A new era

Welcome to our very first issue of AccessPoint

Our aim is to promote achievement and successes in the access and scaffolding sector. We want to be able to praise good news yet also question initiatives that could benefit from a different approach. We live and work in a changing world and the sector’s supply chain will inevitably be flexible and open to new ways of working.

Change is an integral part of any organisation and change is certainly high on the agenda within the access and scaffolding industry. Workload among contractors continues to hold up and demand for skilled and qualified labour is strong. So, is it sustainable?

Well, that’s the challenge for any sector, and it’s no different for access and scaffolding. But what’s also a challenge is how to protect the integrity of the service that is provided. Skilled resources are crucial for the long-term success, and maintaining hard-won improvements in safety is critical.

This summer sees the introduction of the CISRS CPD refresher courses. This is a major step forward and CISRS should be congratulated for its commitment to raising and maintaining standards. However, is sending an operative back to the classroom for two days every five years the best solution? Or has an opportunity been missed?

Inside this issue there are some fine examples of innovation and forward thinking. On page 18, we see how one business has developed a testing process that means it can deliver loading bay gates that will raise safety standards within the industry. While our first site visit (turn to page 16) discovers how an integrated project team can come up with new ways of working to deliver technical excellence.

And congratulations to FASET for working with major suppliers and trainers in the sector to agree common training and test standards for platform decking. Go to page 19 to find how it has successfully agreed a training and certification scheme which will result in a Skilled CSCS Card specific to the trade.

All really positive and exciting. A lot has happened during the last 12 months and no doubt continuing change will bring more challenges for the skills and capabilities of those active in the sector. The new era is only just beginning.

Adrian JG Marsh Editor