Planning permissions for new homes in England have fallen to their lowest quarterly level since 2012, raising questions over the volume of residential work likely to reach scaffolding contractors further down the construction pipeline.
W G Carter has been fined £120,000 after carpenter Richard “Felix” Roper suffered fatal injuries in a fall during building work, with HSE pointing to safer access and work sequencing.
Planning permissions for new homes in England have fallen to their lowest quarterly level since 2012, raising questions over the volume of residential work likely to reach scaffolding contractors further down the construction pipeline.
W G Carter has been fined £120,000 after carpenter Richard “Felix” Roper suffered fatal injuries in a fall during building work, with HSE pointing to safer access and work sequencing.
Planning permissions for new homes in England have fallen to their lowest quarterly level since 2012, raising questions over the volume of residential work likely to reach scaffolding contractors further down the construction pipeline.
W G Carter has been fined £120,000 after carpenter Richard “Felix” Roper suffered fatal injuries in a fall during building work, with HSE pointing to safer access and work sequencing.
Planning permissions for new homes in England have fallen to their lowest quarterly level since 2012, raising questions over the volume of residential work likely to reach scaffolding contractors further down the construction pipeline.
W G Carter has been fined £120,000 after carpenter Richard “Felix” Roper suffered fatal injuries in a fall during building work, with HSE pointing to safer access and work sequencing.
Andrea Moretti died following a workplace incident during overnight works at the historic amphitheatre on 23 September.
Italy’s Ministry of Culture and the Colosseum Archaeological Park confirmed that Moretti was a specialist in rope-based work at height. The Colosseum was subsequently closed to the public as a mark of respect.
Italian news agency ANSA reported that Moretti was working on the installation of a new lighting system when he fell around 10 metres shortly after midnight. Emergency crews attended but were unable to save him.
Moretti was reportedly employed by Quintilio Moretti Srl, a company based in Tottea in the province of Teramo. Italian media said the business is owned by a relative of the 22-year-old.
Investigation under way
The Rome public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into the death, with the case currently against persons unknown.
Carabinieri and workplace safety officials are examining the circumstances surrounding the fall, while contract documents and other material connected with the work have been obtained by investigators. An autopsy has also been ordered.
Later reporting from ANSA said initial evidence suggested Moretti was wearing a harness when he was found but may not have been connected to the rope at the time.
Investigators are expected to carry out technical examinations to establish exactly how the fall occurred and whether there were any issues involving the rope, anchorage or other parts of the fall-protection system.
Those details remain part of the investigation and no cause has yet been formally established.
Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that investigators have also obtained training records and footage from cameras inside the Colosseum as they reconstruct the incident.
Specialist work at height
Moretti was described locally as an experienced rope-access worker despite his young age.
The work was being carried out as part of an upgrade to the Colosseum’s lighting system, with specialist access required to reach areas of the monument where conventional access methods would be difficult.
The Colosseum Archaeological Park said it had closed the site following the death and extended the closure into 24 September as a mark of mourning and support for Moretti’s family and colleagues.
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council is seeking a specialist contractor to provide safe working-at-height access for its Housing Maintenance Team.
The contract covers the supply, erection and dismantling of scaffolding and mobile access towers used to support repair and maintenance work across council-owned homes in the borough.
The council said it does not have in-house expertise for the erection and dismantling of scaffolding and access equipment, making the external service necessary to support its direct labour teams.
The tender has an estimated value of £1.6 million excluding VAT and is expected to run from 1 December 2026 until 30 November 2029.
There is also provision for a possible one-year extension, which could take the arrangement through to November 2030.
Value increased following market engagement
The formal tender follows a pre-market engagement exercise launched in May.
At that stage, the council estimated the value of the new contract at £1.15 million excluding VAT.
The procurement has now come to market at £1.6 million, although the published notice does not explain the reason for the increase.
The new arrangement is intended to replace the council’s existing access provision, which is due to expire in October.
Dudley Council said the service is required to ensure repairs and maintenance can be carried out safely and in line with work-at-height, health and safety and CDM requirements.
The procurement is being run as an open competition and is listed as suitable for small and medium-sized businesses.
Quality and technical factors will account for 60% of the tender evaluation, with price making up the remaining 40%.
Contractors have until 21 October 2026 to submit bids.
CISRS has said it could withdraw its notice to leave CSCS if agreement can be reached over the Construction Leadership Council rule at the centre of the dispute.
The scaffolding competence scheme gave its clearest explanation yet of the possible route to remaining within CSCS during an industry webinar on Tuesday.
CISRS said its preferred outcome is for the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) to amend Clause 4 of its Industry Card Schemes recommendation so the scheme can continue covering scaffolders working across construction and other industries.
If that happens, CISRS said the termination notice it served at the beginning of September can be withdrawn.
If agreement cannot be reached, CISRS says an independent scheme will be ready when its CSCS licence ends on 1 June 2027.
The position gives the industry a clearer picture of the next nine months following CISRS’s announcement on 8 September that it planned to leave CSCS.
Clause 4 remains at centre of dispute
The dispute centres on the CLC’s March 2024 recommendation covering industry card schemes.
Clause 4 states that cards carrying the CSCS logo will not be issued for non-construction-related occupations or people visiting sites. The same recommendation says clients, contractors, trade associations and government should specify schemes carrying the CSCS logo, with no equivalents accepted.
CISRS argues that this creates a problem because scaffolders routinely move between construction and sectors including petrochemical, marine, aviation, nuclear and events.
During Tuesday’s webinar, CISRS said a survey of the 20 largest NASC members found 45% of their work was carried out in non-construction settings. One contractor reported that 82% of its work fell outside construction.
Clive Dickin, Group CEO of NASC and CISRS, called for the wording of Clause 4 to be tightened.
He said: “If we can just tighten those words up, please, CLC, CSCS, we’ll be in a good position.”
CISRS said discussions with the CLC and other parties are continuing.
The published CLC recommendation currently remains unchanged.
Nine-month notice gives CISRS time
CISRS said it served notice itself after taking legal advice that its current use of the CSCS licence could put the scheme in breach of the CLC requirements.
The organisation feared that waiting could leave it facing termination of its licence with only 90 days’ notice.
Instead, the notice served at the beginning of September created a nine-month period before 1 June.
Dickin told the webinar that CISRS can rescind its termination notice during that period if a solution is agreed.
The explanation follows criticism from the Scaffolding Training Alliance and others over the lack of wider consultation before CISRS announced its plans earlier this month.
Scaffolding Association enters the dispute
The Scaffolding Association has also challenged the planned withdrawal, issuing an open letter to industry on Tuesday calling for urgent action, transparency and independent oversight during the notice period.
The Association said its own member survey found no evidence of meaningful consultation across the wider scaffolding contractor base before the decision was taken, including among respondents who are also NASC members.
It also said it had received clarification via Build UK that the Construction Leadership Council requirements are not intended to prevent someone holding a CSCS-logo card from working in another sector or workplace, and that the CLC and its members will work with CSCS to ensure there continues to be an industry card for scaffolding which meets the required standards and carries the CSCS logo.
The Association has called for independent oversight of CISRS during the notice period and immediate engagement with the wider industry on future CSCS-recognised scaffolding competence arrangements.
CISRS previously told Scaffmag that consulting before taking formal action could have exposed cardholders, training centres and employers to a much shorter transition if its licence was revoked.
Existing cards protected for full term
CISRS also gave stronger assurances over existing cards.
It said current CISRS cards carrying the CSCS logo will remain valid for their full five-year term, which it said is protected under its contract with CSCS.
Qualifications, training standards, assessments and training centres are also due to remain unchanged whichever route is taken.
The original CISRS announcement on 8 September said new and renewed cards would begin to be issued without the CSCS logo from June 2027 if the scheme leaves the CSCS framework.
Site acceptance still needs resolving
Future access to construction sites remains one of the biggest questions around an independent CISRS card.
Build UK’s current Training Standard lists CISRS among the schemes carrying the CSCS logo that should be accepted on site. The standard follows the CLC position on CSCS-logo schemes.
CISRS said on Tuesday that it is developing API connections allowing contractors and clients to check cards through their own HR and site-access systems regardless of the eventual CSCS position.
Verification is only one part of the issue. Major construction clients would still need a clear basis for accepting a future CISRS card without the CSCS logo if the two organisations ultimately separate.
CISRS has said it is working with the CLC and CSCS during the transition period to resolve those questions.
Further changes planned
The webinar also gave more detail on longer-term changes to the scheme.
CISRS plans to become the Competence in Scaffolding Record Scheme from 1 January 2027 while retaining the CISRS initials.
It also intends to rebrand cards issued through its overseas scheme to make them easier to distinguish from UK cards, before introducing a wider global scheme planned for 2028.
The organisation reiterated its intention to pursue Ofqual recognition and said its ScafPal digital platform will continue to be developed.
CISRS has committed to publishing the full recording of Tuesday’s webinar along with written answers to questions it did not have time to address. A further webinar is also planned.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
