UKSSH AND BMH SCAFFOLDING DELIVER FOR ROYAL MAIL
UK System Scaffold Hire has pioneered the use of Haki Public Access Staircases as a quick, cost-effective and safe way to help maintain social distancing. Creating one-way systems for workers not just on building sites but in office blocks by incorporating emergency exits into one-way systems has enabled the impact of social distancing requirements to be minimised.
The latest project was a collaboration between BMH Scaffolding (Part of the Phoenix Group) and UKSSH on a new build project for Royal Mail in Northampton. Needing to provide an additional access point on the project to achieve social distancing on site without having a pinch point at entry and exit places, John Behan of BMH Scaffolding approached UKSSH to provide a fast and effective solution. As John explains: “We have worked with UKSSH in the past and have always been impressed by their commitment to customer service and yet again they delivered. Having decided that the optimum access solution was to provide workers with an additional entry point at the lower level of the site we needed to construct a safe stairway over a very muddy bank. Within 24 hours of contacting UKSSH they had made a site visit and provided both an outline design and costings for the stairway. It enabled us to respond to our client’s needs and provide a very quick and effective solution which precisely met their needs”.
Gary Griffiths, Managing Director of UK System Scaffold Hire explains: “Thinking outside the box might be a cliché, but it has never been more relevant to the construction sector. “Creative solutions and a flexible approach have helped the industry to adapt and respond to the challenges that Covid-19 has created – and that includes exploring new applications for products that may well have been pigeon-holed in the past. “Take the Haki Public Access Staircases as a case in point. On construction sites their use was probably largely limited to being used in conjunction with the Haki Bridge System to provide temporary public access across railway lines while permanent structures were being refurbished or replaced (visit UKSSH’s website to see an impressive video showing the Haki Bridge System in action).
“However, in 2020 UK System Scaffold Hire has pioneered its use to help maintain social distancing by creating one-way systems for workers not just on building sites but in office blocks and retail outlets, enabling the impact of social distancing requirements to be minimised”. Rail Construction UKSSH has also witnessed a rise in demand for the Haki Public Access Staircase to provide safe, free-flowing access to construction sites at the bottom of embankments (particularly relevant with the increasing number of HS2 projects). The Public Access Staircases are wide enough to accommodate a two-way system, allowing a flow of workers to use it to both ascend and descend while maintaining social distancing, feature non-slip GRP treads and landings and can achieve safe working loads up to 7.5kn m2.