Storm Doris a reminder to ensure scaffolding is weatherproof!

Spring is finally here and the sun has been shining and we’re all hoping that winter and the bad weather is firmly behind us! Just a few weeks ago though the UK was battered by Storm Doris.

The storm caused chaos across the country with winds of up to 90mph bringing down trees, forcing roads and bridges to close, suspending train services, causing traffic accidents and of course highlighting scaffolding deficiencies.

In Holborn in central London, a scaffold was ripped from the roof of an office building. The structure had been erected as part of a £15 million rooftop extension plan for the building.  Fortunately, no one was hurt in this particular incident but the road below was closed for most of the afternoon causing significant delays to traffic.

Clearly, the weather was exceptionally bad the day storm Doris hit the UK, but with careful planning and implementation of basic industry guidance, most scaffolding storm damage could be avoided.

Adverse weather conditions are a stark reminder of how important it is to ensure that scaffolding has been correctly erected and can withstand high winds. Adhering to the recommendations in the NASC publications TG20:13 ‘A Comprehensive Guide to Good Practice for Tube and Fitting Scaffolding’ and TG4:19 ‘Anchorage Systems for Scaffolding’ which both give sound detail on stability and anchoring, would mean that scaffolding is stable enough to withstand even the toughest of weather conditions and remain in situ despite  the unusually high wind speeds.

We also advise that scaffolding is independently inspected on a regular basis. This can help to identify any issues or potential weaknesses which could leave scaffolding vulnerable in bad weather.  We can help with independent scaffolding inspections and scaffolding safety audits. If you would like to find out more please give us a call on 0845 602 2418 or drop us an email hello@simian-risk.com.