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action could have exposed cardholders, training centres and employers to a much shorter transition if its licence was revoked.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.
