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With over 6,000 scaffolding businesses operating across the U.K, you could argue that the scaffolding market is becoming a little oversaturated, and we’re accidentally spoiling our customers with too many choices.

This makes us wonder, how do you stand out from the crowd? You’ve probably tried branded signs, a fresh website, business cards or trusted word of mouth. Battling to stay ahead of your competitors could be as simple as grabbing attention and as the once great artist, Leonardo da Vinci, said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

What is Colour Psychology?

So, talking of artists, have you ever heard of colour psychology?

Colour psychology is essentially the study of how colours, and their hues and tones can affect how people think, feel, and behave. Now, I know what you’re thinking, ‘what’s this got to do with scaffolding?’ – Hear us out.

We associate blue with sadness, red makes you hungry, and yellow lifts the mood. Leveraging colours to produce an effect can influence 85% of a customer’s purchasing decisions. Their thoughts, feelings, and behaviours can vary depending on personal preferences, culture and sometimes, even location. Either way, it grabs attention, and that’s what we’re after!

You might not think it, but 90% of first impressions come from colour, with 93% of consumers making purchasing decisions based on visuals alone.

As we celebrate #InternationalWomensDay on March 8th, we celebrate the women in construction, the women in scaffolding, and the women of Leach’s.

It was recorded that between 2015 and 2016, there were 144 workplace fatalities and a staggering 621,000 non-fatal injuries across all industries that related to no or mis-worn PPE. This leaves us with the devastating reality that many of those lives that were lost could have been prevented with the right protection. 

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) figures illustrate that there are around 9,000 PPE-related incidents each year.

With evidence this clear that shows just how many lives are impacted by the lack of PPE, it begs the question, why are people still not wearing it? What’s stopping workers from using the very equipment designed to keep them safe?

As someone once said, “The number one rule of thieves is that nothing is too small to steal.” From manhole covers to the brain of Albert Einstein, if someone really wants it, they’ll chance their luck and take it, with no thought to the outcomes.

It is estimated that theft and vandalism to construction sites cost over [1]£1 million every day in the U.K.  Construction and scaffolding sites usually stir a big appetite for potential thieves due to the rich pickings of expensive equipment, vehicles, materials, tools, and machinery.

With over 6,200 scaffolding businesses currently trading in the U.K., it’s easy to see why competition is so high within the industry. Firms are all trying to showcase their brands, all while trying to meet client demands to become more eco-friendly but still needing high-quality equipment that maintains enhanced safety standards. 

Sound familiar? If only there was something that could do everything…

In 2022, a passerby was struck by a 4-meter ladder beam that fell from scaffolding, and in another incident, someone ignored warnings, wandered into a work zone, and was hit by a scaffold tube. 

We’re all cautious about crossing the street or keeping an eye out for pickpockets, but scaffolding accidents? Probably not on our list. Add to that our “phone-addicted society,” and the risks increase. Between 2000-2011, 11,100 walking accidents involved mobile phones, with over 80% of them caused by falls.

Read our Top 6 Pedestrian Protection on Scaffolds that you can invest in for long-term protection for yourself, your team, and members of the public. 

Sometimes, for things to be discovered or invented, it takes an incident or accident to push these innovative developments. Sure, we celebrated when Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravity after an apple fell on his head while he was reading under an apple tree. Sadly, some people pay the price for such laws and regulations to be put into place so such disasters do not happen again.

In 1978, the deadliest construction accident in U.S. history became a tragic turning point for worker safety, resulting in the establishment of critical laws and regulations, with new developments and solutions designed and implemented to create a safer working environment.

Teamwork makes the dream work, and you can’t scaffold without a team. On average, we spend more time during a work week with our colleagues than we do with our loved ones. So, you can see why our colleagues can have such an impact on our day-to-day lives. Great teams are built by the people who make getting out of bed just that little bit better and a whole lot easier, so let’s celebrate them today by giving a shout-out to your #SUPERSCAFFS

Ladders have been helping us reach new heights for over [1]10,000 years. On average, ladders cause [3]515 injuries per year, with many of these incidents involving over-reaching, losing balance, equipment misuse or failure, or failure of a surface. Real-life stories bring the dangers into sharp focus. Take, for example, the case of a window cleaner who fell 2.3 meters due to an unsecured ladder, resulting in multiple broken ribs, fingers, and a fractured arm whilst on the job. While this worker was fortunate to escape with his life, not everyone is so lucky. Tragically, a maintenance fitter lost his life in a similar scenario. He slipped on the second rung of a ladder, his feet slipping through, causing him to fall backward. The impact on the floor resulted in a fatal head injury.