A PASMA #TowerWeek Interview with David Downing, OMS’s Training & Delivery Manager.

Which workers are considered competent to connect towers and how often should they do it?

A person is competent when they have completed the necessary training, have sufficient experience and necessary knowledge to work safely. The PASMA Tower User course is the recognised training standard for tower selection, assembly, inspection, alteration, moving and dismantling of mobile access towers. This qualification is valid for 5 years, at which point the course should be completed again for recertification.

What are the requirements for recording an inspection?

The law states that “ All working at height equipment should be inspected after the first assembly and as often as is necessary to ensure safety, but not exceeding every 7 days. It should also be reinspected after modification, alteration or after an incident which would have affected stability”. A written report should be produced to show this inspection and a Green PASMA Tower Tag would be sufficient to show this. A tower must legally be tagged with a Red Tag if it is unsafe to use, whatever that reason is.

Why is this initiative so important to individuals and companies, with their underlying message of  ‘’How to use towers safely and prevent falls, as a proud PASMA member’’?

Falling from a height remains the biggest cause of fatalities across all industries and although towers offer an ideal solution to provide collective fall prevention they have to be assembled and used correctly. There is a legal obligation to protect workers when they are at work, under HASWA 1974, and more specifically the Working at Height Regulation 2005 when they are working at height, but companies and individuals should be aware of the moral obligation that they have, this is known as the Duty of Care. Everybody should go home at the end of the day and safe tower use will allow this when working at height will allow this. A workplace fall from a height will impact on businesses, families and of course, the individual. A proud PASMA Member will take pride in all their work at height activities, not just with towers.

The goal of this launch is to inspire people by showing them safely, all the different ways towers can be used – How do you do this when delivering your PASMA courses?

One of the main focuses on the course is on the fact that all manufacturers of towers will have different ways to assemble their products. Although they must all comply with the Safety Standard, EN1004-1:2020, they will have different build requirements when it comes to the location of components etc. On the courses, we will talk about the differences that these manufacturers might have. The only way to assemble a tower is to be familiar with, and use, the instruction manual whilst you are building it. Here at OMS we use the Eurotower Klik Tower and the only recognised assembly methods, Through the Trap (3T) and Advance Guard Rail (AGR) systems with the delegates required to be continually referring to the instruction manual.

What exciting things have towers helped you achieve in your working career?

Using towers has helped me reach many new heights in my career, and allowed me to do it safely. Free standing towers can be used to a height of 8m externally and 12m internally. At these heights you can achieve exactly what you need to, and more.

Do you need an instruction manual to assemble a tower, after receiving training?

The instruction manual is one of our main areas of focus during the course and should be a worker’s main focus after it, it is as essential as the tower components when assembling towers. All equipment should come provided with an instruction manual, including hired equipment, which is a requirement of Section 6 of HASWA 74. In addition to this instructions manual are available on the PASMA website or via the PAMA App, which can be downloaded for free and is available from all App stores.

Do you need to be competent to use a mobile tower to work?

All workers need to be competent to work with any workplace equipment, this is as per Section 2.2 (C) of HASWA 74, Regulation 9 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998, Regulation 5 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and Regulation 13 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. For a worker that only works from a tower, and doesn’t select, inspect, assemble, dismantle, move, then workplace familiarisation might suffice. This should include how to identify it is safe to use, how to identify the components that should be present, how to access and egress the tower and how to work safely from it. However, to ensure that all staff are safe and competent, and the business complies legally to use correctly, it is recommended that all users of towers attend the PASMA Towers for users course.

What is the current product standard for mobile towers?

All work equipment must comply with a safety standard. These standards are not legal Regulations but show that the equipment meets the current tough safety Euro Norm standards. The current standard for tower assembly and use was introduced at the end of 2021 and is EN1004-1: 20. Towers constructed prior to this are under the old standard EN1004:04 are still able to be used, if still safe to do so, but there are some fundamental changes in the assembly methods and manufacturers have issued new instruction manuals to accommodate this. The main change that impacted assembly is that it is now only permitted to have a maximum vertical distance between platforms of 2m, whereas before it was 4m.

In your own words, why do you think being PASMA trained is important?

Safe working at height is important for everybody, and being trained and competent to do so is will go some way in stopping people falling from height. PASMA Training is the only recognised training level for those that are assembling, inspecting and using towers. With approximately half of all construction workplace fatalities coming from falls from height, It will keep you safe and get the staff home in one piece. The economic impact on an organisation after a workplace incident can be extremely large and far-reaching. If you think it is expensive to do safety, try dealing with an accident, that is why it is important to do PASMA training.

Do you have any other supporting information regarding PASMA Towers and this initiative you would like to elaborate on?

There is lots of supporting documentation available from the HSE regarding safe working at height, and these can be accessed for free via their website. The PASMA Code of Practise is also available on the PASMA website and App and this contains great reminders and actions. Delegates will also receive a copy of the code of practice from their instructor during the course