As a former President of the NASC, you wouldn’t be surprised to read an article promoting the benefits of joining an industry association. In my view, there are lots of benefits – and very few drawbacks, if any – of joining an industry group, and based on my own experience, I’d certainly encourage it.
Of course, the most important thing for you as a business owner is to look carefully at the different associations available to decide which is the best fit for your organisation, and how you can get the most from your membership.
I was recently part of a panel session debating the merits of system scaffolding relative to the skills shortage in our industry at the first-ever
Scaffolding Conference of its type, which was held in the West Midlands at the end of September. Hosted by the
Scaffolding Association, the conference was uniquely open to both members and non-members and was a great success.
Events like this, alongside campaigns like
National Scaffolding Week, and the
annual awards ceremonies run by the NASC, are helping to raise the profile of our industry in a positive way, which can only be a good thing. In fact, at TRAD UK, we supported National Scaffolding Week by running a number of events, helping to showcase the depth of skill and professionalism across the industry.
What does an industry association offer?
Part of the role of an industry body is to promote the industry externally. It’s also to support businesses and practitioners within the industry with additional learning, training and focused business assistance. And these associations are not just for ‘traditional’ scaffolding companies.
They are open to all businesses involved in scaffolding, including building companies and the wider supply chain. Industry bodies provide a valuable forum for meeting other people in the industry, sharing views, updating practices and moving the industry forward.
For example, two of the main industry bodies in our industry – the Scaffolding Association and the NASC – offer a range of benefits to members. These include:
- Free advice on certain business issues
- Access to funding and support for applying for funding
- Networking events
- Preferential rates for certain business services
- Access to training and development
- Ability to have your say on industry issues or future direction
- Audited membership
- Sharing best practice across members
- Guidance notes to support business development
- A chance to showcase your company’s work and approach through annual awards
Are there drawbacks to joining?
Of course, there is a cost involved. Membership rates usually vary depending on the size and type of your business and what sort of membership you want to take up. There may be additional costs for things like attending conferences and meetings. And, if you want to sit on committees or be more active in the association, you’ll need to take time out of your business to do so.
It’s important to note, though, this can be time well spent – sharing your knowledge with others and learning from your peers.
I don’t see any of these issues as drawbacks, though. In fact, I think that, even for a small scaffolding business, the cost of an industry body membership is an investment. The benefits of being in a trade association raises the profile of your business, opens you up to new opportunities, gives you the support to help you grow and even raises your own personal profile across the industry.
Building a wider profile for the scaffolding industry
Although our associations are successful and work incredibly hard for their members, the combined membership of two associations referred to is still only a fraction of the total number of companies in our industry.
By joining an association, you give yourself and your business a voice. And the more voices there are in scaffolding, the bigger voice we have in the wider construction industry and beyond.
Take the time to do your homework so you choose the best association for your business now and in the future. In my opinion, the benefits far outweigh the costs, and I’d encourage businesses of all sizes to consider joining an association this year.
Hydrajaws’ first tester was prototyped in 1985 and has been manufactured and developed since 1986 by this family-run business, founded by Chairman Royston Morgan. Significant developments have taken place over the decades and not only to the base design, now with a capacity of 25kN.
Added to the range has been a wide range of adapters and accessories for fixing types from proprietary manufacturers plus additional product for specialised testing, delivering up to 500kN. The full range enables the testing of a simple plastic plug through to M36 heavy duty construction anchors. An important facet of the business is the testing of scaffolding anchor points where any potential for failure can have catastrophic consequences.
Since 2014, Hydrajaws has taken the lead in the digital world, being the first to introduce a sophisticated app where testing can be carried out and the results immediately shared live to a mobile platform or laptop anywhere in the world.
Digital reports include date, time, and GPS location, graphs showing the duration of the test and pass or fail result plus notes and photos taken on site. The app is covered by a comprehensive US patent.
The business began manufacture of its tester in 500 sq. ft. premises in Birmingham in 1986 and has expanded through four separate premises over the ensuing 35 years. The introduction of Health and Safety legislation provided a considerable growth opportunity across the world – the company worked closely with the HSE and the British and European standards organisations on safety cases during the development of the legislation.
Adrian Morgan, CEO (and son of Chairman Royston Morgan) said: “In today’s world of high safety awareness, Hydrajaws is proud to have led the way in testing equipment and techniques that have potential to save lives across the world.
The high quality and robust nature of our products has seen demand outgrow our supply capacity, hence our investment in a new HQ operation, helping to ensure continuity of supply and services to our customers.
The all-new building not only future-proofs demand but also enables a more efficient and cost-effective flow for our manufacturing and distribution process plus the establishment of more comprehensive training, research and development, service and testing facilities to serve our growing global customer base”. 
Toby Budd, MD and Founder said ”We started off with simple pontoons that could be used for access. Then we added outboard pods to the pontoons turning them into workboats, suddenly they became much more useful to our customers and now 90% of our hires go out as a ‘vessel’. We then added spud legs, deck winches, and other bolt-ons to add further value. But there is no doubt that it is the addition of a knuckle boom crane that marks the biggest advance in the system from an engineering perspective. Lifting is a key component for most marine works and I am delighted we can now offer this to our customers”.
The company is now developing a crane base for larger projects and expects to soon offer a 7tm crane on their larger 750mm beam system.
The ScaffFloat was on hire for almost two months to GPS MACS who are a specialist marine contractor on the Thames. The ScaffFloat package provided the perfect tool for the job, it also had the benefit of very low draft (just 0.3m) and could be dried out on the steep mud banks giving the workers a much larger tidal working window than more traditional vessels that would not have been able to ground out.
Ross Albertyn, project manager, said “Thanks again for your assistance on this project. The ScaffFloat has been absolutely brilliant.” 
Ojay Roynon, Site Manager at Benchmark Scaffolding, said: “We used Powerclad’s flame retardant grade which is third-party certified as fully compliant for interior use. That is a vital attribute in maximising safety throughout the internal reconstruction.”
Jamie Lyons, Scaffold Health & Safety Advisor at Simian Risk, said: “The scaffolding has been installed to a high standard and ITP’s Powerclad FR sheeting certainly meets the performance and safety demands of this major redevelopment.”
ITP Account Manager, Seb Carrick, said: “Our Powerclad FR sheeting has an advantage over many rival products because the system’s fire safety attributes make it suitable for both internal and external site application. We manufacture plain, flexographically printed and digitally printed sheeting which is approved under Certifire T62 for external installation and Certifire T63 for internal installation. Having both of those certifications within the same product is currently unique in the UK market. All our Powerclad FR systems are independently tested and have a Euroclass rating of B-s1,d0 EN 13501-1.”
The redevelopment of the BT Centre will improve the environmental performance of the building and minimise environmental impact by reusing its original Portland stone, employing modular construction methods, specifying low carbon materials and adopting a zero to landfill policy. The project aims to deliver a building which is air quality neutral, providing one of the highest ‘urban greening factors’ in London and to be the first net zero carbon enabled office development in London. 
