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Our website is a hugely popular digital scaffolding resource. Launched back in 2009, ScaffMag has grown in popularity to become the industry’s leading source for the latest independent trade news, current affairs, scaffolding jobs and profiling the very best from our sector.
ScaffMag gives businesses and brands an unrivalled opportunity to advertise their products or services 24 hours a day 7 days a week to a highly targeted audience. Our readership includes main and sub-contractors, manufacturers, consultants, scaffolders and many others. We offer print and digital advertising opportunities across desktop, mobile and tablet channels.
During 2023 we welcomed over 250,000 individual users to the site, generating over 760,000 pageviews. We remain amongst our industry the most followed and liked company on social media with more than 132,000 followers on Facebook alone.
– Daniel Norton, Editor of ScaffMag
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We provide businesses and brands an unrivalled opportunity to advertise their products or services 24 hours a day 7 days a week to a highly targeted audience.
For a full list of website advertising opportunities with ScaffMag please contact us and download our 2024 Media Pack.
Our Daily Download and Weekly Rundown email newsletter is essential reading for thousands of scaffolding professionals. They are sent to more than 7,200 people providing a unique reach into companies across the country and the world. The newsletter enjoys an above-average open rate for the construction sector of 38% and our list is constantly updated to only include regular readers. Our subscriber database can be made available to selected clients for direct marketing in the form of an Email Blast.
EMAIL SPONSORSHIP ScaffMag offers email sponsorship in our daily and weekly round-up emails in the form of a banner advertisement contained within the newsletter Email Banner: £300.00pcm
EMAIL BLAST ScaffMag give’s businesses and industry service providers the ability to send out their very own promotional email co-branded with ScaffMag to our database of subscribers. Email Blast: £400.00 per campaign
Interested in learning more about advertising with us? Drop us a line on 01472 476024 or email [email protected]
As a natural progression for both our loyal readership and our scaffold sector advertising customers, we have launched the ScaffMag magazine – a fresh, slick, modern, vibrant and engaging product to enjoy and to back up our ScaffMag.com community and social media following, which advertisers in the magazine can tap their brand into. Created with both the scaffolder and contractor in mind, The ScaffMag Magazine gives businesses and brands an unrivalled opportunity to advertise their products or services 24:7:365 to a large, rapidly expanding and highly-targeted audience. It’s a unique proposition in digital and print.
“The new issue of Scaffmag is packed with great articles and opinions. We’re very lucky in our industry to have such a great support and loudspeaker for everything we do! Thanks as always to Daniel Norton for putting such great content together.” – Des Moore
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To find out more about advertising in our quarterly magazine please view and download our 2021 Media Pack.
Or Call: 01472 476024 Email: [email protected]
ScaffMag continues to dominate the social media networks within our industry with the most liked/followed Facebook page in the sector. At the time of writing this, ScaffMag’s official page has 135,000+ followers and 81,000+ likes.
For an up to date view of our social media stats see the boxes below.
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.”
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.
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!
Authorities in the German state of Hesse have launched a week-long scaffold safety inspection campaign after previous checks found that only 21% of construction sites fully met required safety measures.
The targeted inspections are taking place across Hesse from 8 to 12 June and involve the regional administrations in Gießen, Darmstadt and Kassel.
The move forms part of a wider campaign by Germany’s Joint Occupational Safety and Health Strategy, known as GDA, which is focused on reducing fall accidents in construction.
Falls remain one of the biggest risks facing construction workers in Germany. According to Hesse officials, falls accounted for 31% of fatal workplace accidents in the country between 2009 and 2023.
Inspectors are expected to focus on both technical and organisational failings linked to scaffolding. Previous checks found a high level of non-compliance, including missing assembly instructions and scaffolds being altered incorrectly on site.
Dr Katherina Rüping, deputy head of the construction occupational safety department at the Kassel regional administration, said accidents continue to occur where scaffolds are built incorrectly or are not properly secured.
The campaign follows several years of information, advice and monitoring work aimed at improving fall prevention on German construction sites.
For scaffold contractors, the findings point to a familiar problem: safety failures often sit between the scaffold handover, site management and later unauthorised changes made during use.
The German action will be watched by safety bodies across Europe, where falls from height remain a major cause of death and serious injury in construction. Eurostat data shows construction accounted for 24% of all fatal workplace accidents in the EU in 2023.
The Hesse campaign is expected to put site managers, employers and scaffold users under closer scrutiny, with inspectors aiming to address unsafe conditions while they are on site.
RNDV has been crowned ScaffChamp 2026 champion after winning the international scaffolding competition for the second year running.
The team retained the title in Vilnius, Lithuania, after completing this year’s scaffold build against a field of 19 international teams.
Judges assessed speed, safety, accuracy and workmanship, with teams also facing time penalties for any faults found during inspection.
The result brought the 2026 event to a close after 2 days of competition, industry networking and live demonstrations at the ScaffChamp arena.
This year’s contest opened on Friday with team presentations, the official draw and the reveal of the structure that competitors would have to build on competition day.
The draw placed the teams into 2 rounds.
Round 1 began with RNDV, followed by Stabil, N-Projects, Scaff-Tech, A-Team, Skyline Scaffolding, Team Türkiye, NBIK, Muehlhan and MTL Group.
Round 2 brought Teknopont, Talim, AlpAccess, AK Scaffolding, Air Tek Group, Bilfinger, Gerüstbau Samiez, Volken Group and Groupe Vermeren into the arena.
Competition day saw each team race to complete the required scaffold structure before dismantling it safely and cleanly.
Times were then reviewed alongside any faults or penalties identified by the referees.
RNDV finished with a final time of 02:05:08, securing victory ahead of Bilfinger in second place and Volken Group in third.
The result gives RNDV back-to-back ScaffChamp titles and confirms the team’s place as one of the standout competitors in the event’s recent history.
The 2026 structure quickly became one of the main talking points around the arena.
Several teams were unable to complete the build within the allotted time, with the technical demands catching out even experienced competitors.
One competitor told Scaffmag the structure was “one of the most technical ScaffChamp builds we’ve seen, with very little margin for error once you got behind on the sequence”.
Event organisers had not expected the build to catch out as many teams as it did, with the final standings shaped by completion, accuracy and penalty control as much as outright speed.
One of the most closely watched teams was A-Team, a young squad made up entirely of apprentices from Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The team received eight minute penalty from the judges, but provided strong result in a contest where accuracy mattered as much as pace.
But they were unable to complete the build within the time limit.
Their performance still drew attention around the arena, with the apprentices keeping their standards under pressure against experienced international teams.
The weather also played its part across the 2 days.
Wet conditions affected parts of the event, including the opening day, but the rain did not stop the draw, briefings and partner activities from going ahead.
By Saturday afternoon, the sun came out for Round 2, giving the arena a very different feel as the second group of teams began their build. However, the brighter conditions did not make the structure any easier.
Speaking after the result, one spectator watching from the arena said: “The build looked incredibly technical this year and you could see teams having to think through every move. Even when things weren’t going to plan, the atmosphere was brilliant. The crowd stayed engaged all day and there was a real sense of respect for what the teams were trying to achieve.”
ScaffChamp brings together scaffolders from across Europe and beyond, giving teams the chance to compete under pressure in front of industry figures, suppliers and supporters.
For competitors, the event is also a rare chance to show the skill, judgement and discipline involved in scaffolding to a wider audience.
The 2026 competition again drew teams from across the international scaffolding community, with competitors travelling to Lithuania to test themselves against some of the best in the trade.
Scaffmag covered the event from Vilnius, with updates, images and reaction from the arena throughout the 2 days.
More reaction from the winning team and organisers will follow.
After Friday’s team draw and structure briefing, competitors are now putting planning into practice as they take on the scaffold build challenge that will decide this year’s champion.
The competition day follows a wet opening programme on Friday, when teams were introduced, the running order was confirmed and the build design was revealed to competitors.
This year’s competition is split across 2 rounds.
Round 1 begins with RNDV from Lithuania, followed by Stabil Épít? from Hungary, N-Projects from Poland, Scaff-Tech from Poland, A-Team from Scotland and Northern Ireland, Skyline Scaffolding from Ireland, Team Türkiye, NBIK from Mongolia, Muehlhan from Greece and MTL Group from the Czech Republic.
Round 2 will feature Teknopont from Italy, Talim from Peru, AlpAccess from Romania, AK Scaffolding from the United Kingdom, Air Tek Group from Spain, Bilfinger from Germany, Gerüstbau Samiez from Germany, Volken Group from Switzerland and Groupe Vermeren from Canada.
For the UK industry, attention will be on AK Scaffolding, which enters the arena in Round 2.
The teams are being judged on more than speed. Accuracy, safety, teamwork and clean execution all matter, with referees inspecting the structures and applying time penalties where errors are found.
The scaffold design, revealed during Friday’s briefing, includes several sections and working levels including a roof, giving teams a technical task that will test planning and communication as well as pace.
ScaffChamp has become one of the few international events where working scaffolders compete directly in front of an industry audience.
The format puts practical skill at the centre of the event, with teams required to build quickly while still meeting the standards expected on site.
Scaffmag is in Vilnius covering the competition throughout the day through its live blog, website and magazine.
ScaffChamp 2026 opens today in Vilnius, with the team draw and the reveal of tomorrow’s build task set to be the main focus of day 1.
Scaffmag is on the ground in Lithuania and will be running a live blog throughout the event, bringing updates, photos and reaction from inside the venue.
The opening day is largely about setting the stage for tomorrow’s competition, when teams from across the world will be tested on speed, safety, planning and scaffold craft.
Over the next few days, we’ll be your eyes and ears on the ground, providing real-time updates, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes insights into the competitions, innovations, and industry discussions that make ScaffChamp 2026 a must-follow event.
HAKI Safety has signed an agreement to acquire selected operations of Combisafe, the fall protection brand best known for temporary edge protection and catchfan systems used on construction and infrastructure projects.
The deal is expected to complete at the start of the third quarter of 2026.
The acquisition will see HAKI take on selected Combisafe assets, including the brand, product portfolio, patent and design rights, customer relationships and certain operating assets. Operations and staff will transfer to HAKI Safety.
The purchase price is USD 2m, around £1.5m, for the net assets. The sellers will also contribute around USD 2m, again about £1.5m, to cover possible change-related costs.
Combisafe is currently owned by PIP Global Safety. It has annual turnover of about SEK 80m, around £6.4m, and employs more than 30 people across 6 countries. Its products are sold in about 20 countries.
HAKI said the deal will broaden its work zone safety offer and increase its presence in Europe. Combisafe’s product range includes edge protection and catchfans used to protect workers and the public on high-rise, public building, renovation and infrastructure schemes.
Sverker Lindberg, President and CEO of HAKI Safety, said the acquisition would give the group access to more markets and make it “a real player in the European fall protection market”.
He said: “It is with great confidence that I look forward to welcoming Combisafe to the HAKI Safety family. We have previously acquired fall protection companies and therefore find it very gratifying to acquire the Swedish pioneering company, with its unique product portfolio and brand.”
But HAKI has also acknowledged the work needed to improve the business. Combisafe has been unprofitable for the past few years.
Lindberg said: “It is evident that the company has challenges with its profitability. But we know the products and see the synergies. Once the acquisition is completed, we will immediately begin extracting both sales and product synergies. Our ambition is a fast integration process and to regain profitability in this fine business within a short time.”
Curt Holtz, CEO of PIP Global Safety, said Combisafe had a “rich history” but edge protection was no longer central to PIP’s strategy.
He said: “This brand is a good fit for the HAKI Safety team, and we believe they will be the right owner going forward.”
Combisafe was founded in Sweden in 1987 and has changed ownership several times since 2008. HAKI Safety has already bought other fall protection businesses linked to the same market, including Vertemax in 2021 and Novakorp Systems in 2022.
Those companies now sit within HAKI’s Work Zone Safety business area under the HAKI brand.
NASC has appointed Rob Boardman as its new Head of Training and Education.
He will take up the role from Monday 8 June 2026, joining the trade body after nine years with 3B Training, a CISRS-recognised training centre.
Boardman most recently worked as Operations Director at 3B Training. NASC said his experience gives him a strong understanding of scaffolding training, training centre operations and the standards used to support workforce development across the sector.
The appointment comes at a busy time for scaffolding training, with continued industry focus on competence, skills shortages and the future structure of CISRS training routes.
NASC said Boardman’s role will support its work around training and education across the scaffolding and access industry.
Clive Dickin, Group CEO of NASC and CISRS, said: “We are delighted to welcome Rob to the team. He brings a wealth of relevant experience and expertise and joins us at an important time for training and education across the scaffolding and access industry. I look forward to working with him.”
The move also gives NASC a senior training appointment with direct experience from inside the CISRS training centre network.
Boardman’s background at 3B Training is likely to be relevant as the sector continues to discuss access to training, employer support and the skills needed to bring new entrants into scaffolding.
Rising fuel costs are continuing to hit scaffolding businesses across the UK, with many firms absorbing the increases rather than passing them on to clients, according to a new NASC industry survey.
The survey, carried out among NASC members and wider industry stakeholders, found that 49.2% of respondents had seen fuel costs rise by more than 20% so far this year.
A further 44% reported increases of between 11% and 20%, underlining the pressure on companies that depend heavily on vehicle fleets, site visits and material deliveries.
Respondents rated the impact of higher fuel costs on their businesses at an average of 7.2 out of 10.
Transport and vehicle costs were the main concern, cited by nearly 94% of respondents. More than half also said fuel prices were affecting profit margins and site visits, while delivery logistics and project pricing were also being hit.
Despite the scale of the increases, many firms said they had been unable to recover the added costs from clients. Some 57.1% said they had not passed on any of the increase, while just 1.6% said they had passed on the full cost.
Instead, companies said they were absorbing the pressure, planning delivery routes more carefully, cutting site visits where possible, and reviewing estimating and pricing.
The survey also found concern about further fuel rises, with businesses rating their level of concern at an average of 7.9 out of 10. More than 30% gave the highest possible rating.
Clive Dickin, Group CEO of NASC and CISRS, said the findings should concern the wider construction supply chain.
“Scaffolding businesses play a vital role in enabling construction, maintenance, refurbishment and infrastructure projects across the UK, yet many are being forced to absorb substantial increases in fuel costs at a time when margins are already under pressure,” he said.
“We are seeing a worrying number of insolvencies across the sector. Rising operating costs, combined with intense competition and limited ability to recover additional expenditure from clients, are creating real challenges for many businesses.
“The scaffolding and access sector is fundamental to the Government’s ambitions for economic growth, housing delivery and major infrastructure investment. If the UK is serious about meeting its building targets, it must recognise the pressures facing the businesses that make those projects possible.”
Mr Dickin said NASC wanted the Government to consider practical relief for construction and access firms, including fuel-related support, targeted tax measures or other support to help businesses remain resilient.
The findings add to wider concern about cost pressure across the scaffolding and access sector, particularly for firms with large fleets, labour-heavy site operations and contracts priced before recent cost rises took hold.
Scaffolders in Jersey can now access CISRS training locally after Scaffold Training Academy Ltd gained approval as an official CISRS Training Centre.
The centre is the first approved CISRS Training Centre in the Channel Islands.
It means scaffolders based in Jersey will no longer need to travel to the UK mainland for some nationally recognised training, including the CISRS Operative Training Scheme and Basic Scaffold Inspection course.
The approval follows nearly 2 years of work between Scaffold Training Academy Ltd, CISRS, NASC and the Government of Jersey.
The new centre has opened at a time when the Health and Safety Inspectorate in Jersey has made CISRS cards the accepted test of competency for scaffolders working on the islands.
Kelly Keating, Director of Scaffold Training Academy Ltd, said the approval was a major step for local scaffolders and employers.
“This has been a long time in the making and we are incredibly proud to have reached this point,” she said.
“Scaffolders in Jersey have always had to travel to the mainland to access nationally recognised training, and that has been a barrier for many.
“Having an approved CISRS centre here changes that. We are committed to raising the standard of scaffolding training across the Channel Islands and this is just the beginning.”
The centre launched its first courses in March and April 2026.
Two programmes are currently available.
The CISRS Operative Training Scheme, known as COTS, is the first step on the CISRS pathway. It must be completed before candidates can move on to further training, including Part 1, Part 2 or Advanced scaffolding qualifications.
The CISRS Basic Scaffold Inspection course is aimed at experienced scaffolders, supervisors and site managers who inspect basic scaffolding structures.
Funding support is also available for eligible candidates through Skills Jersey.
The approval gives the Channel Islands’ scaffolding and access sector a local route into structured training, while helping employers meet competency requirements without the extra cost and disruption of sending workers to the mainland.
CISRS and NASC said they were pleased to welcome Scaffold Training Academy Ltd into the network of approved training centres.
Researchers have demonstrated an autonomous drone system capable of placing bricks and applying adhesive in mid-air, in a development that could shape future approaches to construction work at height.
The system uses two unmanned aerial vehicles working together. One drone carries and positions bricks, while a second drone applies bonding material between them.
The research, titled Autonomous Reactive Masonry Construction using Collaborative Heterogeneous Aerial Robots with Experimental Demonstration, was published by Marios-Nektarios Stamatopoulos, Elias Small, Shridhar Velhal, Avijit Banerjee and George Nikolakopoulos.
According to the paper, the system is designed to show how aerial robots could carry out coordinated masonry tasks without direct human control during the construction sequence.
The researchers said the work is, to the best of their knowledge, the first experimental demonstration of fully autonomous aerial masonry construction using different types of drones, with separate aircraft assigned to brick placement and adhesive application.
The brick-carrying drone was fitted with a ball-joint mechanism to improve placement control. It used onboard vision, ArUco markers and pose estimation to align the bricks during the build.
The second drone was fitted with a servo-controlled valve and extruder nozzle to apply adhesive material between the bricks.
The drones were coordinated through a reactive mission planning system, allowing the aircraft to manage task dependencies, respond to feedback and work as part of a single construction process.
The development adds to growing research interest in construction robotics, particularly in areas where drones could move beyond inspection, surveying and progress monitoring into physical site tasks.
However, the technology is not yet ready for use on live construction sites. The demonstration was carried out in a controlled research setting, and several major barriers remain before autonomous aerial masonry could be used commercially.
These include payload limits, battery life, wind conditions, flight stability, site safety, regulation, adhesive performance and the structural requirements of permanent masonry.
For the scaffolding and access sector, the research is unlikely to alter short-term demand for scaffold-based access or skilled masonry work.
Its more immediate relevance is in showing how autonomous systems may eventually support difficult or hazardous tasks at height, particularly in controlled environments where conventional access is complex or costly.
The paper suggests aerial robots could become part of a wider mix of construction technologies, working alongside traditional access methods rather than replacing them outright.
For now, the system remains a research milestone rather than a practical site solution. But it underlines the direction of travel as construction robotics becomes more capable, more specialised and more closely linked to work at height.
NASC has updated its TG30 system scaffolding guidance to include a new range of birdcage configurations for cup, wedge and rosette systems.
The update expands the TG30 eGuide to cover 5 birdcage setups, including several configurations that NASC says were not previously available through TG30 or manufacturer user manuals.
Until now, contractors using these layouts would usually have needed a bespoke design.
NASC said the change is intended to reduce the time and cost involved in planning compliant birdcage scaffolds, while giving contractors a recognised route for standard solutions.
TG30 is NASC’s guidance suite for the safe design, supply and compliance of system scaffolding. It includes an Operational Guide, a Design Guide and an eGuide for generating compliance sheets.
All 3 are available through the NASC ePortal.
The new release covers freestanding birdcages, birdcages tied or butted in 1 direction, birdcages decked at the top 2 lifts, fully decked birdcages, and birdcages decked at the top lift with perimeter decking at all other lifts.
The configurations are available across cup, wedge and rosette systems.
NASC said the Operational Guide has also been updated to support the new configurations, giving users practical guidance alongside the new compliance sheets.
Mark Collinson, Head of Technical at NASC, said: “This update will make a genuine difference to scaffolding contractors working with system scaffolding.
“Many of these birdcage configurations were not previously covered anywhere, which meant bespoke design was the only option.
“Having them available as TG30 compliant solutions removes that burden, saves time and cost, and ensures contractors can proceed with confidence that they are working to the recognised industry standard.”
The full TG30 guidance suite and compliance sheets are available through the NASC ePortal.
