Scaffolding Association members work together to solve industry security problem

Andrew Simmonds, Managing Director at Allsafe approached Michael Diffey Sales Director at StaySafe to attempt to come up with a solution for securing stair towers on site. Andrew explained: “It began when a contract for a Lovell Homes site that we tendered for had a stipulation that required stair towers to be secure. As we all know the traditional solutions such as HERAS type fencing comes with its problems, namely that they can be broken into fairly easily and don’t provide the necessary security in which they are intended to provide.

We told Lovells that we would look for a better solution and began exploring other available options. We quickly eliminated them for various reasons such as cost and practicality so I spoke to Michael when placing an order for loading bay gates to see if this was something they could work with us to develop.”

After an initial meeting to gather all the requirements, Stay-Safe went away and developed a prototype. A couple of tweaks and they had come up with the ideal solution, the Stay-Safe Stair Tower Security Gate and Surround.

The Stair Tower Security Gate and Surround is a full security system that replaces the need for HERAS or hoardings. It consists of fully meshed panels that bolt on to the tower itself using only standard scaffolding fixings. The panels are 2m high and no greater than 1.65m wide, making them safer and easier to handle. They are fabricated to a high standard, making the Stair Tower Security Gates and Surrounds much more durable and harder wearing than HERAS panels.

Andrew explained some further benefits:

“They are really easy to use, and you only need standard scaffolding tools to fix them, meaning scaffolders don’t need to carry additional tools on them. They’re also lightweight and stackable making them quick and easy to use. We have created an upright racking system to store ours, they don’t take up too much room and ultimately they are much more secure.”

We also spoke to Michael Diffey about the manufacturing process, he explained: “We do everything in-house, we get the raw materials in and then cut, fabricate, and powder coat all of it ourselves. This means we can guarantee the quality of products that we produce. This also means we have the ability and facilities to brand our products to our customers requirement with bespoke powder coating and nameplates. Which only enhances the security of the products for our clients.”

Andrew commented:

“Being able to supply and fit a purpose fabricated security surround to our stair towers was a deciding factor in winning the tender. Lovells’ also requested that they were painted yellow for Health and Safety reasons. This was an easy request to facilitate knowing how Stay-Safe operate.

Being able to offer this product will only give us the edge when it comes to winning contracts, we have invested in some and we are looking to roll it out on to other sites now, obviously there is the additional cost element that we need to consider however it is good to be seen as ahead of the curve and offering safer solutions than the traditional way.”

When asked about the process of creating this product together Michael commented:

“Allsafe are a fantastic company to work with. Having a clear transparent relationship was key to developing this product. The whole process was relatively easy. Both parties were on the same wavelength, with similar visions. By utilising the expertise of Allsafe and Stay-Safe we have innovated a product that enhance onsite safety and security but also a product which is easy to handle, install and store.”