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Two men seriously injured in London steelwork and scaffolding collapse

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Two men have been seriously injured after steelwork collapsed onto scaffolding erected on a town hall at a construction site in West London. Dozens of police, fire and ambulance vehicles attended Hammersmith town hall in King Street after the incident at around 5.30pm on Wednesday. According to reports, both men had suffered ‘life-threatening injuries and were rushed to a major trauma centre “as a priority”. The Metropolitan police have said the men were taken to a central London hospital, and the Health and Safety Executive had been informed. A source told Scaffmag: “The steelwork collapsed and took the scaffolding down with it, when the steelwork failed it knocked over the cherry picker the steelworkers were working on.” It is believed that one of the steel erectors was thrown 30m from the cherry picker and the other was still attached by his harness.

The London ambulance service said: “An investigation has been launched after two men were injured after scaffolding attached to Hammersmith town hall collapsed late on Wednesday afternoon.

“Officers from the Metropolitan police attended along with firefighters.”

How can Tube-Lock benefit your company?

Tube-Lock® can revolutionize the way you are designing and erecting scaffolds. By combining simplicity and strength, Tube-Lock holds many benefits over traditional tube and fitting scaffolding.

Tube-Lock® tubes are regular 48,3mm scaffolding tubes, fitted with two cast iron Tube-Lock pieces. Because of the Tube-Lock ends, tubes can be connected with each other by a twisting motion, visibly locking them in place. No tools nor additional parts are required to make or secure the connection. 

This provides many advantages.

Because the two tubes can be joined by a twisting motion, it is a fast and easy way to connect tubes together. This leads to faster erection and dismantling times for the entire scaffold. 

Furthermore, no additional parts nor tools are needed. No longer needing sleeve couplers and joint pins means that there are no spare parts that need to be transported. Additionally, you don’t have to invest in sleeve couplers and joint pins as you no longer need them.

This also eliminates the risk of sleeve couplers breaking, getting lost or getting stolen. And you don’t have to service the sleeve couplers anymore. Tube-Lock connections are completely maintenance-free. 

Another logistical advantage is that Tube-Lock comes in standard lengths from 1 meter or 4ft up to 4 meters or 13ft. Because of this flexibility, it prevents the necessity of cutting the tubes to length. 

The maximum length of 4 meters means the maximum weight of a Tube-Lock tube is 16 kg. This leads to less strain on scaffolders, which is essential because of the strict Occupational Health and Safety regulations. 

Additionally, there is no need to stagger joints, Tube-Lock is as strong as a continuous tube. The connection may even be submitted to pull force. Using Tube-Lock tubes leads to a smooth tube connection over the full length of the tube. This makes it possible to use couplers anywhere on the tube. Even on the Tube-Lock connection. 

Van Thiel United Ltd. can make Tube-Lock tubes out of your (used) scaffolding tube!

In their innovative production facility, they can turn your (used) scaffolding tube to Tube-Lock tubes! This means you can update your own material without enormous investments. Even the repair of existing Tube-Lock stock is possible. And they now offer a special discount on the conversion of your scaffolding tube!

Have a look at www.thielscaffolding.com for more information, or contact [email protected] to hear more about all possibilities!

Mark Parkin leaves role as Strategic Director at the Scaffolding Association

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PERI systems boost efficiency on £200m Walsall waste facility

Specialist contractor Careys is using advanced formwork and scaffolding systems from PERI UK to construct the 40-metre reinforced concrete structure at the Walsall Energy Recovery Facility, replacing traditional methods with engineered solutions that deliver significant time and safety benefits. The project, being built for client Encyclis with main contractor Kanadevia Inova, required innovative approaches to two critical challenges: providing safe vertical access throughout the build and forming an 880mm thick ground slab. To solve the access issue, Careys deployed up to ten PERI UP Flex Stair Towers across the site at peak construction. The system scaffold uses a gravity lock mechanism that requires only a hammer to secure components, eliminating the time-consuming measurement and coupling work associated with traditional tube and fitting scaffolding. “Our PERI UP system is a system scaffold, which means everything has set lengths and heights. All you need is a hammer to lock the equipment securely,” explained Gilbert Kee, sales engineer at PERI UK. “This gravity lock system is incredibly easy to erect; you literally just drop the components in, strike it with a hammer, and it’s secure.” The system’s inherent levelness also removes the need for specialist inspectors to check every flight, saving considerable time. PERI UK provided full temporary works designs for the stair towers, transferring liability for structural stability from the contractor to the supplier. For the ground floor, the team used the BECOSTOP permanent stop end system to segment the massive 20m x 20m concrete slab into manageable pours. The bespoke solution arrives on site ready-made, eliminating the labour-intensive cutting and propping required with traditional timber and ply methods. “With our BECOSTOP system, erection is much quicker. Crucially, it’s left in position after the pour, unlike traditional methods where everything has to be removed,” said Kee. William Griffith, project engineer at Careys, highlighted the safety advantages: “Due to the reinforcement detailing and the reinforcement projecting so far past the stop ends there was also a safety benefit in the use of BECOSTOP due to not having operatives getting beneath the projecting reinforcement and in some cases into the reinforcement cage to strike a typical stop end in this scenario.” The structure, which extends from 6m below ground to 30m above, is now nearing structural completion. The concrete shell work for Careys lasted approximately 12 months. The project demonstrates how modern, engineered systems can deliver measurable improvements in speed, safety and quality over conventional construction methods on complex industrial builds.

Scaffolders among workers hit by alleged coordinated layoffs at Sellafield, says Unite

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Construction College Midlands partners with AT-PAC to expand system scaffolding training

Construction College Midlands has formed a new partnership with scaffolding manufacturer AT-PAC as part of a wider push to strengthen training provision across the region. The Birmingham-based college is the first in the Midlands to deliver the System Scaffolding Product Training Scheme for the AT-PAC Ringlock System. The move expands its portfolio at a time when demand for system scaffold skills is increasing across the sector. A pilot course ran in early November. Scaffolders trained on ringlock and rosette systems and completed the programme with a CISRS completion certificate and AT-PAC endorsement. The partnership also includes a significant equipment investment. AT-PAC has supplied £35,000 of Ringlock material, including loading towers, steel decks, bay braces and interlocking toe boards, allowing the college to run the course at full scale. Daniel Wood, Sales Director for AT-PAC UK, said the collaboration is intended to support local skills. “Partnering with Walsall College is about investing in the next generation of scaffolders. The industry recognises the shortage of skilled labour and with AT-PAC firmly rooted in the Midlands, we’re committed to supporting local talent and strengthening the future of our trade.” Jatinder Sharma CBE DL, Principal and Chief Executive of Walsall College, said the partnership ensures the college keeps pace with modern scaffolding practice. “This collaboration will ensure our scaffolding training remains cutting-edge and relevant, promoting efficiency, versatility and safety.  By working with AT-PAC, employers and their teams will gain new skills and confidence, which will strengthen relationships with their customers and suppliers.” The alliance marks the third year of sustained growth for Construction College Midlands. In 2023 it opened a new scaffolding facility and a Green Skills Sustainability Centre. In 2024 it added another scaffold rig and new courses in roofing and scaffolding. The AT-PAC programme continues that trajectory, adding system scaffolding training to its offer.

New Construction and Scaffolding Academy launched to tackle skills shortages in Northern Ireland

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Brogan Group and Alimak strike global partnership

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CITB announces major funding cuts despite £79m reserves

The Construction Industry Training Board has slashed grants and capped funding from January, citing rising demand but drawing criticism over timing and available reserves. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced sweeping cuts to its grant and funding programmes, prompting widespread concern across the construction sector about the impact on skills development and training provision. The training body said the changes, which take effect from 8 January 2026, are necessary to manage a 36 per cent rise in demand for its services over the past four years, while the levy rate paid by employers has remained static. However, the move has drawn criticism over its timing, particularly given CITB’s reported reserves of £78.9 million. From January, short-course training grants will be withdrawn except for a limited number of specialist courses. Employer Networks will become the main funding route, but match funding will be reduced to 50 per cent. Funding for Level 7 qualifications and attendance grants for longer qualifications will stop entirely, while all non-apprentice achievement grants will be capped at £600. Further changes from 1 April 2026 will see large employers—those with more than 250 staff and over half their workforce in construction—moved to a new single funding model. These firms will no longer be able to access Employer Networks. CITB Chief Executive Tim Balcon said the decision was brought forward to prevent a surge in grant claims ahead of the cuts. “We want to apologise for the short notice for some of these changes, he said. “While it is good news that there has been an increase in demand for our services, we have maintained the same levy rate. This means it’s necessary to bring forward changes to ensure we’re delivering the greatest value for the greatest number of employers.” The announcement has prompted questions about whether such extensive cuts were unavoidable. According to Construction Enquirer, CITB’s most recent accounts show reserves of almost £79 million, with the board forecasting a fall to its minimum policy level of £50 million by March 2026. The publication described the reforms as controversial, given the scale of available reserves and the likely impact on smaller firms already facing rising training costs. CITB said the increased demand stems largely from growth in its Employer Networks and New Entrant Support Team (NEST), which have supported more companies without a corresponding increase in levy income. The organisation maintains that the reforms are designed to protect long-term funding stability and ensure support reaches as many employers as possible. Employers are advised to check the CITB website or contact local engagement advisers for guidance on how the new rules will affect planned training programmes.

Trapped load drags labourer from scaffold as firms fined £800k

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ITP opens new Product Development and Testing Facility at Yorkshire HQ

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CISRS reforms face delay as new QAC Chair withdraws

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