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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. 

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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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Connolly Scaffolding strengthens partnership with TRAD UK in £3.5m investment

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Benetics introduces AI voice tool to cut site paperwork

A German construction technology firm has launched an AI-powered voice assistant designed to help site teams cut paperwork and speed up reporting. Benetics, based in Munich, says its new app allows workers to speak naturally while on site. The software then transcribes what’s said, organises the information, and turns it into structured reports with photos, checklists, and due dates. The company claims the tool can reduce admin time by up to 80 per cent and integrates with other software already used in construction. “Our mission is simple — to make life easier for people on site,” said Tobias Haendler, Benetics’ chief marketing officer. “Workers don’t want to write reports at the end of the day. Now, they can just talk, and the AI does the rest.” The system, built on OpenAI technology, recognises voice input even in noisy environments and can translate task lists into more than 30 languages. Benetics says the multilingual feature was added following customer feedback during testing. The app has already been rolled out in Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and the United States. Its UK debut took place at London Build, with several firms now trialling it on live projects. Haendler added that the company continues to test other large language models, including Google Gemini, to benchmark accuracy and performance for construction-specific use cases. Businesses can trial the app for free, with full access priced at £20 per user per month.  

Scaffolders at Sullom Voe Terminal walk out over pay dispute

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Hong Kong contractors ‘hid unsafe scaffolding netting’ as tower fire toll rises to 151

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Costs climb again on Manchester Town Hall project as delays worsen

The cost of restoring Manchester Town Hall has risen by a further £95m, with completion now pushed back to spring 2027. The Grade I-listed project was originally due to finish in summer 2024. Manchester City Council confirmed that the overall budget has increased to £524.8m. This is 59 per cent higher than the initial £330m allocation set when work began. The council said the scheme had been affected by a “unique combination” of pressures. These include a shortage of specialist heritage labour, continued materials and labour cost inflation, and a series of subcontractor collapses. Three unnamed subcontractors working on key packages have entered administration in the past six months. The council said the complexity of the 148-year-old building meant delays to one element of work often caused wider disruption across the programme. Lendlease was appointed as main contractor in 2019. The job is now being delivered under the revived Bovis name after Lendlease’s UK construction arm was sold to Atlas Holdings. Deputy council leader Garry Bridges said the project had “navigated a stream of challenges”. He acknowledged frustration over rising costs but argued that failing to intervene would have risked the building becoming “unusable and obsolete”. The council reported last year that costs had already grown by nearly £100m due to hyperinflation, subcontractor claims and unexpected conservation work, including the presence of nesting falcons. The latest funding increase will need approval from the council’s executive committee on 10 December. The additional money will be met through borrowing. Bridges said the project was now on a “confident path” to completion in 2027 and would be ready for the 150th anniversary of the town hall’s original opening. He added that the restored building would serve the city “for the next 100 years”.