Saudi firm plans SR1.2bn scaffolding manufacturing complex

Daniel Norton
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Saudi firm plans SR1.2bn scaffolding manufacturing complex

Manar Al Omran plans a million-square-metre industrial complex in Saudi Arabia to manufacture scaffolding and formwork for domestic projects and export markets.

Saudi scaffolding and formwork company Manar Al Omran has announced plans for a SR1.2 billion (approximately £242 million) industrial complex to expand its manufacturing operations and supply overseas markets.

The MAO Industrial Complex will cover approximately one million square metres in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, according to the company’s announcement dated 2 September. Plans include five factories, a corporate headquarters and accommodation for 7,000 employees.

MAO says the development will bring the manufacture of scaffold systems and their components onto one site, including steel processing, casting and protective finishes. Production is intended to serve Saudi construction and energy projects, as well as export customers.

Scaffold systems and components

The largest part of the development is a 750,000-square-metre scaffolding and steel complex. MAO says it will include production facilities for Ringlock, Cuplock and scaffold tubes, alongside engineered formwork and structural steel fabrication.

Shot blasting, powder coating and hot-dip galvanising are also included in the plans. A separate foundry will manufacture grey and ductile iron castings for scaffold fittings and components.

The company puts daily output for the scaffolding and steel complex at 1,200 tonnes. Its announcement does not give a breakdown between scaffold products and other steel work.

Chairman Maher Al Harbi said: “When this complex is complete, every tube, every rosette, every cup, every casting and every formwork panel a project needs will come from one fence in the Eastern Province, made in Saudi Arabia, by MAO, with nothing outsourced.”

Export ambitions

An aluminium extrusion plant with eight presses is planned to produce sections for scaffolding and other industrial uses. MAO gives its annual capacity as approximately 200,000 tonnes.

The wider development will also include plastic profile and sheet production, together with an engineering research and development office.

The investment sets out MAO’s ambition to manufacture more of the equipment it supplies through its scaffolding rental and services business. The company says it is targeting customers across the Gulf and export markets worldwide, although the announcement does not identify UK or European supply plans.

Scaffmag recently reported on MAO’s 67.40m free-standing scaffold in Dammam, which the company built using its own Ringlock system.

A completion date or timetable for bringing the complex into production has not been given in the announcement.

More than 2,100 buildings still await cladding remediation start

Daniel Norton
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More than 2,100 buildings still await cladding remediation start

Government figures show 46% of monitored buildings in England are recorded as awaiting work on unsafe cladding.

Cladding remediation has yet to start on 2,153 residential buildings in England, according to government data published on 30 September.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s August update covers 4,724 monitored buildings at least 11 metres tall. Of these, 1,849 have completed remediation, including those awaiting building control sign-off, and 722 have work underway.

The awaiting-start total includes 86 social housing buildings whose remediation status is unknown because providers have yet to supply dates. An estimated 103,000 homes are in monitored buildings recorded as awaiting work.

Remediation deadlines

The government’s July 2025 plan set a target to complete remediation on all residential buildings at least 18 metres tall in government-funded schemes by the end of 2029.

It also announced plans for legislation requiring landlords to finish work on buildings between 11 and 18 metres by the end of 2031. These were proposed legal deadlines, rather than requirements already in force under that announcement.

For scaffolding and access contractors, the backlog points to substantial potential work as projects reach site. The figures provide no measure of scaffolding orders or access requirements, however, so they cannot establish how much work will reach the sector or when.

Scaffold collapses at Sydney site weeks after two workers seriously injured

Daniel Norton
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Scaffold collapses at Sydney site weeks after two workers seriously injured

The scaffold came down at a development on Wattle Street in Ultimo, inner Sydney, shortly before 6:45pm on Saturday, damaging parked vehicles and narrowly missing people travelling along the road.

No injuries were reported.

CCTV footage published by 7NEWS shows the multi-storey scaffold falling across the carriageway during strong winds, with vehicles and a cyclist passing close to the structure moments before it came down.

Fire and Rescue NSW crews attended the scene. A large section of scaffold, estimated by firefighters at around 20 metres long and 10 metres high, was left lying across several traffic lanes.

SafeWork NSW inspectors attended the site and opened an investigation. Regulatory notices were issued to the site’s managers, including a prohibition notice.

The precise cause of the collapse has yet to be established. Strong winds were reported at the time, but no official finding has linked the weather to the failure.

Second serious incident at same site

The latest incident comes less than 2 months after a wall and part of the roof collapsed at the same development on 3 August.

Debris fell onto vehicles at the neighbouring service station, trapping and seriously injuring 2 men, one in his 60s and another in his 30s.

Both were taken to hospital in a serious condition. Five other people were assessed by paramedics but did not require hospital treatment.

SafeWork NSW began investigating that incident and work at the development was halted. Australian media reported that work had only recently resumed before Saturday’s scaffold collapse.

The building, formerly used as a rehearsal studio, has approval for demolition as part of plans for a multi-storey mixed-use development.

SafeWork NSW’s investigation into the latest collapse is continuing.

£4.22m Falkirk scaffolding framework opens for bids

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£4.22m Falkirk scaffolding framework opens for bids

The procurement covers scaffolding services across council housing properties and is split into two lots.

Lot 1, valued at an estimated £4.04m, covers scaffold drawings, delivery, erection and handover, maintenance, dismantling and removal. Lot 2, valued at £180,000, covers scaffold inspections, tie and anchor testing, reports and test certificates.

The council intends to appoint up to five contractors to each lot, with bidders able to submit tenders for both. The framework is scheduled to run from 1 February 2027 to 31 January 2031.

UK-based bidders must meet the council’s registration requirements, while participants and proposed subcontractors are required to hold full National Access & Scaffolding Confederation membership, or an equivalent level of membership with another national access and scaffolding trade body.

The tender is being run through Public Contracts Scotland. Bids must be submitted by 11am on 30 October 2026.

The £4.22m figure is the council’s estimated value for the full framework term rather than a confirmed contract award.

View the official procurement notice on Public Contracts Scotland.

PERI scaffolding supports major HS2 Birmingham dive-under works

Daniel Norton
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PERI scaffolding supports major HS2 Birmingham dive-under works

The structure forms part of Delta Junction, north-east of Birmingham, where several sections of the high-speed railway converge. Its main reinforced concrete walls rise to 11m.

PERI UK has supplied PERI UP Flex modular scaffolding to provide access and support around the high wall sections, alongside a package of formwork and temporary works equipment.

Access platforms built from PERI UP Flex have been used by teams installing reinforcement to the 11m walls. PERI says its scaffold and formwork designs were coordinated by its engineering teams before arriving on site to reduce potential clashes between the temporary works systems.

Access around 11m concrete walls

The height of the walls also created significant pressures during the concrete pours.

BBV used PERI’s VARIO girder wall formwork, which can be configured with closer spacing between its girders, walers and ties to cope with the loads generated by the taller pours.

Dan Biggs, senior sales engineer at PERI UK, said: “One of the benefits for the customer is that they’re not having to go to three different suppliers for accessories, scaffolding, and formwork.”

Concrete pressure sensors were also installed on selected wall pours, allowing the project team to monitor loads on the formwork in real time and compare the results with the pressures calculated during the design stage.

The wider PERI package includes MAXIMO panel formwork for foundation works and BECOSTOP permanent stop ends for sections of the base slab where reinforcement congestion made conventional timber stop ends difficult to install.

High-level working platforms

The access arrangement changes as construction moves towards the roof slab.

PERI’s SCS brackets can be anchored directly to the completed 11m walls to create high-level working platforms. These provide access for reinforcement installation and support the formwork used around the roof slab edge.

The system removes the need for the working platform to be supported from ground level and avoids ties passing through the finished concrete structure.

The Birmingham Spur forms part of HS2’s wider Delta Junction works in the West Midlands, which are being delivered by Balfour Beatty VINCI. The junction carries the main HS2 route and the spur serving Birmingham.

CSCS challenges CISRS case for leaving card scheme

Daniel Norton
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CSCS challenges CISRS case for leaving card scheme

CSCS has publicly challenged the case behind CISRS’s planned departure from the card scheme, questioning its interpretation of industry rules and why the issue has emerged now.

The intervention from CSCS Group chief executive Sean Kearns brings the disagreement between the two organisations firmly into the open, less than three weeks after CISRS announced plans to leave the CSCS Alliance.

CSCS confirmed on 24 September that it had received formal notice from CISRS to terminate its licence to use the CSCS Mark on CISRS cards, with a proposed termination date of 31 May 2027.

CISRS has said the change will take effect from 1 June 2027. Kearns described the notice as “unexpected” and said CSCS had been waiting for an update from CISRS on what it called outstanding obligations under its existing licence.

He also rejected CISRS’s interpretation of the Construction Leadership Council rules at the centre of the decision.

CISRS told Scaffmag that legal advice found the scheme was liable to termination by CSCS, principally on the grounds of Clause 4 of the CLC guidance.

CSCS disagrees with that interpretation. Its position is that scaffolding remains an occupation undertaken within construction even where the same skills are used in other industries.

CSCS also pointed to other Alliance schemes which accommodate occupations working across different sectors by issuing CSCS-logoed cards for construction and, where appropriate, alternative non-logoed cards for work outside construction.

Kearns said equivalent wording concerning non-construction occupations had appeared in CLC requirements published in 2017, 2020 and 2024.

“We can’t see what has changed since 2017,” he said, calling on CISRS to explain why it now considered the wording an immediate contractual risk.

CISRS responds to Scaffmag

CISRS has now responded directly to the points raised by CSCS.

In a statement supplied to Scaffmag, the scheme said its legal advice found that CISRS was “liable to termination by CSCS”, principally because of Clause 4 of the CLC guidance. It also explained why that legal advice had been sought now.

“The legal review was commissioned as a result of a wider review of governance carried out by CISRS,” the scheme said.

CISRS also addressed the multi-card approach referenced by CSCS.

CSCS said other Alliance schemes accommodate occupations working across different sectors by issuing CSCS-logoed cards for construction and, where appropriate, alternative non-logoed cards for work outside construction.

CISRS told Scaffmag that, in its view, a multi-card approach would be the only way to comply with Clause 4 while retaining CSCS-logoed cards for construction work.

The scheme said such an arrangement would create extra cost and complexity for scaffolding businesses and workers who move between sectors.

It said this would result in “costly duplication, and complexity around demarcation” and described the approach as impractical for the scaffolding industry.

CISRS maintains that its existing card is issued on the competence of the holder, regardless of the sector in which they happen to be working.

Licence questions remain

The CSCS statement also referred to “outstanding licence obligations” which it said it had been waiting for CISRS to address before receiving the termination notice.

CISRS did not identify what those obligations were in its response to Scaffmag.

It did, however, say CSCS had raised concerns about the CISRS licence on several occasions on behalf of third parties and that those matters had been dealt with appropriately.

“CSCS has, on several occasions, raised concerns, on behalf of third parties, about CISRS’ licence and these have been dealt with appropriately,” CISRS told Scaffmag.

Scaffmag has asked CSCS to explain specifically what the outstanding licence obligations referred to in its statement were.

Disagreement over who went public

The two organisations are also at odds over how the dispute entered the public domain. CSCS said it was disappointed that CISRS communicated its withdrawal publicly before a transition plan had been discussed with and approved by CSCS.

CISRS disputes that account.

“It is incorrect to state that CISRS prematurely placed this issue into the public domain,” it told Scaffmag.

The scheme said it issued its press release only after other stakeholders had already communicated extensively within the industry, contrary to what CISRS said were its express wishes.

CISRS made a similar point earlier this month when it said discussions it understood to be private had been circulated while possible solutions were still being considered.

Standard-setting role challenged

CSCS has also challenged how CISRS’s role within scaffolding has been described.

Its statement disputed the description of CISRS as the “actual recognised standard-setting body” for construction scaffolding.

CSCS said the defined standard-setting bodies for scaffolding are CITB and ECITB, adding that CISRS has an important role within the sector but that standards, qualifications, competence requirements and carding arrangements involve several organisations.

CISRS did not address that point in its response to Scaffmag.

Exit could still be reversed

CISRS has previously said its departure from CSCS could still be avoided if agreement can be reached over the CLC requirements.

During an industry webinar last week, CISRS said it would consider withdrawing its termination notice if a workable agreement could be reached with CSCS and the Construction Leadership Council.

Its preferred position is to retain a single competence card that can be used by scaffolders working across construction and other industries. If no agreement is reached, CISRS plans to operate independently of CSCS from 1 June 2027. Existing CISRS cards carrying the CSCS logo are expected to remain valid for their existing terms.

The disagreement now enters a transition period ahead of the proposed termination of the CISRS licence on 31 May 2027.

CSCS says the current rules do not create the conflict described by CISRS. CISRS maintains that its legal advice left the scheme exposed to termination and that splitting card arrangements between sectors would create unnecessary duplication for employers and workers.

Whether those positions can be reconciled before the licence ends remains unresolved.

Diesel hits record high as scaffolders face rising fuel costs

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Diesel hits record high as scaffolders face rising fuel costs

Fuel Finder-derived figures showed the UK average reaching around 199.2p a litre on Saturday, passing the previous record of 199.09p set in June 2022.

Government Fuel Finder-derived figures listed standard diesel at Winchester’s northbound and southbound M3 services at 219.9p a litre on 26 September. By comparison, the same data put the UK average at around 199.2p.

For scaffolding firms, fuel is a cost that is difficult to avoid. Crews and equipment have to travel to sites, often several times during the life of a project, while larger contractors can operate substantial fleets of vans and HGVs.

The speed of the latest increase is also significant.

RAC figures published on Friday put diesel at 198.32p a litre, up 14.5p during September alone and 55.9p since 28 February. The RAC said a 55-litre diesel fill had reached around £109.

Wholesale diesel and oil prices have risen sharply during the continuing conflict involving the US and Iran and disruption to international fuel supplies. RAC said Brent crude had been trading around the $100-a-barrel level during the second half of September.

Pressure on businesses

The wider road transport industry has also warned that operators have limited room to absorb increases.

A Road Haulage Association survey earlier this year found 84.6% of operators reported reduced profit margins because of rising fuel costs, while only 10% said they could pass all of the additional cost to customers.

That problem will be familiar to scaffolding contractors working on jobs priced weeks or months before the latest fuel surge.

The Government has kept the temporary 5p-per-litre fuel duty reduction in place until 31 December. The current duty on road diesel remains 52.95p per litre, with the Government due to confirm its plans for 2027 at the Budget.

The RHA is calling for the freeze to continue and has also proposed an essential-user rebate for commercial vehicles. Those proposals have not been adopted by the Government.

Saudi firm breaks 27-year-old scaffolding world record

Daniel Norton
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Saudi firm breaks 27-year-old scaffolding world record

The structure was officially verified by Guinness World Records on 23 September at Manar Al Omran’s premises in Dammam, Saudi Arabia.

At 67.40m, the tower beats the previous 58.50m record set in the UK in 1999.

Manar Al Omran, known as MAO, said the structure was completely free-standing, with no ties, anchors or supporting structure. It was built using the company’s own Ringlock scaffold system and designed specifically to exceed the previous world record.

67m tower built in six days

The scale of the structure is considerable. Its base measures 43.47m by 43.47m, while the completed tower weighs 332.87 tonnes and contains 35,172 individual scaffold components.

MAO said the structure was erected in just six days.

An average of 80 workers were involved each day, working across two shifts, with the build accounting for around 4,800 man-hours. The company said the scaffold was engineered to deal with dead, live and wind loads, with checks carried out to confirm load-bearing capacity and stability throughout the structure.

MAO also said the entire installation was completed with zero lost-time incidents.

‘A proud moment for MAO’

Maher Al-Harbi, Chairman of MAO Group, said: “This record was built by our people. Every meter of this tower stood on the engineering, the material and the discipline of the meters below it, and our engineers, supervisors and workers delivered it safely in six days.

“It is a proud moment for MAO and for Saudi industry, and a clear demonstration of the manufacturing and engineering capability being built in the Kingdom under Vision 2030.”

Video released following the attempt shows the completed scaffold, the Guinness World Records adjudication and the certificate presentation.

The new record raises the previous height by 8.90m.

MAO said the final Guinness World Records reference number and online record page are still to be issued alongside the final certificate.

HAKI halves workforce as Combisafe integration gathers pace

Daniel Norton
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HAKI halves workforce as Combisafe integration gathers pace

The Swedish group said Combisafe and its existing UK fall protection operation have been working as a single organisation since 1 September, sharing sales, order management, product development, administration and other functions.

HAKI said the merger has cut the total workforce by half. It has not disclosed the number of roles affected or the resulting headcount.

Four depots and yards to close

The integration will also reshape the combined business’s warehousing network. Four depots and yards are being closed and operations consolidated into three existing depots, with the work expected to be completed by the end of 2026.

HAKI has not identified which locations will close. Combisafe’s current UK contact details list its operation at Grange Park in Northampton, while HAKI’s UK fall protection business includes the former Vertemax operation in Aylesham, Kent.

The restructuring and integration programme is expected to cost around SEK 26m. HAKI said most of that cost will hit earnings in the third and fourth quarters of 2026, although part will be covered by money contributed by the seller for change-related costs.

The group also expects Combisafe to weigh on earnings until the changes take effect. Its target is for the combined Combisafe and UK fall protection operation to achieve a profit margin above the HAKI Safety group average once the integration is complete.

Acquisition completed in July

HAKI agreed to acquire selected Combisafe operations from PIP Global Safety in June and completed the deal on 7 July.

At completion, Combisafe employed just over 30 people across six countries, generated annual sales of about SEK 80m and sold into around 20 countries. HAKI said at the time that the business had been unprofitable for several years.

The transaction was structured as an asset deal covering the Combisafe brand, product portfolio, patent and design rights, customer relationships and certain operating assets. HAKI paid USD 2m for the net assets, while seller PIP Global Safety agreed to contribute about USD 2m towards potential change-related costs.

When the deal was announced in June, HAKI Safety president and CEO Sverker Lindberg said the group intended to begin extracting sales and product synergies immediately after completion and pursue a fast integration of the business.

Combisafe was founded in Sweden in 1987 and is best known for temporary edge protection and catchfan systems. HAKI said the acquisition gave the group access to nine European markets that were previously outside its fall protection operation, as well as a wider product range.

Singapore to mandate fire-retardant scaffold netting from 2027

Daniel Norton
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Singapore to mandate fire-retardant scaffold netting from 2027

The Ministry of Manpower said the requirement will apply regardless of the material used for the scaffold and will form part of a wider package of measures aimed at reducing scaffold fire risks.

From 1 March 2028, fire-retardant scaffold netting will also have to be certified by certification bodies accredited by the Singapore Accreditation Council.

Responsibility across the supply chain

Under the new regime, manufacturers, suppliers, scaffold contractors and workplace occupiers will all be responsible for making sure netting meets the required specifications.

The Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health will accept netting that meets specified fire-test standards under British Standards, Japanese Industrial Standards or standards issued by the US National Fire Protection Association.

MOM has not yet published the individual standard numbers. A forthcoming circular will set out the scope of the rules, accepted fire tests and compliance measures, including labelling and certification requirements.

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash announced the move at Singapore’s Workplace Safety and Health Awards on 24 September.

He said MOM would work with industry ahead of the March 2027 start date.

Review followed Hong Kong fire

The change follows a review of scaffold fire safety in Singapore after the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong in November 2025.

Singapore had already announced a separate restriction on timber scaffolds. From 1 January 2027, the normal permitted period for timber scaffold use will fall from nine months to three months, with exemptions considered in some circumstances.

When that measure was announced in July, MOM and the Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were also studying new fire-safety requirements for scaffold netting.

Singapore’s latest decision now puts a firm implementation date on that part of the review.

The move follows increased scrutiny of scaffold coverings and fire performance across the region after Wang Fuk Court. Scaffmag has previously reported on the use and removal of scaffold netting connected with the Hong Kong fire.

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