Construction materials group GRS has acquired SafetyDeck Ltd, a rapid-install working platform and fall prevention system housebuilders use.
The purchase of SafetyDeck – for an undisclosed sum – reflects GRS’s expansion into solutions for the housebuilding sector, including the supply of bagged materials, paving, concrete products, and landscaping, as well as waste management solutions, groundworks and civil engineering services.
By using SafetyDeck, tradespeople have a safe platform system from which they can work at a height significantly quicker and easier to erect and dismantle than traditional scaffolding, with an installation rate of up to 60 sq m per hour.
The SafetyDeck team joins the GRS Integrated Solutions division and will receive support from the company’s central ‘back office’ functions in Nuneaton, England. GRS Integrated Solutions provides a range of products and services for housebuilders and infrastructure schemes and is currently a leading service provider to HS2.
Joe Gifford, managing director for GRS Integrated Solutions, said: “SafetyDeck is a proven solution for builders who make regular use of platforms for working at height. The business is a great fit with our existing portfolio, especially given the growth in our work with housebuilders, and we’ll be looking to expand SafetyDeck to its full potential nationwide. We’re delighted to welcome the SafetyDeck team to GRS, and we’re working to ensure a seamless transition for existing customers as well as bringing new customers on board.”
Martin Williams, operations manager of SafetyDeck, said: “Falls are the largest cause of accidental death, accounting for almost half of all fatalities in the construction industry. If the correct measures are not taken in line with the Work at Height Regulations 2005, a person working at height could fall, not only causing life-changing personal injury but also the prospect of a claim. Where working at height is unavoidable, it is essential to use an integrated system for fall prevention, and we believe SafetyDeck is the best solution to achieve that.”
Tested in accordance with BS EN 12811-1, the European standard for safe working scaffold structures, SafetyDeck is compliant with the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
The system is available via a hire-and-installation package – the decking is installed the day before the work-at-height operation commences and remains in place until the work is completed. A CSCS-registered fixing team installs and removes the decking to suit the site programme. It is hoped that a ‘hire only’ option will be provided shortly, with training and certification offered by a qualified training instructor.
