Scaffolding Association challenges CISRS exit and calls for independent oversight

Daniel Norton
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Scaffolding Association challenges CISRS exit and calls for independent oversight

In an open letter issued on 22 September, the Association said it had spent recent weeks establishing the facts, surveying members and speaking directly with CSCS, Build UK and other industry stakeholders before commenting publicly.

It said the picture now emerging was deeply concerning and claimed there had been no meaningful consultation across the wider scaffolding contractor base before CISRS decided to leave the CSCS Alliance from June 2027.

The Association said its member survey found no evidence of meaningful consultation, including among respondents who are also NASC members.

CISRS has previously said consulting before taking formal action could have exposed cardholders, training centres and employers to a much shorter transition if its licence was revoked.

It also pointed to concerns raised by the Scaffolding Training Alliance, which has called for publication of the evidence and legal advice behind the withdrawal, structured consultation and assurances over future standards.

Association questions reason for withdrawal

The strongest challenge in the letter concerns the reason CISRS has given for leaving CSCS.

CISRS has said legal advice identified a conflict with Construction Leadership Council requirements because the scheme is used by scaffolders working across construction and other sectors.

However, the Scaffolding Association said it had received clarification via Build UK that the CLC requirements are not intended to prevent someone holding a CSCS-logo card from working in another sector or workplace.

The letter also says the CLC and its members will work with CSCS to ensure there continues to be an industry card for scaffolding that meets the required standards and carries the CSCS logo.

The Association asks what specific issue still requires CISRS to leave the CSCS Alliance if cross-sector working does not prevent scaffolders holding a CSCS-logo card.

Governance concerns raised

The Association said concerns about CISRS governance existed before the withdrawal decision.

It said both the Scaffolding Association and the Access Industry Forum had already raised concerns and do not recognise the current CISRSQAC structure, the scheme’s quality assurance committee, as providing the genuinely independent sector representation and oversight they believe is required.

The letter says no single organisation should exercise disproportionate control over a competence scheme used by workers, employers, training providers and clients across the industry.

It adds that the governance concerns predate the withdrawal, which it says has shown why they matter.

Call for independent oversight

The Scaffolding Association is now calling for urgent independent oversight of CISRS during the notice period and immediate engagement with the wider industry on future CSCS-recognised scaffolding competence arrangements.

It said the industry cannot spend the next nine months simply waiting while decisions continue to be made about the future of the scheme.

The intervention came on the same day CISRS told an industry webinar that its decision to leave CSCS could still be reversed if agreement is reached over the CLC rule at the centre of the dispute.

CISRS said its preferred outcome is for the wording of Clause 4 to be amended so the scheme can continue serving scaffolders working across construction and other sectors while remaining within the CSCS framework.

If that happens, CISRS said the termination notice it served earlier this month can be withdrawn.

Between them, the letter and the webinar sharpen the dispute without settling it. The interpretation of the CLC requirements, future governance of the scheme and the route to a CSCS-recognised scaffolding card all remain unresolved.

Housebuilder fined £300k after scaffolding labourer suffers serious fall

Daniel Norton
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Housebuilder fined £300k after scaffolding labourer suffers serious fall

Joseph Tuck, 24, was working as a temporary labourer for a scaffolding company when the incident happened on a housing development in January 2024.

It was only his second week on the job.

The Health and Safety Executive said Mr Tuck stepped backwards through an opening intended for a staircase and fell one storey onto a concrete floor below.

He suffered serious spinal injuries and was unable to work for several months. HSE said he has not returned to a physical job.

The regulator found that the stairwell opening had not been securely covered and there was no edge protection in place.

HSE said loose scaffold boards had previously been placed over the opening, but they had been removed before the incident.

Hillbeck Homes (Sowerby Bridge) Ltd was prosecuted after HSE found the company had failed to properly plan and supervise the work at height and had not taken suitable measures to prevent a fall.

The company was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £9,284.05 in costs at a hearing on 16 September 2026.

The prosecution was brought against the housebuilder. HSE’s release does not allege that the scaffolding company employing Mr Tuck caused the incident or committed an offence.

The case highlights the importance of clear responsibility for fall protection across construction sites, particularly where scaffold teams and other contractors are working around openings and other work-at-height risks.

NASC and Women in Scaffolding Association sign partnership agreement

Daniel Norton
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NASC and Women in Scaffolding Association sign partnership agreement

The National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) and Women in Scaffolding Association (WiSA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding setting out plans to work together on workforce development and increasing the number of women entering and progressing through the scaffolding sector.

The agreement was signed at ScaffEx26 in Manchester by NASC Group CEO Clive Dickin and WiSA founder and director Emerantia Claassen.

Under the MOU, the two organisations will work together on recruitment, retention, career progression, mentoring and professional development.

They also plan to share industry knowledge and take part in joint events, forums and other industry activities.

Clive Dickin said the industry needed to draw talent from a wider pool as it deals with skills shortages.

“The scaffolding and access industry needs skilled people across every part of the sector, and addressing those skills shortages means making sure we are attracting talent from the widest possible pool,” he said.

“We need more initiatives that encourage women to see scaffolding as a genuine, rewarding career, whether that is on the tools, in design and engineering, health and safety, training, management or leadership.”

Dickin said working with WiSA would give NASC a route to turn those aims into practical activity.

WiSA, which is still in the early stages of its development, will focus on workforce engagement, mentoring, outreach and industry representation as part of the partnership.

Emerantia Claassen said: “WiSA is still at a very early stage in its journey, and the opportunity to work alongside NASC means a great deal to us.

“We are extremely happy with the objectives and the spirit of the MOU and what it represents for women in our industry.

“By working collaboratively, we can create more opportunities for women to enter scaffolding, build their careers and see a long-term future for themselves within the sector.”

NASC will contribute its technical and training knowledge, competence frameworks and links with contractors, training providers and other industry organisations.

The two organisations will initially meet every quarter to develop the programme and review progress. The MOU itself will be formally reviewed every two years.

AT-PAC details Raised Ledger System after Product of the Year win

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AT-PAC details Raised Ledger System after Product of the Year win

AT-PAC has released further details of its Raised Ledger System after the product was named Product of the Year at the 2026 Scaffolding Excellence Awards.

The award was presented during ScaffEx26 in Manchester, where contractors, manufacturers and access professionals gathered for the industry event.

The Raised Ledger System is designed to create large, flush working platforms within Ringlock scaffolding.

It works by positioning the main ledger 200mm above the standard connection point, removing the protrusions normally found on conventional scaffold decks. AT-PAC says this creates a more continuous working surface and reduces trip hazards across larger platform areas.

Aimed at larger working platforms

The manufacturer says the system is suited to applications where worker movement and material handling are important, including industrial maintenance projects, suspended work platforms, birdcage scaffolds and event structures.

AT-PAC says the system can be used with existing Ringlock components, limiting the amount of extra equipment contractors need to add to their stock.

Other claimed benefits include continuous guardrail arrangements around the platform perimeter, faster assembly and dismantling compared with traditional timber platform solutions, and less reliance on temporary platform modifications.

David Clark, AT-PAC Head of Product Management, said: “Receiving this award is an incredible achievement for our team and recognition of how we continuously look for better solutions to real challenges.”

He added: “The Raised Ledger System was developed to solve a challenge faced by scaffolding professionals every day. By rethinking how scaffold platforms can be designed and installed, we combined enhanced safety, faster installation, and seamless Ringlock compatibility to create a solution that delivers measurable value for contractors, scaffold crews, and project owners alike.”

AT-PAC says the system requires only a small number of dedicated components alongside existing Ringlock equipment.

Construction tops insolvency table with 3,866 failures

Daniel Norton
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Construction tops insolvency table with 3,866 failures

Construction recorded more company insolvencies than any other industry in England and Wales over the past year, despite a modest fall in failures.

Insolvency Service figures show 3,866 construction companies entered insolvency in the 12 months to August 2026. That was 2% fewer than in the previous 12 months, but still accounted for 17% of all cases where an industry was recorded.

August alone saw 294 construction insolvencies, compared with 292 in the same month last year.

Specialist contractors accounted for 164 of August’s cases, or nearly 56% of the construction total. However, failures in the “specialised construction activities” category were down from 179 a year earlier, according to RSM UK’s analysis.

For scaffolding and access businesses, the breakdown offers a picture of the wider contracting market. It does not establish whether insolvencies among scaffolding firms themselves are rising or falling.

Kelly Boorman, head of construction at RSM UK, said uncertainty over future workloads, infrastructure spending and financing continued to weigh on the sector.

She pointed to weaker private housing demand and cuts to major developers’ housebuilding targets, with pressure on project viability feeding through the supply chain. Clearer spending commitments and access to affordable debt would help businesses plan, she said.

The annual decline is encouraging, but does not by itself establish a sustained recovery. The Insolvency Service also cautions that industry totals are provisional and that a higher number of failures does not necessarily mean a higher risk of insolvency, because sectors differ in size.

SAIA Education Foundation to launch scholarship programme

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SAIA Education Foundation to launch scholarship programme

The Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA) Education Foundation will begin accepting scholarship applications from 1 January 2027, offering financial support to people working in the US scaffold and access industry.

The new scholarship programme will support education, training and professional development, with the aim of helping people already working in the sector build their skills and progress their careers.

SAIAEF said the scheme is part of a new chapter for the Foundation and is intended to give more people across the scaffold and access industry the chance to invest in further learning and development.

The Foundation also linked education with improved safety, stronger knowledge-sharing and career progression across the industry.

Further details on eligibility, scholarship values and the application process have not yet been announced.

Applications are due to open on 1 January 2027.

CISRS to hold industry webinar on CSCS departure

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CISRS to hold industry webinar on CSCS departure

CISRS will hold an industry webinar on 22 September to explain its decision to leave the Construction Skills Certification Scheme and answer questions about what happens next.

The session follows the CISRS Board’s decision to terminate its membership of CSCS, with the scheme citing legal concerns over its ability to comply with Construction Leadership Council Industry Card Scheme Rules.

CISRS said updated legal advice found the scheme was at “undue risk” because it was in breach of the rules.

The organisation said a detailed review of the CLC requirements, issued in March 2024, concluded that CISRS could not fully comply while continuing to meet the needs of the wider scaffolding and access industry.

CISRS argues that scaffolding certification must work across sectors beyond construction, reflecting the use of scaffolders in industrial, infrastructure and other specialist environments.

The decision to leave CSCS has prompted widespread discussion across the scaffolding sector, particularly around future card recognition and access to construction sites once CISRS cards no longer carry the CSCS logo.

The webinar will give employers, training providers and scaffolders the chance to question CISRS directly about the decision and the transition ahead.

It will take place at 2pm on Tuesday 22 September.

CISRS said the session would also look at how remaining uncertainties around the future of the scheme could be resolved.

Layher UK extends ScaffEx principal sponsorship for three years

Daniel Norton
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Layher UK extends ScaffEx principal sponsorship for three years

Layher UK has signed a new three-year agreement to remain principal sponsor of ScaffEx, extending its backing of the industry exhibition beyond ScaffEx26.

NASC confirmed the renewal this week, saying the system scaffolding manufacturer will continue as principal sponsor for the next three years.

The agreement follows Layher’s original three-year sponsorship of ScaffEx, which began with the first event in Belfast in 2024 and continued through the 2025 and 2026 editions in Manchester.

Sean Pike, Managing Director of Layher UK, said: “I honestly couldn’t be prouder that we’ve retained our sponsorship of ScaffEx for another three years, taking our partnership through to 2030.

“For me, this is about so much more than a sponsorship. It’s a reflection of the people behind it. I’m incredibly proud of the wider Layher team, whose passion, commitment and teamwork make everything we do possible.

“Our customers, our partners and the wider industry are at the heart of what we do, and ScaffEx gives us the opportunity to bring those relationships together, celebrate our industry and look towards its future.

“To have the trust and support to continue this partnership through to 2030 is a huge privilege, and one that I know means just as much to the whole Layher team.

“There would be no stand, no presence and no partnership without the dedication of the people behind it, and that’s what makes me most proud.”

Clive Dickin, Group CEO of NASC and CISRS, also confirmed the extension.

He said: “I’m also delighted to announce that Layher will be principal sponsor of ScaffEx for the next three years. This kind of long-term backing is what allows us to keep building the event and we’re grateful for their support.”

ScaffEx26 took place at Manchester Central on 10 and 11 September, with Layher again serving as principal sponsor.

Scaffolding targets full WorldSkills Ireland competition place

Daniel Norton
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Scaffolding targets full WorldSkills Ireland competition place

Scaffolding apprentices have taken part in a live skills demonstration at WorldSkills Ireland 2026, with hopes that the trade could become a full competition category at next year’s event.

The demonstration at the RDS in Dublin involved apprentices from the two-year Scaffolding Apprenticeship Programme delivered at the LOETB National Construction Training Campus in Mount Lucas, Co. Offaly.

Dave Mosley took on the role of Chief Examiner for the scaffolding demonstration, overseeing competitors as they carried out practical tasks based around industry training and safety standards.

Scaffolding instructor Fergus Sheerin was also involved, with the completed structure built by apprentices forming part of the display for visitors attending the event.

Putting scaffolding in front of new entrants

WorldSkills Ireland brings together apprentices, students, employers and training providers, giving young people an opportunity to see different skilled trades first-hand.

For scaffolding, the demonstration gave visitors a closer look at the practical skills required in the trade and the apprenticeship route now available in Ireland.

Apprentices carried out a series of practical scaffolding tasks throughout the event, giving those attending an opportunity to see the training standards expected during the programme.

The Mount Lucas campus was represented by Campus Manager John Kelly, Scaffolding Apprenticeship Programme Manager Yvonne Kearney, Amy Hanlon and Darren Burke.

Full competition targeted for 2027

Those involved now hope the demonstration can lead to scaffolding becoming a full live competition category at WorldSkills Ireland in 2027.

That would move the trade beyond demonstration status and place scaffolding alongside other recognised skills competitions at the event.

The Scaffolding Apprenticeship Programme is delivered at the LOETB National Construction Training Campus in Mount Lucas, Daingean, Co. Offaly.

Further information about the apprenticeship programme is available from Mount Lucas on [email protected] or +353 57 936 2508.

Revscaff backs new scaffolding division with seven-figure Layher investment

Daniel Norton
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Revscaff backs new scaffolding division with seven-figure Layher investment

Revscaff Safety Systems has placed a seven-figure order with Layher as it builds a new scaffolding operation within its wider construction safety group.

The investment, which was revealed around ScaffEx26 in Manchester, follows plans drawn up in early 2025 to add scaffolding to the services already provided by sister businesses Prodek Safety Systems and Revnet Safety Systems.

Revscaff has brought Andy Roze and Mark Huggins into the operation, with Group Managing Director Chris Bateman saying their scaffolding management experience had been an important part of establishing the new business.

The company then began assessing which scaffold system and supplier it wanted to use.

Layher system scaffold chosen for new operation

Bateman said Revscaff decided to build the business around system scaffold after reviewing the different options available.

He said the company saw advantages in faster assembly, reduced labour requirements and greater structural predictability compared with traditional tube and fitting scaffolding.

Image credit: RevScaff

That led to a wider review of manufacturers before Revscaff selected Layher.

Bateman said: “We conducted a careful market and supplier analysis exercise to identify the system scaffold supplier we wanted to work with.

“We were very impressed with the product that Layher offers and also the immediate support available in supporting us in our investment.”

The resulting order is understood to be worth seven figures and gives the newly established operation a significant stockholding as it begins developing its scaffolding workload.

Training and technical support

Bateman said Layher had also worked with Revscaff during the development of the business, including training for management and operational teams and advice on the products required.

Technical support and product availability were also factors in the decision.

He added: “Within a short space of time we concluded that forming a strategic partnership with Layher was the direction to take.

“The team at Layher have supported us in the development of our business plan, offered training to management and operational teams and guided us on the key products to work with.”

Revscaff Safety Systems Ltd was incorporated in November 2025 and is based at Wardles Business Park in Howden, East Yorkshire, alongside other businesses within the group.

The company is headed by Bateman, who is also involved in Prodek Safety Systems, Revdek Safety Decking and Revnet Safety Systems.

The seven-figure Layher investment gives the group a dedicated scaffolding capability alongside its existing work in areas including safety decking, safety netting and edge protection.

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