Symons Formwork, part of diversified, concrete industry giant Dayton Superior Corporation, have been manufacturing formwork since 1901. They report that the USA experience with safety in construction parallels much of the experiences of the Australian industry, with the top 5 reportable violations in the construction industry being –
- Fall protection
- Hazard communication
- Scaffold
- Ladders
- Respiratory
with the Fall Protection cumulative count since 2015 being more than double any other violation.
With almost 100,000m2 now in the Australian market, Symons’ DeckFast is proving to be a very popular formwork system. Renowned for innovation and a strong safety culture, Symons has recently developed a new generation of their integrated DeckFast handrail system.
Generic handrail systems for formwork generally only provide a top rail at 900-1000mm above the forming surface (plywood). However, it is common for edge protection to be installed only 200-300mm in from the edge board. With the Symons’ DeckFast system supporting up to 560mm of concrete, conceivably the top of the finished slab could be only 500mm below the top rail of a generic handrail system.
Symons’ new generation of fall protection handrail now positions the top rail some 1500mm above the deck surface, so that the top rails is never less than 900mm above the soles on the boots of any nearby worker. This 50% higher system has been designed and tested to AS4994 in Dayton Superior’s USA laboratories, but also includes additional, independent, NATA approved testing in Australia.
With a 50% increase in post height, the torsional load on the clamp supporting each post more than doubles. The proprietary anchoring clamp used by Symons for more than a decade, easily withstood this large increase in load. This clamp fits the DeckFast profile precisely and allows the vertical handrail post to pre-attached to the DeckFast panels and swung up from the safety of the floor below.
All in all, a very safe system.
Deckfast handrail proprietary clamp
Deckfast 2 component formwork
