When looking for a scaffolding contractor to support your project, you are seeking a good one, aren’t you? And you are absolutely right as only a good scaffolding contractor can provide utterly safe access solutions. In this post, we discuss the telltale signs that help you distinguish a good scaffolding company and weed out a bad one.
License
In a good scaffolding company, each site operative must have a relevant CISRS card. That is to say, the card proves his having competence relevant to the tasks he is to handle. Also, appropriate licensing means the team has all the skills and experience to meet your project requirements in full.
While it is highly unlikely a scaffold company operates without any license at all, there are plenty of cases when site operatives work without relevant CISRS cards. Here are some examples that are the telltale signs of a bad scaffolding contractor:
• Support site operatives don’t have even Labourer cards
• A company takes over a project of complex design but none of its scaffolders has an advanced scaffolder qualification
• A company undertakes, for example, Ringlock scaffold construction while having a license only for a Haki system
Price
Of course, projects differ in their scope, complexity, applied materials, or used systems. Moreover, pricing policy varies from company to company and may depend on its market experience, brand awareness, etc. Therefore, prices also differ. Moreover, location also matters. For example, an approved scaffold contractor in London approved scaffold contractor in London may have quite different prices than a similar company in another county.
Still, beware of too low prices. In other words, too low prices often relate to poor quality of the structures and services or to reduced company responsibility. Note, when it comes to poor quality it comes to unsafety. So, run away from such contractors. By the way, the same is true with fixed-price offerings.
Health and Safety policy
In fact, the company’s H&S policy reflects their approach to the business. If they don’t pay attention to their employees’ safety, how can they ensure a safe environment for your site? So, a good scaffolding company uses appropriate PPE, instructs its operatives regularly, etc.
On the contrary, if a contractor doesn’t have the H&S policy or has it only formally but neglects its main principles and provisions, do not hire it. Why? Because negligence towards employee health and safety often results in accidents. In turn, accidents on your construction site not only slow down your project progression. They may be negatively associated with your name and compromise it as well.
Insurance
At last, safety policy has a lot to deal with the liability of the company. Here, we speak about the public liability. To clarify, scaffolding may pose certain hazards because of loose fittings, cracked boards, etc. It can affect:
• Your worker safety while they are using the scaffolds
• The general public safety while they are passing by the structures
• Risks of damaging someone’s property while constructing or dismantling the scaffolds (or if the structure falls apart accidentally)
Therefore, a good company must have sufficient and valid public liability insurance. If not, then this is a company to avoid.
