on scaffolding. A responsible scaffolding work client is familiar with the safety issues that need to be taken into account on a scaffolding site.
Training for scaffolding users, scaffolders, inspectors and clients
Patera organises scaffolding safety training at different levels to meet the need for orientation.
A person starting scaffolding work needs sufficient orientation, such as a scaffolding safety card. The first stage of the four-step training provides a comprehensive introduction to safe scaffolding work. The second part, scaffolder training, is completed after one year’s experience of scaffolding work or at the same time as the first part. The third part is aimed at supervisors and the fourth part at scaffolding inspectors.
According to Parantainen, the most requested training among parties exercising primary control is scaffolding safety training aimed at scaffolding clients.
– The client is legally responsible for the safety of scaffolding work. The training covers the requirements that the client must place on scaffolding suppliers in order to comply with law”, says Parantainen.
The training is based on the authorities’ instructions
Patera’s training is always organised in-person, where possible. After the theoretical part, the participants either practise on scaffolding with a practical installation or observe the compliance of scaffolding with law, depending on the training.
– After all, a welder cannot be qualified with online training either. It must be seen that the person knows how to do the job in practice”, Parantainen says.
If there is no access to an actual field round at the time of training, some training courses use virtual reality as an aid.
– There are many parties behind the training. We have verified the content of the legislation section in cooperation with the Regional State Administrative Agency, lawyers and scaffolding importers”, says Parantainen.
The the training materials are also carefully updated in the event of changes in legislative requirements, for example. Therefore, it is a good idea to complete training courses at regular intervals – regulations can change, and it is useful to brush up anyway. After all, the occupational safety card must also be renewed every five years.
– “Especially supervisors who lead work and give advice to others should receive regular training”, Parantainen points out.
– “The more skilled the team, the safer the working environment”, he concludes.
Scaffolding inspector training provided a lot of new information
Metsä Wood’s occupational safety representative Pasi Hartikka participated in Patera’s scaffolding inspector training. The training became relevant due to the changing job description.
– “As the HSEQ coordinator, I am responsible for the site and look at how things are done on the site. As an occupational safety representative, I have the obligation to intervene if I notice deficiencies in safety matters”, says Hartikka.
In Hartikka’s opinion, the training met expectations.
– “The training was good and I got a lot of new information about what to observe in terms of scaffolding safety. I was already familiar with some of the things, but there were many new ones. Every little thing matters”, he says.
– “Janne brought the training to life by talking about different situations that have occurred. This keep the participants very alert”, he adds.
After the training, Hartikka walked past some scaffolding and noticed a few deficiencies. It was easy to send a message to the instructor and check whether the observations were correct.
– “My observations were correct and good. Janne reminded us that observation should be practised every time you see scaffolding”, Hartikka says.
