Award

august 2015 | 47 photography courtesy scafom canada inc. the role of innovation in scaffolding by robin brunet T he scaffold industry, not unlike many other sectors of the construction indus- try, has had its fair share of challenges over the years. As one Toronto-based commercial scaffold supplier who spoke to Award on condition of anonymity explained, "On the one hand you can see the most incredible cantilevered scaf- folding systems in use during a bridge renovation, and on the other you can drive to any new housing development and witness truly slipshod work." He adds, "To put it mildly, and WorkSafe regulations notwithstanding, people are still able to get away with a lot in the residential field once the inspectors' back is turned." This sentiment is echoed by the Scaffold Industry Association of Canada Ontario Chapter (SIAC), whose focus this year has been on working together with govern- ment regulators and other industry associations to ensure the SIAC is seen as lead- ers in scaffold and access safety. "After ten workplace deaths in Ontario's construction sector between June and July of last year alone, and several more recent accidents, industry leaders agree that workplace hazard awareness and health and safety prevention is a key priority," explains Roger Marsland, SIAC president. "We have recently established a Government Relations task force that will pro- mote and facilitate communications with the Ontario Government and in particular the Ministry of Labour. The purpose of this initiative is to establish open lines of communication with all levels of government that will give our industry a voice in developing new regulations and a forum to discuss the field application of the regulations in the scaffold industry," says Marsland. The SIAC, in partnership with the Building and Concrete Restoration Association of Ontario (BCRAO), has played a key role in developing a regulation proposal for suspended access equipment. "For too long the relationship between the Ministry of Labour and our industry has been adversarial, yet we share the same goals – to provide the safest possible workplace and eliminate workplace accidents so every- one gets to go home to their families at the end of their work day." Still, in terms of products and service providers, there are no end of world-class scaffolding experts in Canada, and on the West Coast, Canada Scaffold Supply Co. Ltd. is a good example. The company engineers and erects a wide variety of scaffold and structural steel as well as sells and rents scaffold systems. With over 40 years of expertise, Canada Scaffold is sought for complex and demanding projects, such as the long-awaited redevelopment of Vancouver's Sears. Soon to be a Nordstrom store, the three-storey, 230,000-square-foot edifice in the heart of downtown required exterior scaffolding, suspended platforms/swing stages, sidewalk hoarding and many other types of equipment. Canada Scaffold also distinguishes itself by making available the Advance Guardrail system, a prefixed guardrail set at working height before the scaffolder enters the working platform to install permanent guardrails. This lightweight safety solution works with any two-inch tube system and is effective in preventing falls during erection and dismantling (which is said to be the root cause of more than half of scaffold accidents overall). As safety increasingly becomes a priority on job sites, Canada Scaffold has the wherewithal to handle any situation. All scaffolding installation services provided by the company are done by highly-skilled professionals who have received exten- sive training in all aspects of erection and safety. Equally important, most of Canada Scaffold's erectors are long-term employees, some with over two decades of experience. Some access specialists deliberately seek markets and jurisdictions where strict regulations and safety standards are the norm – which is why a large percentage of the work undertaken by Tractel Group is in the U.S. "For example, places like New York where permanent equipment is to be incorporated into buildings over a cer- tain height, and temporary solutions also fall under intense scrutiny in the name of safety – and we're all for comprehensive regulations and strict codes of safety," says Steve Gallagher, Tractel's swingstage division marketing manager. Gallagher adds, "Of course, purely from a business perspective, the U.S. market is a lot bigger and therefore offers more opportunities to businesses like ours." Tractel has a long history of innovation. The first being the Tirfor/Griphoist man- ual wire rope hoist, a pulling and lifting machine that for its time was a revolution because it made the task of moving various types of loads easier for workers. From this innovation a motorized version called Tirak was created offering unlimited lift- ing heights – now the standard in wire rope traction hoists for suspended platforms. Permanent and temporary access solutions required height safety, which became a core objective of Tractel in the prevention of falls. Over the years the company has developed a large product range including harnesses, fall arresters, anchors, safety ropes and ladders with fall arrest rails. One of Tractel's more notable recent projects is Mellon Bank Center, a 54-storey tower in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When it came time to repaint the facility, Mellon VP and manager of special projects Bernie Koblinsky asked Tractel to attend the strategy sessions. As a result, Tractel was able to develop a comprehensive plan that gave safe access for all the workers to the entire facade. The plan also included methods to hoist and manage a variety of ultra-high-pressure water cleaning and vacuum recovery hoses. Paul Tomei, principal and manager of construction engineering services at Bogdonov Pao Associates Ltd. (BPA), provides comprehensive structural engineer- ing services for a wide spectrum of sectors. In addition to scaffolding and false- work, BPA is also heavily involved in seismic retrofitting and vibration analysis of bridges, dams and buildings. BPA also provides structural engineering for the movie industry and held the contract for all temporary structures during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Tomei's enthusiasm for the increased construction activity overall in Canada and the U.S. in 2015 is matched by his willingness to work with contractors and equip- ment suppliers during the pre-bid phases of the work, to identify creative engineer- ing solutions aimed at establishing a strategic advantage that can increase the odds of being selected as the successful bidder. "Scaffolding is incredibly versatile," he says. "With tube and clamp systems you can build almost anything you want. And keep in mind, new construction is only a small component of scaffolding, so innova- tions to make systems more efficient and safer will continue." But Tomei believes it's useful to look outside of Canada at other types of advances being made. "I can't help but think of Ireland, where scaffolding is a certified trade and many of whose highly-skilled and trained workers are coming to this country to help fill a labour gap," he says. "Although here in B.C. scaffolding is not yet certified and many people learn on the job, I do believe specialized training is on the horizon – and it should be encouraged." Tomei's eagerness to see a comprehensive form of training is spurred by the famil- iar and troubling issue in Canada of mega-projects and new industries such as LNG coming down the turnpike, accompanied by the nationwide skilled labour shortage. "Already we've been involved in five significant facilities at Seaspan as that company upgrades for a huge number of ship building contracts," he says. "Make no mistake: in terms of Canada's scaffolding sector we do a tremendous job and are leaders in safety compliance; we just need more trained people to make job sites safe, and fast." Meanwhile, Scafom attributes its success over the years in the industrial services sector to continuously striving to outperform the safety, logistical and personal service expectations of its clients. Scafom provides full contracting services to the industrial and commercial markets in Eastern Canada, working with a suspended access team that leads the market with innovative products. In Western Canada and the U.S., Scafom supports its rental and sales equipment through site management, engineering and safety support services. Brian Forrester, Scafom's project group manager, has seen a fundamental shift in the sector he serves. "In the old days it used to be schedule, schedule, schedule, but today safety is bigger than profits – I'm glad of this evolution." Forrester, a veteran of the safety field, is well aware that problems still exist – as evidenced by the amount of night work that is still conducted across the country precisely because regulation inspectors are less prevalent during off-hours. "But the clients we work with – the EllisDons and PCLs of the world – are equally focused on keeping their crews safe," he says. Forrester echoes the sentiments of his colleagues in the scaffolding industry when he concludes, "I suppose there will always be people who want to take short- cuts for whatever reasons, but that's something we have actively discouraged, and our efforts along with the efforts of many others who are committed to safety are paying off." A Brace Yourself scaffold 10:19 AM

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