Bus hits scaffolding in Bristol

Motorists faced huge delays in Bristol on last month, after a bus crashed into scaffolding on a busy road. The incident saw the bus catch the edge of scaffolding erected on a building next to the road, resulting in damage to the side of the bus and its windows.

There were no injuries reported at the time and all passengers that had been travelling on the bus were safely transferred to another vehicle. A spokesperson for the company operating the bus route, First Bus, confirmed that an investigation would be carried out to identify the cause of the crash.

Whilst it is as yet unclear as to where the fault lies with regards to the incident, situations such as this can often be caused by scaffolding design that has failed to account for passing traffic during initial planning and erection.

For any scaffolding activity adjacent to a public highway, a thorough understanding of the segregation of vehicles and scaffolding is essential, including:

• Required licenses
• Traffic management
• Segregation arrangements
• Hoarding arrangements
• Lighting and signage arrangements

A thorough risk assessment will identify potential vulnerabilities in the scaffold’s location and design, that could potentially come into contact with a vehicle.

You can find out more about the segregation of vehicles and scaffolding on our Scaffold Standard Guide.

For many years the team here at Simian have been helping to improve safety standards across the globe, and we have spent countless hours inspecting scaffolding to ensure it meets standards, and thus significantly reducing the risk of accidents. Find out more about our scaffolding inspection services or contact our team today to find out more about how we can support your business.