Fall protection is one of the construction packages most consistently appointed late in the procurement process. The package is small relative to scaffold or groundworks, the technical complexity appears narrow, and the assumption is that any specialist can come in and install nets within a few days of being asked. In practice, this late appointment costs the developer programme days that early appointment would have saved.
The reason is design coordination. Fall protection nets require specific clearances beneath the catch zone, specific anchorage points within the surrounding structure, and specific access routes for the installation crew. Each of these needs to be present in the scaffold design, the building structure and the site sequencing. Where the fall protection contractor is appointed early, those requirements are designed in. Where the contractor is appointed late, the requirements have to be retrofitted against scaffold and structure that were not configured for them.
Retrofitting is rarely impossible, but it is rarely cheap or fast. A scaffold that was designed without considering the clearance beneath roofing work may need modification before nets can be installed safely. An anchor pattern that was not planned for in the scaffold design may need additional ties added at points that the scaffold contractor needs to revisit. An access route to the netting installation zone may need temporary modification to allow the installation crew to mobilise.
Each of these costs programme time. Each is largely avoidable through early appointment of the fall protection contractor and joint coordination at pre-construction stage.
Red Safety Netting’s preferred working pattern is appointment at scaffold design stage, with the netting requirements integrated with the scaffold drawing and with the building sequence. The benefits of early appointment compound across the live site. Scaffold modifications are minimised. Installation sequences match the build sequence. Inspections coordinate with scaffold inspections.
There is also a Construction Phase Plan benefit. CDM 2015 requires the principal contractor to coordinate health and safety across all contractors working on the site. Fall protection is one of the more visible safety-critical activities. Where the fall protection contractor has been part of the coordination conversation from pre-construction stage, the Construction Phase Plan includes considered fall protection arrangements. Where the contractor is appointed late, the Plan often contains generic fall protection assumptions that the actual contractor then has to work around or modify.
For developers and principal contractors planning new schemes, the practical step is to identify the fall protection requirements at design stage and engage the contractor before the scaffold is finalised. The contractor’s input does not have to be extensive. A few hours of design coordination delivers significant operational benefit downstream.
There is also a tender quality benefit to early engagement. A fall protection contractor responding to a scheme they have seen at design stage produces a tender that reflects the actual conditions. A contractor responding to a generic scope produces a tender that reflects generic assumptions. The variations between the tender position and the actual cost are smaller in the first case than in the second.
For framework developers and repeat clients, early appointment becomes routine. The fall protection contractor is a known partner who is engaged at the same pre-construction stage as scaffold and other key packages. The coordination becomes a default rather than a project-by-project effort.
The cost of early appointment is essentially zero. The fee structure is not different from late appointment. The contractor is being engaged either way. The only thing that changes is when. Earlier is better in every dimension that matters for the live scheme. There is no commercial argument for late appointment, only inertia in procurement processes that have historically deferred small packages until the last moment.
For developers procuring fall protection as a separate package, the practical conclusion is straightforward. Engage the contractor at scaffold design stage. The marginal additional effort at pre-construction is significantly less than the marginal additional cost on the live site if engagement is delayed.
Talk to Red Safety Netting To discuss early appointment of your fall protection contractor on your scheme, contact Red Safety Netting on 01223 890727 or email enquiries@theglobegroup.co.uk.
