Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/354800
C orporate mindset, of course, is the key to ensuring safety. On that score, Canada Scaffold Supply Co. Ltd., which turns 40 this year, has carved out a reputa- tion for giving customers the best service and quality product. The company engineers and erects all types of scaffold and structural steel, in addition to selling and renting scaffold, shoring products, platforms and safety equipment. It is also the only company in Western Canada at this time to be using the Advanced Guardrail System, which prevents falls during erection and dismantling. Its prefixed guardrail is set at working height before the scaffolder enters the working platform to install permanent guardrails. Lightweight and easily oper- ated by one person, Advance Guardrail works with any two-inch tube system. Canada Scaffold also prides itself on being an indus- try leader in environmental impact management and is committed to the protection of the environment for present and future generations. The company sources its materials from within 500 to 800 kilometres. Canada Scaffold Supply Co. Ltd was involved in the expansion of the mixed-use Pacific Centre in Vancouver. Contracting for Ledcor for the past year and a half, the Sears/Nordstrom Re-development project is now nearing its completion date. "Exterior scaffolding, suspended platforms/swing stages and sidewalk hoarding are just a few example of Canada Scaffold equipment dominant at Block 52 site," says Christopher Jones, general manager for Canada Scaffold Supply Co. Ltd. But one question remains, are developers taking a serious approach to the correct use of scaffolding and training? The answer depends on the construction sector and the province. Francois Naudi, co-founder of United Scaffold Supply Company Inc., has also been actively campaigning for the sector to be regulated in order to increase safety on the job. "I began my scaffolding career in residential and had to abandon it, because even with a bare bones cost of $3,200 for a decent scaffolding system, many home developers view this as too high a cost," he says. United Scaffold has expanded over the years by serving the commercial and industrial sectors (it's currently working on the Ruskin Dam project in B.C. and a number of other projects throughout B.C., the Yukon, Alberta and the Northwest Territories), but Naudi's awareness of the slipshod scaffolding prac- tices all too prevalent in the residential sector still makes his blood run cold. "Worse, there's no real effort on the part of Workers Compensation to clean things up," he says. That's not all. "There's limited certification in B.C. for scaffolding experts and limited training, so we're importing people like crazy to compensate for the lack of home-grown skilled labour," says Naudi. And so, while the industry awaits the much-needed regu- lations, Naudi has taken things into his own hands: "My company provides training and act basically as our own school," he explains. United Scaffold also employs a full-time safety officer who maintains the safety of the company's personnel and customers, and ensures all scaffolding is erected in accordance with OH&S regulations. B rian Forrester, project group manager, Scafom Can- ada agrees that the government got very serious about safety training in his province after the afore- mentioned deaths of four workers in Toronto and adds that today a true culture of safety is emerging. "There's been a conscious effort to eliminate the cowboys in the scaffolding world, and it's paying off," he says. Scafom Canada provides scaffold erection and disman- tling services throughout the Greater Toronto Area. One of its latest jobs was providing a 60,000-square-foot system for the CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Aquatics Centre and Field House, much of which was sus- pended from the roof trusses in the ceiling deck. As the company that pre- sided over large scaffolding projects such as the Four Sea- sons Centre in Toronto and the addition of the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal at the Royal Ontario Museum, there's little Scafom Canada can't accom- plish – while never once com- promising safety standards. "We haven't had any lost-time injuries for years, and it helps that we've gone out of our way to work with safety groups, actively promoting training and involving ourselves in the development of our safety policies," says Forrester. Etobicoke Ironworks Limited also prides itself in manufacturing premium quality products, preci- sion crafted for a longer lifespan and greater ease of assembly. Etobicoke Ironworks Scaffolding Systems are designed to meet or exceed Canadian Standards Association and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA) requirements. Initially Etobicoke supplied the local area with mis- cellaneous and structural products, but its scaffold, formwork and grandstands are now sold across North America, Mexico and the Far East. O ne field that continues to gain traction is the use of qualified engineers working with contractors and equipment suppliers to design scaffold. When it comes to extreme heights, elaborate bridges or build- ing profiles, and access to deep excavation sites, a skilled engineer is an essential part of the team re- quired to develop state-of-the-art solutions. According to WorksafeBC's Occupational Health and Safety ( OHS) regulation, a scaffold must be con- structed, installed and used in accordance with the instructions of a professional engineer if a scaffold exceeds 125 feet in height, is suspended or canti- levered from a structure and/or if the scaffold is enclosed by a tarpaulin or any other cover. "The leaky condo era – when buildings were draped in scaffolding and green and blue tarps with mesh – saw the demand for experienced engineers rise," explains Paul Tomei, AScT – principal, manager con- struction engineering services at Vancouver-based Bogdonov Pao Associates Ltd. The team at Bogdonov Pao held the contract with VANOC for the engineered overlay (temporary struc- tures) required during the 2010 Winter Olympics and has designed scaffold for a number of stand-out proj- ects including Vancouver's Lions Gate bridge. "We pro- vided engineering for the access structures needed for the painting of a portion of the tower legs near deck level," says Tomei. The company also designed access scaffolding for other portions of the structure during the re-decking of the suspension bridge. Other notable scaffold projects for Bogdonov include the Port Mann/Highway 1 Improvement Proj- ect ( PMH1) and Westbank Corp's Kensington Gardens in Vancouver, B.C., that involved designing scaffold to feature a lifesize origami marketing sculpture of the building, as well as Trump Towers. "[Trump Towers] had a large-format media display out the front pro- moting the development with renderings of what the structure would look like and artwork that mimicked the tower. We designed a 70-foot freestanding scaf- fold tower with concrete foundations and established lateral resistance utilizing steel moment frames to accommodate this vision." With the growing number of complex temporary structures, Tomei says the demand for engineers con- tinues to grow. As a result, B.C. is looking to introduce a trades certification program to ensure the utmost level of safety and training. Like any sector of the construction industry, scaf- folding has challenges and yet, according to SIAC's O'Hara, it is thriving and finally gaining the recogni- tion it has long deserved. n Canada Scaffold's exterior scaffolding, suspended platforms/ swing stages and sidewalk hoardings were used on the Pacific Centre expansion in Vancouver, B.C. Photo: Canada Scaffold. AUGUST 2014 /55 Scaffold 2:45 PM