final-report-of-the-advisory-committee-on-falsework-bragg-report - Flipbook - Page 86
the greatest improvement in safety standards would
be by concentrating resources on first-line management
and we accordingly recommend that in the first year
15 courses, each of 2 weeks duration, involving not
more than 20 persons per course, should be established.
This would give a capacity for any one establishment
for training 300 persons per year which probably
approaches 10 % of the supervisory force. We are
informed that this figure would be within the resources
of the Construction Industry Training Board's establishments. This capability would also be sufficient
to meet the need for training all new first-line management. Thereafter the rate of training must be accelerated and must certainly never be less than the loss rate
due to transfer, retirement etc. As far as general
training courses for skilled operatives involved in
temporary work are concerned these should also aim
to be on such a scale that not less than 10 % of the
total work force is trained during the first year after
the inception of the scheme. Thereafter about 10 % of
the total force should be trained every year.
Financial arrangements
The question of financing this intensive programme
of training requires careful consideration. It is appreciated that there would be considerable expenditure
involved in the intial stages of training. It would seem
inequitable for the employers to bear the whole cost
directly, partly because of the mobility of personnel
and partly because they do not have the immediate
resources to make up quickly for years of neglect of
training. We note that the Annual Report of the
Construction Industry Training Board 1973/1974
reveals the high investment that has been made at the
centres at Bircham Newton and Merton. The Board's
resources should be made available to provide the
equipment and facilities for the range of courses
envisaged. Through their grants system the Board
could also help to provide better incentives to train
at the time when the industry is acutely short of
skilled men.
As far as running costs are concerned, we would hope
that the Training Services Agency would regard the
training of falsework personnel as a key training area.
We are in no doubt that the Government should be
ready to make sufficient money available to ensure
that these courses are started off on a sound financial
basis. Once the back of the problem has been broken
the cost of training could be borne by the industry,
using the system of levies and private payments which
already exists.
Trade Unions
So far we have considered the action which industry
and government should take. It is also· important
the trade unions should have a positive influence
in the promotion of health and safety. We note that
the trade unions are joint partners with the employers on the Construction Industry Training Board
and we have been impressed by the high standard of
evidence received from them. We have every reason
to believe that the recommendations we made would
receive the wholehearted support of the TUC and of
the unions involved in the industry.
The need for a text book of falsework
technology
In the course of our work we have amassed a considerable bibliography culled from journals, periodicals, proceedings of learned societies, research
reports, technical papers, books on a wide range of
disciplines, reports on collapses and drafts of standards from several countries. It has become clear to
us that most of the information necessary for a full
understanding of falsework problems is available somewhere but it is scattered and comes from a wide
variety of sources. Anyone studying the subject must
spend time and effort in sifting through a mass of
material. Indeed authorities in many parts of the
world told us that, in their view, the establishment of
a committee such as this Advisory Committee was,
in itself, commendable in providing a focus where
existing information might be brought together.
There is clearly a need for an authoratative textbook
on falsework. This would, however, have to be a
substantial work if it had any claim to be comprehensive. There is also a need for works of smaller
compass giving practical guidance on the design,
erection and use of falsework from the engineer's
standpoint.
In the past the production of text-books or handbooks has normally followed the development of a
course of instruction in a subject. A teacher or lecturer
has to assemble his material in a logical and consistent
order. Once he has done this he is all ready to put
it on paper. It may well be that there are no textbooks on falsework because there have been no
courses devoted to the subject. We therefore hope that
the developments in professional and operative
training that we have already discussed, will lead to
the preparation of appropriate texts and we recommend that every encouragement should be given to
commissioning such works.
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