Construction, painting and maintenance companies often use mobile scaffolding unsafe. Inspectors from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) checked 270 mobile scaffolding in recent months; no fewer than 251 of these turned out to be in an unsafe situation. The Inspectorate SZW speaks of a “disconcerting picture” on Friday.
Mobile scaffolds are scaffolding that consists of one or more work floors. The scaffolds have wheels, which makes them movable – unlike fixed scaffolding.
Inspectors mainly found unstable scaffolding. There were also scaffolds whose wheels were not on the brakes. Often the inspection found more than one violation.
In 40 cases, employers were fined for a violation. 27 companies were fined for failing to carry out a risk inventory and evaluation. At 224 jetties, inspectors stopped work until the employer made the situation safer.
The inspection checked 107 painting companies. In all cases, the situation was unsafe: at 77 companies there was a risk of falling and in 40 cases the rolling scaffold was not stable.
A fall from a rolling scaffold is one of the most common accidents in the construction industry. That was the reason for the inspection to check the professional use of the scaffolding in the Netherlands.
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