Scaffolding Access & Rigging NZ has provided some information on frequently asked questions in relation to the COVID-19 Level 4 alert.
Do we need to take the scaffold off hire?
As per below – remove tags and access ladders on first level.
Businesses own call regarding taking the scaffold off hire. Might find some push back trying to charge for hire when it can not be used so perhaps in this instance companies would look to the Work and Income support offered by the Government to help businesses with wages and costs during this time.
Should we be pulling all the tags on scaffolds and/or checking riskier ones over the over the shutdown like our shrink-wrap jobs?
Our coordinators have suggested to remove the tags off scaffolds and once lockdown is over to go around and check every scaffold to see if they are safe and re-tag all scaffolds once they have been checked over fully to ensure they are safe.
Also removing first access ladders to prevent access.
Make sure to talk with the main contractors/operators about what they are doing in particular with any hazards on site.
With Shrink-wrap it is a good idea to contact WorkSafe, if we were to suggest something it would be that if there are any major weather events that this would be considered essential construction work to check the structure is safe and not going to cause any damage.
There is no need to remove all or their scaffolding but maybe removing some screening off scaffolds may be an idea.