UK construction activity contracted at its slowest pace since January in September, but firms reported a sharper fall in new work and further job cuts.
The S&P Global UK Construction Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 46.1 from 44.3 in August. It remained below the 50 mark separating growth from contraction.
The September survey, reproduced by ConstructUK on 6 October, showed employment falling at its fastest rate in five months. Subcontractor usage also fell again.
Housebuilding remained the weakest segment, with an activity reading of 40.7. Commercial construction recorded 48.5, its mildest decline since May 2025. All three main construction categories contracted more slowly.
New work fell at its quickest pace since June. Respondents pointed to delayed decisions on major projects and sharply higher input costs.
Input-cost inflation eased to a seven-month low, although purchasing prices continued to rise sharply. Confidence in activity over the coming year fell to its lowest level since May.
Responding to the figures, Andy Hulme, chief executive of The Hyde Group, said affordable housing could help sustain building activity as the private sales market slowed.
“Housing associations working alongside long-term capital can deliver affordable homes at scale,” he said.
Hulme argued that deploying investment sooner would help construction recover, citing Hyde’s partnerships combining pension capital with grant funding.
Scott Cabot, head of residential research at Bidwells, said scheme viability remained a major obstacle for housebuilders.
He pointed to higher borrowing costs, construction inflation and building safety requirements as pressures on residential development.
The Scaffolding Association Australia has backed an industry education campaign following any changes to Queensland’s Scaffolding Code of Practice, in its response to the coronial findings into the death of Andy Jones.
In a statement published on 6 October, SAA said clearer guidance on tower scaffold stability needed to be supported by education so that those responsible for scaffolding understood how to apply it on site.
The association also supported continuing review of codes of practice, standards and practical guidance as industry experience and understanding of risk develop.
Jones died after a freestanding tower scaffold fell in strong winds at Mitchelton Football Club in Brisbane in July 2021.
As Scaffmag reported last week, Coroner Megan Fairweather recommended clearer requirements for freestanding towers in public places, including a definition of “strong winds” and additional stability controls appropriate to the circumstances.
Her recommendations also called for education following amendments to the code, then a compliance campaign.
SAA’s response focuses on how those lessons are understood and applied across the industry. It said a scaffold’s location, wind exposure, configuration and time in place all needed to inform stability decisions, alongside the consequences of failure.
“Height-to-base ratios can be useful as a starting point,” the association said in its statement.
It pointed to its existing Australian Best Practice Guidelines for Scaffolding, which describe height-to-width ratios as minimum requirements and recognise the need to consider environmental factors.
The guidelines identify ties, outriggers, rakers, guying and appropriately secured counterweights as possible additional stability measures, depending on the circumstances. They also recognise that aluminium scaffolds can be particularly susceptible to wind-related instability.
SAA said public locations required particular attention because people nearby may have no knowledge of a scaffold’s operating limits or the risks created by changing weather.
The association said manufacturers, suppliers, hire companies, contractors, supervisors, designers, engineers and site managers all had a role in making stability information and appropriate controls clear.
It expressed sympathy for Jones’ family and said the value of the coroner’s work would be measured by whether its lessons helped prevent another incident.
An 86-metre scaffold erected in just over four months will support a five-year restoration of the Florence landmark while keeping it open to visitors.
Scaffolding has been completed around Giotto’s Bell Tower in Florence, clearing the way for the historic landmark’s first full internal and external restoration.
The 86-metre structure uses Layher’s modular steel system and was designed by Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in collaboration with Tecno System Appalti and Layher S.p.A.
The Opera confirmed completion on 1 October, following just over four months of assembly. The restoration is expected to take around five years and cost more than €7 million, funded entirely by the institution.
The scaffold has been configured around the tower’s changing geometry and projecting architectural features, with working platforms arranged to meet the restoration team’s needs.
A full-height view of the scaffold at Giotto’s Bell Tower, with the upper working section enclosed in protective mesh. Courtesy: Opera di Santa del Fiore/foto Fabio Muzzi
Samuele Caciagli, head of the Opera’s technical office, said the design sought to avoid altering the tower’s structural equilibrium while keeping its architecture visible. Components and equipment have also been selected for recovery and reuse on future projects.
Work will progress from the top down, revealing restored sections in stages. Caciagli told Italian news agency askanews that the scaffold had been designed to leave at least 60% of the marble surfaces visible.
The first stage will involve diagnostic investigations and preliminary tests to confirm the restoration approach before treatment of the stonework begins.
Visitors will continue to be able to climb the tower’s 414 steps and reach its rooftop terrace throughout the works, although views may be partially restricted.
Construction of the bell tower began under Giotto in 1334 and was completed by Francesco Talenti in 1359. Its exterior is clad in white, red and green marble.
Assembly of the scaffold also had to accommodate a pair of nesting peregrine falcons.
A photographic survey of the tower’s 149 putlog holes identified a female incubating eggs on the west side. Working with bird conservation organisation Lipu and other specialists, the Opera rescheduled assembly to avoid disturbing the nest.
Three chicks subsequently hatched and fledged successfully.
Featured image: The completed restoration scaffold around Giotto’s Bell Tower, pictured beside Florence Cathedral. Courtesy: Opera di Santa del Fiore/foto Fabio Muzzi
HAKI Safety has appointed chief financial officer Tomas Hilmarsson as its next CEO and president, with the internal promotion taking effect on 1 November 2026.
He will succeed Sverker Lindberg, whose planned departure was announced in May. Lindberg will remain available as an adviser until the end of March 2027.
The group will begin recruiting a new CFO immediately.
Hilmarsson has been HAKI Safety’s CFO since 2022. His responsibilities have also included IT, HR, mergers and acquisitions, and legal matters.
The company said he had played a significant part in its transition from a conglomerate into an international industrial group focused on safety products and solutions.
Before joining HAKI Safety, Hilmarsson spent 17 years at PwC, where his work included auditing, advisory services and risk management for large international companies.
Chairman Thomas Widstrand said the board valued Hilmarsson’s business development and financial experience, as well as his knowledge of the group.
“We have worked closely with Tomas for many years and have witnessed his many qualities,” Widstrand said.
“We are also very pleased to have recruited internally, which ensures continuity and stability.”
Hilmarsson said he looked forward to continuing the group’s development and thanked Lindberg for their time working together.
“I feel strongly committed to my new responsibilities and look forward to continuing to develop the Group,” he said.
The appointment sets a November handover date following the succession process announced earlier this year. Lindberg had previously been expected to leave by April 2027 at the latest.
HAKI Safety supplies system scaffolding, work zone safety products, and digital and technical solutions for temporary workplaces. The Nasdaq Stockholm-listed group reports annual sales of around SEK 1.2 billion.
WorkSafe New Zealand is targeting falls from height during residential construction inspections running from October to December, as part of a wider programme of visits to high-risk workplaces.
The regulator announced the programme on 15 September, covering housebuilding sites alongside beef and lamb farms. Inspectors will assess how businesses manage critical risks and discuss improvements with workers and employers.
In a construction update on 2 October, WorkSafe said fall risks accounted for about 70% of prohibition notices and 45% of enforcement notices issued in the sector over the previous two years.
The visits will focus on education, but the regulator said inspectors would intervene where serious risks were not being controlled.
“Construction sites are dynamic environments, with multiple trades often working alongside each other,” said WorkSafe area manager Barney Hoskins.
WorkSafe said planning and communication between trades were needed to keep protective measures effective as projects progressed. Employers should identify hazards, assess risks and choose suitable equipment.
It also challenged the idea that short jobs need fewer precautions, saying fall-prevention measures must be considered even for tasks lasting only minutes.
The wider inspection programme is intended to improve understanding of health and safety responsibilities. Findings will also help WorkSafe understand current practices and shape its support for businesses.
WorkSafe has also revised its working-at-height guidance, adding material on risk management, safety decking and worker engagement. It said ladders were involved in about 40% of construction injuries caused by falls from height.
STAR Housing has opened procurement for a dedicated scaffolding lot estimated at £606,625, covering access for repairs and improvements to its Shropshire housing stock.
The opportunity forms part of the housing provider’s Major Works & Repairs Framework. The wider procurement has an estimated value of £31.48m including VAT across several trades and services.
Under Lot 7, scaffolding suppliers will provide temporary access for other contractors carrying out maintenance, repairs and improvement works.
The scope includes scaffold and associated access-system design, erection, inspection, maintenance and dismantling, with compliance with applicable health and safety legislation required throughout.
The buyer, Shropshire Towns and Rural Housing Limited, is seeking a panel of suppliers with the technical capability, financial standing and operational capacity to deliver the work.
The £606,625 figure is an estimated lot value, rather than an announced contract award or guaranteed spend.
Applications are handled through the eSourcing Data supplier portal. Contractors should check the procurement documents for participation requirements and the confirmed submission timetable.
NASC president Sarah Klieve says CISRS served notice on CSCS to seek a resolution “from a stronger negotiation position”, as Build UK tells the scheme the card rules are not meant to keep scaffolders out of other sectors.
CISRS served notice to end its CSCS licence partly to give itself a stronger hand in talks over the industry card rules, according to a member of its board.
NASC president Sarah Klieve
In a statement to Scaffmag, Sarah Klieve, President of NASC and a member of the CISRS Board, said the board had faced a choice once it concluded the scheme could not fully comply with the rules.
“We could consult on the non-conformance and risk a 90-day termination or terminate with a long consultation period and seek a resolution from a stronger negotiation position,” she said. “I must stress that it has always been the board’s position to seek change of clause 4.”
Clause 4 of the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Industry Card Schemes rules, issued in March 2024, states: “Cards will not be issued for non-construction related occupations or those visiting sites.”
Klieve said that wording “is incompatible with the issuing of cards for the non-construction work that makes up so much of the scaffolding and access industry.”
“Construction is only one of the sectors to which scaffolding and access are essential: the industry needs a certification scheme that is applicable to all the projects on which scaffolders work and all the places in which they work,” she said.
CISRS has given notice to end its licence to carry the CSCS logo on its cards. CSCS gives the end date as 31 May 2027. CISRS has said it would withdraw the notice if Clause 4 is reworded.
“There is no intention to prevent scaffolding occupations from working in sectors other than construction,” Brown wrote.
He added that he was “aware that the CLC has clarified the intent behind point 4 of the recommendation and, along with Unite the Union, has reaffirmed its commitment to the recommendation.”
Build UK says it will work with CSCS, the CLC and others to make sure cards carrying the CSCS logo remain available for scaffolding occupations. Brown offered to meet Dickin and the chair of CISRS and NASC “to discuss the options available to CISRS going forward.”
The CLC’s clarification has not been published.
Training centres dispute “termination risk”
The Scaffolding Training Alliance (STA), an informal association of principals from CISRS-accredited training centres, has challenged the reasons CISRS has given for leaving.
At the CISRS webinar on 22 September, CISRS said its legal advice had found a risk of the licence being ended with only 90 days’ notice.
In a “fact check” published on 28 September, the STA said: “There had been no threat of termination. The 90-day period is simply the standard notice period within the affiliate agreement.”
Klieve’s statement describes the 90-day risk as something that could follow if CISRS consulted on its non-conformance. It does not say CSCS had threatened to end the licence.
The STA also questioned how CISRS measured the scale of the problem. CISRS surveyed the 20 largest NASC members, which the STA calls around 2% of a membership of about 900.
“NASC has created a perceived problem that does not exist,” the STA said.
The STA is calling on CISRS to publish its legal advice or a summary of it, disclose its “Project Realign” strategy in full, re-run the webinar with every question visible, issue written guidance on site access and card validity, and consult formally with scaffolders, employers, contractors and training centres.
“No intention of diluting the CISRS standards”
Klieve said CISRS was “working with a range of stakeholders to try to find a solution to this issue that is acceptable to all parties”. She said it wanted to remove “the prospect of scaffolders having to carry multiple cards and companies having to put systems in place to recognise them.”
“There is absolutely no intention of diluting the CISRS standards or opening work in access and scaffolding to people without industry-recognised qualifications,” she said.
She described much of the reaction as “ill-founded speculation and rumour”, and said the board’s “only intention has been to protect the interests of all card-holding scaffolders and the scaffolding companies that employ them.”
The statement did not say whether CISRS has accepted Build UK’s offer of a meeting, whether the CLC’s clarification resolves its concerns, or whether it will publish its legal advice.
Why it matters
Build UK’s Training Standard says workers in construction occupations need a card carrying the CSCS logo, and that standard has not changed. Unless CISRS withdraws its notice, new and renewed CISRS cards issued after the licence ends will not carry the logo.
Build UK’s letter does not say whether its members would accept those cards. It does say the card rules are not meant to stop scaffolders working across sectors, which is the problem CISRS says it is trying to solve.
Existing CISRS cards with the CSCS logo remain valid until they expire.
CISRS and NASC will hold a second webinar on the subject at 10am on 8 October. Registration is open on the NASC website.
Night-time lane closures will allow crews to lower access platforms beneath the roadway as work progresses on the bridge’s final seismic retrofit phase.
Temporary access platforms will be lowered beneath San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge from Monday 5 October as contractors prepare for the next stage of seismic strengthening work.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District announced overnight lane closures on 2 October to provide space for crews to lower the platforms and construction materials beneath the deck. Traffic will continue in both directions throughout the operations. District announcement
The access works support Phase 3B of the retrofit programme, covering the main suspension span, both towers, the side spans and the south tower pier.
Halmar International is delivering the first construction contract, focused on the towers and side spans. The District approved the US$863.9m award in October 2025, with the notice to proceed taking effect on 5 January 2026. District engineering report
Construction access planning formed part of Halmar’s earlier preconstruction role, alongside detailed scheduling and work with the District’s engineering team to finalise the construction documents. Halmar’s project details
The first week’s closures are scheduled between 9pm and 5am from Monday to Thursday nights. One southbound and two northbound lanes will remain open, with no closures scheduled for Friday 9 October.
Phase 3B is scheduled to run from 2026 to 2036 through two consecutive construction contracts. The wider works include strengthening tower bases and trusses, replacing expansion joints and installing energy dissipation devices.
The final phase is intended to keep the bridge operational after a major earthquake, supporting emergency response and access across the bay. Project overview
Construction companies using subcontractors to deliver work for clients can now face civil penalties for illegal working further down their supply chain.
The changes took effect across the UK on 1 October. They also bring worker’s contracts, individual subcontractors and certain online matching services into the right-to-work regime.
The Home Office’s updated guidance uses a housebuilding contractor as an example: a company contracted to build homes engages other businesses to carry out parts of the project.
In that arrangement, liability can extend beyond the employer directly engaging a worker. It does not automatically apply to every company in the chain, and the direct employer remains responsible for the original right-to-work check.
To protect themselves against extended liability, contractors must have a written statement in place before work starts, setting out the required terms for subcontractors.
These include checking workers’ eligibility, obtaining written consent before further subcontracting, passing equivalent obligations down the chain and allowing compliance audits. Contracts must also provide for action where illegal working is found and co-operation with Home Office investigations.
The revised code requires proportionate systems to confirm that the person doing the work is the person who was checked. Contractors can rely on another firm’s systems where they take reasonable steps to establish that those systems work.
Existing contracts
Arrangements made before 1 October are not brought into the extension simply because work continues. Renewals and variations must be considered according to whether they create a new contractual arrangement.
Standard agency arrangements, where an agency supplies workers into a hirer’s own operations, do not require routine duplication of the agency’s checks.
The Home Office says there is no general grace period for the new rules. Whether an arrangement is covered depends on how it works in practice, rather than the label given to a worker or subcontractor.
New figures from the Home Builders Federation (HBF), based on Glenigan data, show that 45,315 homes received planning permission during the second quarter of 2026, down 21% on the previous quarter.
Across the 12 months to June, permission was granted for 214,515 homes. That was 8% below the previous year and 36% below the peak recorded in 2017.
The decline was particularly sharp among larger developments, which are likely to generate more sustained access requirements once construction begins. Permissions for homes on sites containing more than 10 units fell 21% from the previous quarter to 39,689.
Just 1,234 projects containing three or more homes were approved during Q2, according to HBF, the lowest quarterly figure in its records.
A warning further down the pipeline
For scaffolding contractors, the figures matter because residential construction remains an important source of repeat work across the UK supply chain.
Planning permissions sit early in the development cycle. Sites already under construction will continue generating scaffolding requirements, while schemes with permission can take months or longer to reach the point where scaffolders arrive on site.
The latest figures therefore provide more of a warning about the future residential workload pipeline than a measure of current demand.
Government housing data shows an estimated 35,910 new-build homes started in England during Q2, up 6% on the previous quarter and 20% compared with the same period last year. Across the year to June, estimated starts were 15% higher year on year.
Those figures require some caution. Government statisticians said the increase in reported starts during recent quarters was partly due to a higher number being recorded through the Building Safety Regulator following changes to its reporting.
HBF argues that the current level of permissions is too low to support that ambition.
Its chief executive Neil Jefferson said the figures showed a housing pipeline being “squeezed to historically low levels”, with too few permissions coming forward to meet housing demand.
HBF has attributed the fall to weak buyer demand, mortgage affordability, rising construction costs and increasing taxes and policy costs. Those explanations reflect the housebuilding industry’s position.
There are reasons to expect conditions could improve. Glenigan’s latest construction forecast expects underlying private housing starts to rise 13% in 2027, followed by a further 5% increase in 2028, supported by lower interest rates and changes to planning rules.
For scaffold contractors, the next stage will be whether the sharp fall in permissions is temporary or begins feeding through into fewer sites reaching construction.
Companies with a high dependence on volume housebuilding could feel that change more sharply than businesses spread across commercial, infrastructure, industrial and refurbishment work.
