final-report-of-the-advisory-committee-on-falsework-bragg-report - Flipbook - Page 81
These are certainly valuable, but there is a need for
short professional courses devoted to those subjects
which are of special importance in falsework. These
would complement the basic engineering training and
should be attended not only by those involved in
falsework design but also those involved in designing
permanent works. The latter group would thus gain
additional understanding of the falsework problems
which their own designs of permanent works may help
to create.
Courses leading to recognised qualifications for
managers in the construction industry are offered a:
technical colleges, colleges of building technology, and
other institutions. Other courses are run by speciali
establishments such as the Cement and Concrete
Association and by the Construction Industry Training
Board. It is important that considerations of safet
should be an integral part of all such courses. The
Department of Education and Science should consider what steps could be taken to promote this in the
institutions under its control.
We discussed a.possible syllabus for a course suitable
for senior engineers, site agents and temporary works
co-ordinators with the tutors at the Bircham Newton
Centre. Such a course might last three days. Details
are given in the Appendix.
We would also encourage the holding of symposia
and group meetings at which qualified professional
engineers could discuss their problems and experience.
Such meetings should not be used merely to discuss
the technical features of designs but should relate these
to safety of construction and use.
They could well be organised under the auspices of
the professional associations and indeed there have
been a number of symposia in the London area dealing
with falsework problems. We suggest that architects,
who may well not have the necessary training in
structural considerations, could benefit from attendance and could enhance the value thatothersgetfrorn
a short course by providing an extra element in a
mixed group of professionally qualified people. It
would be necessary in order to obtain the right
audience to make clear in any publicity material the
true intention of this type of inter-disciplinary discussion group.
Courses for senior managers
Courses in management training for the construction
industry are sponsored by the National Federation
of Building Trades Employers and organised by the
Building Advisory Service of 18 Mansfield Street,
London WlM 9FG. The Brooklands Technical College
of Weybridge, Surrey also runs residential training
courses in construction safety at the Brooklands
School of Management. Neither of these series of
courses appears from the latest prospectus available
to us to include consideration of falsework safety.
Many courses are organised by the London Construction Safety Group and conducted at the Government Training Centre, Bilton Way, Enfield, Middlesex:
arrangements can be made for safety courses designed
to meet the requirements of particular employers or
trades to be made available there.
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Courses for first-line supervision
Hitherto there has not been in the United Kingdom
any established falsework course with built-in safety
training, which catered for the needs of first line
supervision. We consider that this is the most important
of all the training courses that need to be started.
The proposed syllabus for a course lasting ten working
days has been discussed with tutors at the Bircham
Newton Centre. Details are given in Appendix 5.
It is also important to provide 'topping-up' courses
for existing first line supervision. The syllabus just
described for new entrants could be adapted, placing
less emphasis on the practical aspects with which the
supervisor will already be familiar and more emphasis on safety. It would emphasize the attitude of
mind and the site discipline which are essential at all
levels if falsework failures and other accidents are
to be avoided. This course could be limited to five days.
Courses for safety officers
It is assumed that candidates for a special falsework
course will have already had practical experience as
a safety officer in the construction industry and will
have attended a general safety officers' course,
although this would not have involved detailed consideration of the problems of falsework. Thus if a
safety officer is appointed to a site where there are
temporary works, and he has to co-operate with the
Temporary Works Co-ordinator, he should receive
a short course purely in the safety aspects of falsework.
We suggest that this course should be of three days'
duration and should be at a centre with facilities for
practical work and demonstration such as those seen
by the Committee at the Bircham Newton training
establishment. A possible syllabus is given in Appendix 5.
Safety regulations
To many in the construction industry the expression
'training in safety' suggests the learning of rules and
