Experienced Simian scaffolders and instructors have since been involved in training, instructing and mentoring scaffolding staff on site in Iraq.

Iraq does not have a recognised scaffold training scheme so the Simian team implemented the International Scaffolder scheme and delivered onsite training to bring standards up to UK health and safety levels.

As a result, a number of local scaffolders have received professional training which has given them internationally recognised scaffolding qualifications. Safety standards on location at the Manjoon oil field near Basra, in Southern Iraq, have improved dramatically and workers have a better awareness of the importance of health and safety, particularly when working at height.

We’re pleased to be able to report that since our involvement began at the site just over five years ago, there hasn’t been a single Lost Time Incident. Five years accident-free is a great achievement and a testament to the hard work of the Simian team as well as all the local scaffolders onsite.

This project is a great example of the type of work that Simian International do around the world to improve standards within the industry and help scaffolders to access professional training which enables them to carry out their work effectively and safely.

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The scaffold was being used during a construction project and fortunately came down when the area was quiet and so no injuries were sustained. Some damage to cars parked in the area was reported.

Speaking after the collapse, a worker at the construction site said,  said, “We heard a loud sound. When we rushed to see, we found that a big scaffolding had come down. The cars parked at the foot of the building were damaged. Fortunately, no worker or passerby was injured.”

It is very often the case that when scaffolds do collapse, this can be attributed to inadequate anchoring to the adjacent structure. The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation provide guidance on the anchorage of scaffolds in their TG20:13 and TG4:17 publications, both of which are available for purchase from their online store. What’s more, TG20:13 is currently being discounted by 50%!

Simian clients requiring advice on how to safely anchor scaffolding are free to contact their Account Manager on 0345 602 2418.

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The three-day conference, which was hosted by Saudi Aramco, aimed to bring together industry professionals to share knowledge and information which delegates could then take back to their respective organisations and make real changes that would contribute to improvements in safety processes. The event took place from 14^th-16^th February 2017 and was attended by companies from all over the Gulf region.

The conference included a comprehensive programme of events including keynote speeches from health and safety experts and industry leaders, practical workshops offering valuable training and CPD opportunities and plenty of networking opportunities.

Simian International exhibited at the conference sharing information with interested attendees about the work that Simian does in the Middle East and around the world as well as promoting the CISRS overseas scaffolder training scheme.

Speaking after the event, Ian Fyall said, “It was an excellent event and great to meet so many people and share ideas.  Well organised and professional events such as this one provide a platform for sharing best practice and equipping those in the industry with the latest information and ideas.  By sharing expertise in this way industry professionals can take away information which they can use and implement to have a real impact on safety standards.”

He added, “At Simian International we are committed to improving global health and safety standards around the world.  This event was a great example of how we can all implement changes and processes to make a difference.  I was also thrilled that we received an award for our contribution to the event.”

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The busy one day programme was packed with talks on a range of mobile access towers and work at height safety related themes. Expert speakers on the day included John Ewing, Advisor at Abu Dhabi Occupational Safety & Health Centre (OSHAD), Peter Bennett, Managing Director of PASMA and Elaine Harbour of the Health & Safety Executive (HSE).

The itinerary for the one day conference also included a panel discussion which looked at the principal challenges in making work at height from mobile access towers safe in the Middle East.

There were lots of opportunities for delegates to network over coffee and at the evening networking session. A busy, interesting and productive day came to a great close with the conference day dinner in the Gulf Auditorium.

Ian Fyall, Simian’s Operations Director said, “It was a great event, the speakers were excellent and really informative. The networking which we sponsored was a brilliant session and I’m sure everyone there found it useful, I know I did and I spoke to many individuals who were keen to work towards making the industry safer.”

He added, “At Simian International we are focused on raising health and safety standards for those working at height where ever they may be around the world. The conference was a great opportunity to meet likeminded Professionals, share our views, discuss the challenges we face and our strategies for raising health and safety standards in the future.”

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The aims of the conference are closely aligned with Simian’s overseas operational strategies and we were thrilled to join the other exhibitors and play an active role in the event which was held at the Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia earlier this month.

The theme this year was “Fit for the Future” and over 450 delegates attended to listen to expert speakers, network and share ideas about improving safety standards and competence within the oil and gas industries.

Ian Fyall, Operations Director for Simian International said, “The conference was a great opportunity for us to promote our e-learning programme. There was a great deal of interest from delegates who had attended the conference from all corners of the globe.”

He added, “It was great to network with likeminded industry leaders and listen to some of the speakers and their ideas for supporting safer working conditions and improving competence.”

Watch this space for further news on our soon-to-be-launched e-learning package!

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Simian International delivers training to scaffolders all around the world and we were heavily involved in the development of the CISRS Overseas Scaffolder training programme which is now established as the recognised training programmes for scaffolders worldwide.

International Scaffolder Training in Nigeria

Sacub delivered the Level 3 International Scaffolder training to the group from Shell. The five-day course provides attendees with the knowledge and skills to enable them to erect, alter and dismantle scaffolding structures of an intermediate complexity in traditional tube and fitting and common system scaffolds. It also covers topics such as international best practice, international performance standards and local legal requirements.

During his time in Nigeria he also delivered two International Basic Scaffold Inspection courses. The three day course is aimed at individuals who are required to carry out safety inspections for basic access, working and special scaffolds.

The courses proved very popular and were attended by local government officials as well as delegates from a number of different Nigerian companies who are involved in oil or construction industries.

Following his time in Nigeria, Sacub said, “It’s great to travel overseas and see the different cultures in which international trainees operate. The Overseas Scaffolder training programme is a massive improvement on the previous training provided and on a personal level it’s fantastic to be making a difference to the safety of those involved in scaffolding in other parts of the world.”

If you have any overseas training requirements then please get in touch. We are able to offer training at one of our approved training centres or on-site at locations around the globe to suit our client’s specific requirements.

Speak to our International team on 00 971 43 695 067 or drop us an email pkaur@simianinternational.com.

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In addition to our work on the Shell Prelude we are also undertaking additional project work with Shell in Iraq – again with the brief of assisting local scaffolders to achieve improved levels of safety.

Earlier this year, work was completed on Africa’s first CISRS training centre and the accreditation audit visit by CISRS took place in February 2016. The centre, in Ipara, Ogun State, Nigeria, has very recently seen Simian’s instructors deliver the first Overseas CISRS Level 3 training course on the entire continent! Attendees on the course came from all over Nigeria and we hope this will be the first of many!

As well as training at our dedicated sites, Simian International offers training on location at sites anywhere in the world to suit the particular needs of individual clients. Training materials are translated and where necessary interpreters are used. We are currently preparing for inspection and supervisor training which our skilled instructors will be delivering in Turkmenistan later this month. We have previously trained individuals from Turkmenistan at our training base in Dubai but this will be the first time we have delivered training in the country.

We are also pleased to report that we have been commissioned to undertake a series of 12 scaffold audits in Oman for the Omani Government.

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Improving safe scaffolding practices in Iraq

We have been involved in work on the Shell Iraq Petroleum Development (SIPD) project in Southern Iraq for four years. As part of our involvement we have trained and developed local nationals on all aspects of scaffolding operations. Training has involved both classroom based theory training as well as practical training and supervision. We have introduced British health and safety standards and trained scaffolders  to ensure all scaffolding is erected and dismantled in accordance with NASC guidance  – TG20:13 and SG4:15.

We are now celebrating the fantastic achievement of  4 years and 0.5 million man hours worked without an LTI (lost time incident) or recordable accident. This is a huge achievement when you consider the standards and equipment in place when we first began work in Majnoon and is real testimony to the standards that are now in place It is a credit to Simian International’s staff but also to the hard work, dedication and willingness to learn of the local scaffolders  on site at all of the geographical locations we service.

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Here are just some of our latest updates;

Our Dubai Training Centre has passed its CISRS Audit again for the fourth year in a row. We provide Level 1,2,3 Basic and Advanced Scaffold Inspection and Scaffold Supervisor courses. You can see more about the courses we offer in our International Training section >

As part of our continued success in Dubai we have just had a videographer spend the week with us to capture some footage of our work and training centres. We look forward to sharing this with you soon.

We are moving into new areas, adding Trinidad to our ever expanding International reach. Trinidad has been the location of our recent consultancy and document reviewing work.

We have also just won a contract to provide training and mentoring for local scaffolders on a coal fired power station boiler outage in Cambodia. We will update you with our progress soon!

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We’re proud to say that we have completed 3 million man hours on this project since the last recorded incident back in October 2014.

When construction has finished the completed platform will be located 120 miles off the coast of Australia and will be an impressive 488 metres long, 74 metres wide and made with more than 260,000 tonnes of steel.

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