We are making some changes to our plasterboard deliveries in cases where we pass-up to customers.
As you are probably aware, NHS offers a full pass-up service where we can provide the full delivery team required to perform the passing up of plasterboard to another level on site. Our delivery team use controls to manage the risks of working at height near unprotected edges. This service will continue.
In the past, some customers have had our delivery team pass the materials up to their workers who are working on height. On occasion, those workers have been working at height near unprotected edges with inadequate controls to manage that fall risk. It is in these circumstances that we will be altering our pass up service in an effort to manage the risks to our delivery team, NHS and the customer’s workers.
Going forward we will pass-up materials in the following circumstances:
- Pass-Up To Customer - The customer’s workers adequately control the risk of working at height near unprotected edges. This could involve the installation of suitable edge protection or worker(s) wearing a harness using a suitable fall restraint technique or fall arrest system. As NHS doesn’t supply an extra delivery team member there is no additional cost to the customer for this type of pass-up.
- Assisted Pass-Up - NHS will supply an extra delivery team member(s), at an additional cost to the customer, who will be wearing a harness using a suitable fall restraint technique or fall arrest system. Our delivery team member will work near the unprotected edge and then further pass the material to the customer’s workers who are positioned safely away from the unprotected edge.
- Full Pass-Up – NHS will supply the full delivery team required to perform the pass-up, at an additional cost to the customer.
The additional charges for our assisted pass-up or full pass-up services depends upon the number of extra delivery team members we need to supply (in excess of the two delivery team members we supply for a normal delivery). The cost of each extra team member is $88 + GST for up to 400m2 of plasterboard passed-up. The more complex pass-ups can involve up to eight extra team members.
The SafeWork NSW website has information on how to control the risks of falls.
To discuss this change further please contact your NHS Account Manager, Greg McLaren (Branch Manager – Lambton) or Matt Crockett (General Manager).
