Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd fictional

Gap Analysis

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd — Scaffolding

Prepared by Deplexify · 01 August 2026

This is where your application stands today: what we have built for you, what you already hold, and the short list of things we still need before we can submit.

What we have prepared for you

These documents are drafted, customised to your business and your trade, and ready for you to read and sign:

• Health and Safety Policy — statement of intent, organisation and arrangements
• 10 risk assessments covering the significant hazards of scaffolding work
• Method statement for your operations
• 5 COSHH assessments
• Training and competence matrix
• Accident, incident and near miss reporting procedure
• Emergency procedures, consultation arrangements, subcontractor competence procedure, and monitoring and review arrangements

What you already have

You told us you hold these. Please send them over so we can attach them:

• Employers' Liability insurance certificate
• Public Liability insurance certificate
• Training certificates and competence cards
• Accident book — last 12 months
• Subcontractor details and their insurance

What we still need from you

Photograph them on your phone and send them over. Don't tidy them up first.

Any existing risk assessments

Even rough or out-of-date ones. They tell us how you actually work.

Any existing method statements or RAMS

Including ones a main contractor has given you.

Any existing health and safety policy

If you have one, we update it rather than replacing it — continuity looks better to an assessor than a brand new document.

Toolbox talk records

Evidence you communicate with your team. If you have none we will set up the record and you start from now.

Questions we still need answered

These aren't documents — they're short answers the scheme requires, and we can't write them for you. A sentence each is usually enough.

Who provides your competent health and safety advice?

The scheme requires a named person or firm with a formal qualification (NEBOSH or equivalent). It can be an external consultant on retainer or a service that comes with a trade body membership — but it has to be a real arrangement, and an application will be queried without one. This is the one item most likely to hold you up, so it's worth sorting first.

Reportable accidents over the last three years

Numbers only — fatalities, specified injuries, over-7-day injuries, reportable ill health, dangerous occurrences. Zero is a complete answer and the most common one; it just has to be stated rather than left blank.

Your two most recent incidents, and what changed as a result

However minor — a cut hand counts. Assessors want to see that something was learned. If there have genuinely been none, say so.

Any HSE or council enforcement in the last five years

Prosecutions, improvement notices, prohibition notices. "None" is the usual answer and needs stating explicitly.

Your welfare arrangements on site

What your people use for toilets, washing and drinking water — the principal contractor's facilities on managed sites, and what you do on domestic jobs where there are none.

What happens next

1. You send us the items above.
2. You read and sign the policy and the risk assessments.
3. We submit the application within 48 hours of having everything.
4. We handle the assessor's questions until you are accredited — however many rounds it takes, at no extra charge.

The scheme's own assessment usually takes 10 to 15 business days once submitted.

Health and Safety Policy

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd

Part 1 — Statement of Intent

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd is committed to providing and maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for all our employees, and to protecting anyone else who may be affected by what we do — our clients, other contractors, and members of the public.

We accept that the prevention of injury and ill health is a management responsibility, ranking equally with our other business objectives. We will not ask anyone to work in a way we would not accept ourselves.

We will:

• assess the risks arising from our work and put proportionate controls in place;
• provide plant, equipment and systems of work that are safe and properly maintained;
• provide the information, instruction, training and supervision our people need to work safely, and check that they have understood it;
• provide and maintain suitable personal protective equipment free of charge;
• consult our workers on matters affecting their health and safety, and act on what they tell us;
• investigate accidents, incidents and near misses, and change what we do as a result;
• comply with all relevant statutory duties as a minimum standard, not as a target;
• review this policy at least annually, and sooner if our work or the law changes.

Every employee has a duty to take reasonable care of their own health and safety and that of others affected by their work, to use equipment and protective clothing as instructed, and to report anything they believe to be unsafe. Nobody at Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd will be criticised or penalised for stopping work on safety grounds.

We employ five or more people and therefore record this policy in writing as required by section 2(3) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Signed:

 

Ray Fenwick

On behalf of Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd

Date: ______________________

Part 2 — Organisation and Responsibilities

Ray Fenwick — overall responsibility

Has overall and final responsibility for health and safety in the business. Ensures this policy is implemented, resourced and reviewed; ensures risk assessments are carried out and acted on; ensures adequate insurance is in place; and is responsible for reporting under RIDDOR.

Supervisors

Responsible for day-to-day implementation on site: briefing the team on the risk assessment and method statement before work starts, checking that controls are actually in place, stopping work where it is unsafe, and reporting incidents and defects. Supervisors have express authority to stop work without seeking permission.

All employees and workers

Responsible for working in accordance with the training and instruction they have been given, using the equipment and PPE provided, not interfering with anything provided for their safety, reporting hazards, defects, incidents and near misses, and co-operating with us on health and safety matters.

Subcontractors

Are required to work to standards at least equal to our own, to provide evidence of their competence, training and insurance before starting, and to work to our risk assessments and method statements or their own equivalent, reviewed and accepted by us in advance.

Part 3 — Arrangements

These arrangements set out how we manage the specific risks of our work as scaffolding contractors.

Our work

Erection, alteration, weekly inspection and dismantling of tube-and-fitting and system scaffold on domestic and light commercial premises, typically two to four storeys. Around a fifth of our work is over or alongside a public footpath, which we licence and hoard with the council. We also put up temporary roofs for roofing contractors and the occasional birdcage inside a building.

Risk assessment

We assess the risks of our work before it starts, record the significant findings, and brief everyone involved. Assessments are reviewed annually, when the work changes, and after any incident. A dynamic assessment is carried out on arrival at every site, because conditions change between quotation and start, and the person on site has authority to change the plan or stop.

Our current risk assessments cover: falls from height during erection, alteration and dismantling; falling materials and objects striking people below; scaffold collapse or structural instability; manual handling of scaffold components; adverse weather — wind, ice, rain and lightning; contact with overhead power lines and buried services; vehicle movements, deliveries and loading; risk to members of the public and other site users; slips, trips and falls on the same level; lone working and remote sites.

Competence and training

Nobody carries out work for which they are not trained and, where the work requires it, certificated. Our competence framework is based on CISRS (Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme). Training records and certificate expiry dates are maintained centrally and checked before deployment. See the Training Matrix.

Personal protective equipment

PPE is provided free of charge, is selected for the task, and is replaced when damaged or worn. PPE is the last line of defence — we control risk at source first. Standard issue for our work: Safety helmet to EN 397 with chinstrap, worn at all times on site; Full body harness and energy-absorbing lanyard to EN 361 / EN 355, inspected before use; Safety boots with toe protection and mid-sole protection to EN ISO 20345; High-visibility clothing to EN ISO 20471; Gloves with cut and grip protection appropriate to the task; Eye protection when cutting, grinding or using aerosols.

Insurance

We hold current Employers' Liability and Public Liability insurance. Certificates are displayed as required and copies are provided to clients and principal contractors on request. Renewal dates are diarised and cover is reviewed annually, and whenever the nature or scale of our work changes.

Plant and equipment

All equipment is inspected before use, maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, and subject to statutory inspection and thorough examination where required. Defective equipment is tagged and taken out of service immediately. Records are retained.

Hazardous substances

We assess substances hazardous to health before first use, using the current safety data sheet, and make the assessment available to the operative on site. We select the least hazardous product that will do the job. See the COSHH Assessments.

Accidents, incidents and first aid

A stocked first aid kit is carried on every vehicle and at least one trained first aider is available to each working team. All accidents, incidents and near misses are recorded in the accident book and reported to the responsible person the same day. Reportable events are notified to the HSE under RIDDOR. See the Accident Reporting Procedure.

An accident book is maintained and all injuries, incidents and near misses are recorded in it, whether or not they are reportable.

Consultation

We consult our workers directly on health and safety matters, through toolbox talks, pre-start briefings and open discussion. Anyone can raise a concern at any time, to anyone, without going through a process.

Monitoring and review

We monitor our performance through site inspections, equipment checks, incident review and an annual review of this policy and its supporting documents. See Monitoring and Review Arrangements.

Legal framework

The principal legislation applying to our work:

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• Work at Height Regulations 2005
• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
• Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998
• Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998
• Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
• Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (as amended 2022)
• Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013

Relevant industry guidance we work to:

• SG4 'Preventing Falls in Scaffolding Operations' (NASC)
• TG20 'Good Practice Guidance for Tube and Fitting Scaffolding' (NASC)
• HSE INDG401 'Working at height: a brief guide'
• BS EN 12811-1 Temporary works equipment

Prepared with reference to guidance published by the Health and Safety Executive under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Organisational Arrangements

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd

01 August 2026 · review 01 August 2027

These are the arrangements the SSIP core criteria require in addition to our policy, risk assessments and method statements.

Competent Health and Safety Advice

TO BE COMPLETED — this is a mandatory criterion and an application will be queried without it.

The scheme requires a named competent person providing health and safety advice, holding a formal qualification such as NEBOSH or equivalent, with knowledge of CDM 2015 where construction work is undertaken. This can be an employee, an external consultant on retainer, or a service provided through a trade body membership — but it must be a real, named arrangement.

Tell us who provides your competent advice and we will complete this section.

Welfare Provision

On managed sites we use the welfare facilities provided by the principal contractor, and we confirm at the pre-start meeting that toilets, washing facilities, drinking water, somewhere to change and store clothing, and a rest area are available before our operatives start work. Where they are not, we raise it with the principal contractor and do not start until it is resolved.

On domestic and unmanaged sites, where no facilities are provided, we make our own arrangements before the job starts: drinking water is carried on every vehicle, hand-washing provision (water, soap and paper towels, or an equivalent waterless system) travels with the team, and we agree access to a toilet with the householder or arrange a serviced portable unit for jobs lasting more than a day. Operatives take breaks in the vehicle or a designated rest point away from the work area.

Our work is mobile and often short-duration, so welfare is checked as part of the on-arrival assessment for every job rather than set up once per site.

Welfare provision is confirmed as part of the assessment carried out on arrival at every site. Where facilities are inadequate we raise it before starting work.

Co-operating with Others and Co-ordinating Work

Almost all of our work is carried out on sites controlled by someone else, so co-operation with other duty holders is not an add-on for us — it is how the job gets done safely. A scaffold is used by trades we do not employ, which makes the interface the point of greatest risk.

• We attend the principal contractor's site induction before starting, and our operatives follow site rules, permit systems and traffic management arrangements.
• We agree the scaffold design, loading and tie pattern with the principal contractor or client in writing before erection, and we confirm who is responsible for what.
• We issue a written handover certificate stating the safe working load, and we tag the scaffold. An untagged or red-tagged scaffold must not be used.
• We tell the principal contractor and other trades, in writing, that nobody alters our scaffold except our own trained scaffolders — and we respond promptly when an alteration is requested rather than leaving people to do it themselves.
• We carry out and issue statutory inspection reports at intervals not exceeding 7 days and after any event affecting stability, and we send copies to the principal contractor.
• Where our work affects others — exclusion zones, loading out, footpath closures — we agree timing and sequencing in advance so trades are not working beneath us.
• We attend progress and co-ordination meetings when asked, and we raise hazards we notice that are not ours to control.

Where we are appointed under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, we co-operate with the client, principal designer and principal contractor, provide the information they need for the health and safety file, and comply with the construction phase plan.

Accident History and Enforcement Action

The scheme requires three years of reportable accident statistics, details of our most recent incidents and any corrective action taken, and five years of enforcement history.

Reportable incidents — last three years

We have had no reportable incidents in the last three years.

Most recent incidents and corrective action

TO BE COMPLETED — a short account of the two most recent incidents (however minor) and what we changed as a result. If there have been none, state that.

Enforcement action — last five years

TO BE COMPLETED — any HSE or local authority prosecution, improvement notice or prohibition notice in the last five years, and what was done about it. "None" is the usual answer and must be stated.

Risk Assessments

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd — Scaffolding

How we score risk

Risk = likelihood × severity, scored 1–5 on each axis. LOW 1–7, MEDIUM 8–14, HIGH 15–25. The residual rating is the risk remaining once the controls listed are in place and working. Where a residual severity stays high, that is deliberate — a fall from height remains potentially fatal however good the controls, so we reduce the likelihood rather than pretend the consequence has changed.

RA01 — Falls from height during erection, alteration and dismantling

Hazard. Operatives working at height on incomplete scaffold structures, where edge protection is not yet in place or has been removed as part of the work sequence.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, supervisors

How they might be harmed. Fall to a lower level — fatal or major injury (fractures, head and spinal injury).

Control measures.

1. Work follows the NASC SG4 safe system of work; a suitable working platform is established at each lift before advanced guardrail or equivalent collective protection is removed.
2. Every scaffolder wears a full body harness with an energy-absorbing lanyard, clipped to a suitable anchorage whenever a collective measure is not in place. Harness is a fall-arrest system of last resort, not the primary control.
3. Harnesses and lanyards are inspected before each use by the wearer and thoroughly examined at least every 6 months by a competent person; records kept.
4. No operative works from an incomplete scaffold without a CISRS card appropriate to the work, or under direct supervision as a trainee.
5. A rescue plan is in place and briefed before work starts — suspension trauma means rescue must be achievable within minutes, so we do not rely on the emergency services alone.
6. Ladder access is secured top and bottom, extends at least 1m above the landing point, and is positioned at approximately 75 degrees.
7. Work stops in adverse weather — see RA05.

RA02 — Falling materials and objects striking people below

Hazard. Tubes, fittings, boards and small tools dropped or dislodged from the working lift onto operatives, the client, or members of the public beneath.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, other trades, client, members of the public

How they might be harmed. Head injury, crush injury, fatality. A single scaffold fitting from height is potentially fatal.

Control measures.

1. The area beneath and around the work is physically excluded using barriers, cones and warning signage before work starts; the exclusion zone is sized for the height of the drop.
2. Materials are passed hand to hand or raised and lowered by gin wheel and rope — never thrown or dropped.
3. Toe boards and brick guards are fitted to working lifts as soon as the lift is complete, and debris netting or sheeting is used where the scaffold is above a public area.
4. Hand tools are attached to the operative by lanyard.
5. Loose materials are not left on lifts at the end of a shift.
6. Everyone on site wears a securely fastened safety helmet to EN 397.
7. Where the public cannot be excluded — a shop frontage, a footpath — a fan or protection deck is erected, or the work is rescheduled outside trading hours.

RA03 — Scaffold collapse or structural instability

Hazard. Inadequate foundation, missing ties, overloading, unauthorised alteration by other trades, or erection outside a recognised configuration.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, other trades, occupants, public

How they might be harmed. Structural collapse causing multiple fatalities or major injuries.

Control measures.

1. Scaffolds are erected to a TG20 compliance sheet where the configuration allows, or to a bespoke design produced by a competent temporary works designer where it does not.
2. Ground conditions are assessed before erection; sole boards and base plates are used to spread load, and made ground, drains, cellars and soft ground are identified and addressed.
3. Ties are installed at the frequency and pattern required by the design or compliance sheet; tie pull-tests are carried out and recorded where required.
4. Safe working load is established, marked on load-bearing scaffolds, and communicated to the principal contractor and other trades.
5. Scaffolds are handed over in writing (handover certificate) and tagged. An untagged or red-tagged scaffold must not be used.
6. Scaffolds are inspected by a competent person before first use, at intervals not exceeding 7 days, and after any event likely to have affected stability (high winds, impact, alteration). Inspection reports are completed and issued.
7. A clear instruction is issued to the client and principal contractor that no one alters the scaffold except our own trained scaffolders.

RA04 — Manual handling of scaffold components

Hazard. Repetitive lifting, carrying and passing of tubes, boards and fittings, often at height, at awkward angles and above shoulder height.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, labourers

How they might be harmed. Musculoskeletal injury, back injury, hernia, crush injuries to hands and feet, long-term chronic injury.

Control measures.

1. Loads are broken down where practicable; heavier components are handled by two people.
2. Mechanical aids are used for loading and unloading wherever site access permits.
3. Materials are delivered as close as possible to the point of use to reduce carry distance.
4. Operatives receive manual handling training covering the specific demands of scaffolding work, including the team-lifting and passing techniques used on lifts.
5. Gin wheel and rope is used to raise and lower materials rather than carrying up ladders.
6. Gloves with adequate grip and cut resistance, and safety boots with toe protection, are worn.
7. Job rotation is used on long duration jobs to reduce cumulative exposure.

RA05 — Adverse weather — wind, ice, rain and lightning

Hazard. Working at height on exposed structures in high wind, on icy or wet boards, or during electrical storms.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders

How they might be harmed. Falls, being blown from the structure, loss of control of sheet materials, hypothermia, lightning strike.

Control measures.

1. The forecast is checked before each shift and monitored during it. A wind speed threshold is set for each job; as a default, handling boards and sheeting stops at around 17 mph (Beaufort 5) and all work at height stops at around 23 mph (Beaufort 6) or sooner if the supervisor judges it unsafe.
2. Sheeting and netting dramatically increase wind loading — the design accounts for it, and sheeting is not added to a scaffold that was not designed for it.
3. Boards and access routes are checked for ice before work starts; work is delayed or grit is applied.
4. Work stops during electrical storms and does not resume until 30 minutes after the last thunder.
5. Loose materials are secured or removed at the end of each shift and before forecast high winds.
6. The supervisor has explicit authority to stop work on weather grounds without reference to anyone, and will not be criticised for doing so.

RA06 — Contact with overhead power lines and buried services

Hazard. Scaffold tubes raised into overhead lines during erection; ground anchors or foundations disturbing buried services.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, public

How they might be harmed. Electrocution, severe burns, fatality, explosion.

Control measures.

1. Overhead lines are identified at survey stage before any quotation is given.
2. Where lines are present, the Distribution Network Operator is contacted and lines are diverted or made dead where reasonably practicable.
3. Where lines cannot be made dead, exclusion zones and goal posts are established in line with HSE GS6, and the work method is changed so tubes are never handled vertically within the zone.
4. Service drawings are obtained and a CAT scan is carried out before any excavation for foundations or ground anchors.
5. No scaffold component is raised vertically near a live overhead line.

RA07 — Vehicle movements, deliveries and loading

Hazard. Scaffold wagons manoeuvring and unloading on site and on the public highway; operatives working alongside moving vehicles.

Who might be harmed. Drivers, scaffolders, public

How they might be harmed. Being struck by a vehicle or by falling loads during unloading; crush injuries.

Control measures.

1. Reversing is avoided where possible; where unavoidable a trained banksman is used.
2. Unloading areas are cordoned off and pedestrians excluded before the load restraints are released.
3. Loads are checked for shifting in transit before straps are removed; operatives stand clear of the load side.
4. High-visibility clothing to EN ISO 20471 is worn by everyone in the loading area.
5. Where the work requires a road or footpath closure, a highways licence or permit is obtained from the local authority in advance and signing is set out to the approved plan.
6. Vehicles are maintained and drivers hold the appropriate licence and, where required, Driver CPC.

RA08 — Risk to members of the public and other site users

Hazard. Scaffolds erected on or adjacent to footpaths, shop fronts, schools, and occupied domestic properties; unauthorised access to the structure.

Who might be harmed. Members of the public, children, occupants, other trades

How they might be harmed. Struck by falling material, collision with projecting components, injury from unauthorised climbing (particularly children).

Control measures.

1. Ladder access is removed or a ladder guard fitted and locked at the end of every shift to prevent unauthorised climbing.
2. The base lift is sheeted or boxed where the scaffold is accessible to the public, particularly near schools and housing.
3. Projecting tubes are capped or padded and highlighted; any component at head height over a walkway is eliminated or protected.
4. Warning signage and, where the footpath is affected, a pedestrian walkway with handrail and lighting is provided under the approved highways permit.
5. Occupants are notified before work starts, given a contact number, and told what the working hours will be.
6. The site is left tidy and secure at the end of each day.

RA09 — Slips, trips and falls on the same level

Hazard. Materials, fittings and offcuts at ground level and on lifts; wet or muddy access routes; trailing ropes.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, other trades, public

How they might be harmed. Sprains, fractures, and — on a lift — a fall to a lower level.

Control measures.

1. Materials are stacked in designated areas, not on access routes.
2. Lifts are kept clear of loose fittings and offcuts; a clear-as-you-go approach is briefed and enforced.
3. Access routes are maintained and lit; mud is removed rather than walked through.
4. Safety boots with slip-resistant soles are worn.
5. Ropes are coiled and stowed when not in use.

RA10 — Lone working and remote sites

Hazard. Operatives attending site alone for inspections, small alterations or strike-outs, sometimes on unoccupied premises.

Who might be harmed. Scaffolders, inspectors

How they might be harmed. Delayed discovery of injury; no rescue available in the event of a fall arrest.

Control measures.

1. No erection, alteration or dismantling work is carried out alone — these are two-person operations as a minimum.
2. Lone visits are permitted only for visual inspection from ground level or from a fully boarded, guarded and tagged scaffold.
3. A check-in and check-out procedure operates: the operative confirms arrival and departure with the office, and the office escalates if no contact is received by an agreed time.
4. A charged mobile phone is carried at all times.
5. Any change of plan requiring work at height means the visit stops and a second operative attends.

Signed as read and understood:

Method Statement

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd — Erection, inspection and dismantling of access scaffolding

Scope of works

Erection, alteration, weekly inspection and dismantling of tube-and-fitting and system scaffold on domestic and light commercial premises, typically two to four storeys. Around a fifth of our work is over or alongside a public footpath, which we licence and hoard with the council. We also put up temporary roofs for roofing contractors and the occasional birdcage inside a building.

Sequence of operations

1. Pre-start survey: confirm ground conditions, overhead lines, buried services, access constraints, public interface, and tie availability. Confirm the scaffold is either TG20-compliant or has a bespoke design.
2. Confirm the design, safe working load and tie pattern with the client or principal contractor, in writing.
3. Establish the exclusion zone, signage and any highways permit, and notify occupants and neighbouring properties.
4. Deliver and offload materials into the designated stacking area using the agreed unloading method; do not obstruct access routes or fire exits.
5. Lay sole boards and base plates on prepared ground; set out and level the base lift; check verticality and spacing.
6. Build each lift following the SG4 safe system of work — establish the platform and advance guardrail before proceeding; clip on where a collective measure is not in place.
7. Install ties at the frequency required by the design as the scaffold rises; do not run ahead of the tie pattern.
8. Fit toe boards, brick guards, debris netting or sheeting as each lift is completed, where required.
9. Complete the final inspection, fit the scaffold tag, and issue the handover certificate to the client with the safe working load stated.
10. Carry out statutory inspections before first use, at intervals not exceeding 7 days, and after any event affecting stability; issue reports.
11. For dismantling: re-establish the exclusion zone, verify ties are removed in the correct reverse sequence, and lower all components by gin wheel — never drop.
12. Clear the site, remove all materials and waste, and confirm completion with the client.

Personal protective equipment

• Safety helmet to EN 397 with chinstrap, worn at all times on site
• Full body harness and energy-absorbing lanyard to EN 361 / EN 355, inspected before use
• Safety boots with toe protection and mid-sole protection to EN ISO 20345
• High-visibility clothing to EN ISO 20471
• Gloves with cut and grip protection appropriate to the task
• Eye protection when cutting, grinding or using aerosols

Emergency arrangements

In the event of a fall arrest, the trained rescue team retrieves the casualty using the pre-planned rescue method without delay — suspension trauma can be life-threatening within minutes. Call 999, give the site address and the nearest access point, and send someone to meet the ambulance. Do not move a casualty with a suspected spinal injury unless they are in immediate further danger. Report to the office immediately; RIDDOR reporting is handled by the responsible person.

Briefing record

This method statement has been briefed to and understood by:

COSHH Assessments

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd

Assessed by Ray Fenwick · 01 August 2026 · review 01 August 2027

Assessments are based on the supplier's current safety data sheet for each product. Where a product is changed, the assessment is redone before first use. A copy of the relevant assessment and data sheet is available to the operative on site.

Cement and cement-containing dusts (incidental contact during ground works)

Hazards. Skin irritation, allergic dermatitis, chemical burns from wet cement, respiratory irritation from dust.

Controls. Avoid skin contact; waterproof gloves and long sleeves; wash immediately after contact; eye protection when handling dry powder; do not kneel in wet cement.

Diesel and petrol (plant, vehicles, generators)

Hazards. Flammable; skin defatting and dermatitis; harmful vapour; environmental damage if spilled.

Controls. Store in approved containers away from ignition sources; refuel outdoors with the engine stopped; nitrile gloves; spill kit available; no smoking within 6m.

Penetrating oil and lubricant sprays (seized fittings)

Hazards. Flammable aerosol, eye and respiratory irritation, skin defatting.

Controls. Use outdoors or in well-ventilated positions; eye protection; nitrile gloves; keep away from hot work and ignition sources.

Timber preservative and residues on used scaffold boards

Hazards. Skin and eye irritation; dust inhalation when cutting or handling degraded boards.

Controls. Gloves; avoid cutting boards on site where practicable; FFP3 protection if cutting is unavoidable; wash hands before eating.

Lead paint, asbestos and other contamination on existing structures

Hazards. Serious long-term health effects from inhalation or ingestion of disturbed material.

Controls. Pre-start survey; where asbestos is suspected work stops immediately and the client's asbestos register is obtained; no drilling or fixing into suspect material until cleared by a competent surveyor; this work is never carried out by us.

Training and Competence Matrix

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd

Maintained by Ray Fenwick · 01 August 2026

Our competence framework is based on CISRS (Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme). Certificates are checked before deployment and expiry dates are tracked. Nobody works outside the scope of their training.

Requirements by role

Individual records

Complete one row per person. Attach copies of cards and certificates.

Accident, Incident and Near Miss Reporting Procedure

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd · 01 August 2026

What must be reported

Everything. All injuries however minor, all near misses, all dangerous occurrences, all damage to plant or property, and any case of work-related ill health. A near miss is free information about an accident that has not happened yet — we would rather hear about a hundred of them than miss one.

What to do

1. Make the area safe. Do not create a second casualty.
2. Get first aid or medical help. For a serious injury call 999, give the site address, postcode and nearest access point, and send someone to meet the ambulance.
3. Tell Ray Fenwick the same day. Not the next morning, not at the end of the week.
4. Record it in the accident book — date, time, place, who was involved, what happened, what injury resulted, and who witnessed it.
5. Preserve the scene where the incident is serious, and photograph it if it is safe to do so.

Reporting to the HSE under RIDDOR

Ray Fenwick is responsible for deciding whether an event is reportable and for making the report at www.hse.gov.uk/riddor. Reportable events include:

• the death of any person;
• specified injuries: fractures other than to fingers, thumbs or toes; amputation; permanent loss or reduction of sight; crush injury to head or torso; serious burns; scalping requiring hospital treatment; loss of consciousness from head injury or asphyxia; injury from working in an enclosed space leading to hypothermia, heat illness or resuscitation;
• an injury to a worker resulting in more than seven days' incapacity — reportable within 15 days;
• an injury to a member of the public taken directly to hospital for treatment;
• occupational diseases including carpal tunnel syndrome, hand-arm vibration syndrome, occupational dermatitis, occupational asthma and tendonitis, where a doctor has made a written diagnosis;
• dangerous occurrences including the collapse or partial collapse of a scaffold over 5m, plant overturn, contact with overhead power lines, and accidental release of a substance that could cause injury.

Over-three-day injuries must be recorded even though they are not reportable.

Investigation

Every reportable event and every significant near miss is investigated. We look for what allowed it to happen, not for who to blame — an investigation that finds only human error has usually stopped too early. Findings are recorded, the relevant risk assessment is updated, and the change is briefed to everyone affected.

Records

Accident records are kept for at least three years. Records relating to young people are kept until they reach 21. Records are kept in a way that respects the privacy of the people named in them.

Supporting Procedures

Thornbeck Access Scaffolding Ltd · 01 August 2026

Emergency Procedures

In the event of a fall arrest, the trained rescue team retrieves the casualty using the pre-planned rescue method without delay — suspension trauma can be life-threatening within minutes. Call 999, give the site address and the nearest access point, and send someone to meet the ambulance. Do not move a casualty with a suspected spinal injury unless they are in immediate further danger. Report to the office immediately; RIDDOR reporting is handled by the responsible person.

On arrival at every site the team establishes: the site address and postcode for the emergency services, the nearest access point for an ambulance, the location of the first aid kit, the nearest A&E, and the assembly point. On a managed site we follow the principal contractor's emergency arrangements and attend their induction.

Consultation and Communication

We consult our workers directly. In practice that means:

• a pre-start briefing on every job, covering the risk assessment, the method statement and anything specific to that site;
• toolbox talks on a rolling programme, recorded with the date, topic and signatures of those attending;
• an open door for concerns — anyone can raise anything with anyone, at any time, without a form;
• feedback after incidents, so people can see that reporting changes something.

Toolbox talk record

Subcontractor and Supplier Competence

Before any subcontractor starts work for us we obtain and check:

• evidence of relevant trade competence and training for everyone attending;
• current Employers' Liability and Public Liability insurance certificates;
• their health and safety policy where they employ five or more people;
• their risk assessments and method statements for the work, which we review and accept before work starts, or agreement to work to ours;
• any scheme accreditation they hold.

Records are retained for the duration of the engagement plus six years. Subcontractors are monitored on site in the same way as our own people, and a subcontractor who will not work safely is not used again.

Monitoring and Review

Findings from monitoring are recorded and acted on. Where a review changes how we work, the change is briefed to everyone affected before it takes effect.