MCWPs first emerged in the mid 1980s and 20% of sites using scaffolding now have them. As the name suggests, an MCWP is a working platform attached to a mast fixed to the side of a building.
It is used to move workers and materials up and down tall buildings and is most common on refurbishments of high-rise tower blocks and for transporting heavy and bulky materials such as over-cladding and glass panels. When the platforms first emerged, Health & Safety Executive (HSE) guidance tagged them onto scaffolding, as they weren’t thought widely used enough to have their own standard. The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) updated the guidance in 1997, but MCWPs didn’t have a standard of their own until BS 7981:2002 was published in 2002. Site Safety Guide for Mast Climbing Work Platforms explains the key elements of the BS.
Between 1997 and 2002, the HSE investigated eight incidents involving MCWPs. Four people have been injured, one seriously.
Two involved mobile MCWPs. In both cases, the platforms were overturned when moved sideways because those operating them did not follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Two accidents were a result of part of the platform falling off and hitting someone on the head. Two collapsed during dismantling because procedures were not followed correctly; in one case an erector got his hands caught in the mechanism, and on another an MCWP got caught in scaffolding.
Source
Construction Manager
Postscript
To order the guide fax 01539 564 686 or email mewp@ipaf.org The guide costs £4.50 per copy, with reductions for bulk orders
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