Skill Scaffolding successfully retain RISQS accreditation

2018 is off to a great start here at Simian Risk, as we have successfully helped our long-standing client Skill Scaffolding Limited, of Southampton to retain their accreditation from the Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme (RISQS).

The RISQS accreditation is a requirement for any business that supplies products and/or services to UK rail industry, including projects alongside Network Rail or the London Underground.

We have been working with Skill Scaffolding for a number of years, having originally helped the thriving business to achieve the RISQS accreditation in the first instance, and have subsequently supported them through each audit on the scheme.

We are very happy to announce that Skill Scaffolding passed the assessment, achieving the highest possible rating of 5 stars; this rating is only awarded to organisations that have completed their audit without any non-conformances for at least two years.

The RISQS audit

In order to achieve their RISQS accreditation, Skill Scaffolding had to demonstrate to an external auditor that the correct processes and procedures had been followed within the management system, as well as evidencing that their work activities were compliant with Network Rail, industry standards and legislation. To do this, the team at Skill Scaffolding provided samples of:

• Risk assessments
• Method statements
• Pre-task briefings
• Training matrix
• Induction records
• Work equipment registers

The audit would usually take around a day to complete, however due to the fact the Skill Scaffolding had previously achieved a 5-star rating, the audit was condensed into ½ day.

By passing the audit and receiving the RISQS certification, Skill Scaffolding can demonstrate to clients and potential clients that their Management System and work activities meets the high standard set by RISQS.  This also demonstrates to clients that Skill Scaffolding holds Health, Safety, Environmental and Quality aspects equal to other business considerations.

Speaking after the audit, Alison Rogers, a Director at Skill Scaffolding, said, “We have made great progress over the past few years with the development of our RISQS Rail Management System and the help from the team at Simian has been invaluable. The fact that we have achieved a five-star rating is testimony that our drive for continual improvement is paying dividends and Simian’s advice has been no small part of that.

The next step for the business is an application for NASC membership and we’ll be enlisting Simian’s help with that too!”

Simian has helped countless businesses to successfully achieve their RISQS accreditation, amongst a number of other industry accreditations. Our scaffolding inspection and safety audit service is ideal for businesses considering gaining these accreditations or wanting to renew an accreditation. Get in touch today to see how our scaffolding safety experts can help.