Scaffolding Association launch sector conference

The Scaffolding Association have announced they will be holding their first conference in September 2022. The event, being held at the Heart of England - Conference & Events Centre, will attract around 300 delegates from across all areas of the scaffolding and access sector including operations, managing directors, HR, compliance, risk management, procurement, technical and many others. Since opening for membership in 2013, the Scaffolding Association have proactively listened to what their members are saying about the industry and have composed a conference programme which they hope to be engaging, informative and above all else relevant. The Scaffolding Association is proud to welcome Tim Balcon, CEO of the Construction Industry

Training Board (CITB), as the keynote speaker. Other speakers confirmed for the event are Richard Turfitt, Senior Traffic Commissioner, and Stuart Young from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, alongside a host of other inspiring sessions and speakers throughout the day. Having not been able to hold face-to-face events during the pandemic, the Scaffolding Association hopes the industry welcomes the opportunity to network and establish relationships with other industry professionals on a more personal level. Sponsorship and marketing opportunities are available as well as a limited number of exhibitor packages.

Tickets can be purchased from: www.scaffoldconference.co.uk

Scaffold Association attends SHExpo

The Scaffolding Association attended their first face-to-face exhibition since the pandemic – the Safety & Health Expo (SHExpo) at the ExCeL, London. The event, being held for the first time in three years, was run over three days and is the UK’s largest dedicated health and safety event. The Association used the event to continue its campaign to demonstrate the importance of quality and safety within the sector and promote the work it is doing to achieve this through its various channels. The event provided the opportunity for the Association to reconnect with the industry in a face-to-face fashion and speak to members, member partners and industry professionals.

Robert Candy, Chief Executive of the Scaffolding Association said; “The Scaffolding Association welcomes the return of these types of face-toface events. They provide a vital platform from

Scaffold company has operator licence revoked

In April 2016, V M Scaffold Ltd was granted a restricted goods vehicle operator licence for one vehicle. In October 2021 a DVSA vehicle examiner spotted the operator’s vehicle parked in a pub car park over several days, together with a 3.5 tonne flatbed scaffold vehicle.

The vehicle examiner carried out a maintenance check into the operator and found the maintenance of the vehicle had been severely neglected. The examiner called the company which we can promote and impress the need for the improvement in standards of quality and safety within the scaffolding and access industry. We can engage, on a more personal level, with health and safety professionals and learn about groundbreaking innovation which will affect our sector.”

For more information on the SHExpo, visit: www.safety-health-expo.co.uk to a public inquiry, which no-one attended so the matter was determined based on written evidence. Despite several attempts, the director refused to engage with the DVSA.

The DVSA found the company lacked the necessary finances to sustain a licence and has operated its vehicle with disregard for regular maintenance. Therefore, the DVSA examiner could not be confident that the company would comply in the future and it was decided that the company’s operator licence would be revoked immediately. Furthermore, the DVSA have ruled that under Section 28 of the 1995 Act, the company and director will be disqualified from holding an operator licence for a period of three years.