Falls from height remain the biggest cause of fatalities within the UK construction industry and it is fair to say that Safestand Ltd has been playing its part in helping address this issue. A commitment to innovation has seen the London-based company develop an ever-evolving range of patented access systems since its creation in 2002 by Liam Clear.
Fast forward to the present day and Riaan Cahill, who became Managing Director two years ago, is continuing to build on the sound infrastructure put in place by Brian O’Driscoll, who had been the previous Managing Director for 18 years prior. The fact that Riaan has taken on the baton so successfully is underlined by the fact that Safestand is currently in the running for CN Specialists Awards within the Access & Scaffolding Specialist and Outstanding Contribution to Specialist Construction categories.
“I come from a civil engineering background, so was able to bring this expertise to the table for Safestand, which already boasted a wide range of experience and knowledge,” explains Riaan. “For instance, Sean Campbell has been with the company for 20 years and in this time has worn many hats, not only looking after training, but also being responsible for warehousing and transport too, while his R&D skills remain vital.
“We’ve also got a number of other staff from all over the world that have been with the company for almost as long. This gives us a great deal of continuity and is an indicator of the company’s ethos generally, as this level of loyalty isn’t achieved by accident.”
Aside from its dedicated staff, another key factor behind Safestand’s ongoing progression has been its willingness to gain the input of Tier 1 contractors to get a better understanding of the safety issues involved with working from height, as Sean Campbell outlines: “We have liaised with the senior management of the likes of Balfour Beatty, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, BAM, Carillion and MACE, and their feedback was invaluable. It was also important that we received input from their safety teams too, as there’s no point designing something that’s perfect for management but has no practical use on a building site. In addition, the input from our bricklaying sub-contractors, such as Swift Brickwork, Grangewood and Lee Marley, to name but a few, were also vital in refining our designs.
“I started working for Safestand in 2005, just as the new Work at Height regulations were being introduced. This in turn led to a greater demand for low level access systems for tradesmen to work with. Thanks to the research we conducted with the major Tier 1 contractors, we were able to design access systems that met all the 2005 regulations. Just as importantly, they’ve also achieved all the requirements of the teams working on building sites, in terms of productivity and versatility, while also providing dependable performance.
“We’ve since built further on our close working relationships with Tier 1 contractors to come up with new innovations to meet their needs. We’ve never shied away from going back to the drawing board and making further improvements. This ensures that we’re producing access systems that tick all the boxes for the client. Essentially, they are ‘Designed by Builders for Builders’.”
Just a small selection of the innovations Safestand has introduced on the back of its continuous quest for improvement include: braces to prevent swaying at heights; bespoke design of a triple guardrail system; and a staircase solution designed to be a replacement for ladders, something construction companies are increasingly looking to avoid. In the last two years alone, the company successfully secured five separate patents and new registered designs under Riaan. These patents are: Hoddi Hoist Bracket, End Access Bracket, Decking System, Telescopic Scaffold Board and the Extension (Ext.) Stand.
This ability to provide comprehensive solutions for its client base is all the more impressive given that Safestand remains a streamlined, tight-knit group that it is fair to say punches above its weight in terms of its size.
“We’re a relatively small company, so we all have to pull together to achieve our goals,” adds Riaan. “Sean and I spend a considerable amount of our time either on the road seeing clients or carrying out offsite training for customers.”
In addition to the leading R&D and training resource it has to hand, Safestand also boasts a well-trained team of drivers, all of which are fully competent in erecting the access systems. They are also able to provide training at the point of delivery, allowing the company to react quickly to the needs of its client base, wherever they are in the country.
Safestand’s One-Day Competence Course has been IOSH accredited since 2014, demonstrating over a decade of commitment to safety and competence in the construction sector.
“When the original Safestand system was designed, it was much heavier than it is now,” says Sean. “The fact it is now much lighter, but actually has a higher safe working load, is evidence of the success of our approach to R&D.
“It’s not just the product development process that we focus on either. We are equally committed to providing high quality delivery and installation support, followed by a dedicated aftersales service.”
Despite its robust infrastructure and aptitude for product development, Safestand is in no mood to rest on its laurels, even with more award recognition potentially on the cards. In fact, it is aiming to strengthen its offering further to benefit the wider construction industry at large.
“One of my main objectives as Managing Director is to continue our focus on ‘training, training, training’,” highlights Riaan. “We support a number of vocational colleges around the country, and we want to assist new tradespeople coming into the industry as much as we possibly can. The aim is to encourage youngsters to consider a trade in construction as a career possibility. Ensuring they can carry out their roles as safely as possible while they do so is a priority for us.”
Safestand’s global reach has also been increasing too, as Riaan and Sean recently visited Dubai in March, where they delivered training to the brickwork/masonry team at ALEC Construction, which they partnered to enhance both safety at height and productivity within its team.
Again, showcasing its flair for innovation, Safestand recently launched an app. This has been designed to be a comprehensive resource tool, including training guides, catalogues, and instructional videos. Once more, this will potentially be an evolving feast, with new features added in-line with customer demand.
As well as the new app, Safestand’s latest brochure highlights the in-depth range of patented access solutions it can offer the market. It is clear that the company is continually striving to offer its clients even more, which can only help to improve safety within the wider construction industry.