Scaffmag

The programme has been developed to bring more trainers into CISRS delivery and will be unveiled as ScaffEx26 opens at Manchester Central. Candidates will be trained by CISRS-appointed instructors, recruited through the scheme’s selection process. The programme covers CISRS requirements and the practical skills needed to deliver training sessions, with assessment focused mainly on candidates’ delivery against formal criteria.

CISRS has announced plans to leave the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), with new and renewed scaffolding cards set to be issued without the CSCS logo from June 2027. The scheme will become the Competence in Scaffolding Record Scheme on 1 January 2027, retaining its CISRS initials. Its departure from CSCS is planned for 1 June 2027.

NASC has added two new configuration options to TG20, allowing users to specify 1.5m lift heights and include returns within tube and fitting scaffold compliance sheets. The changes are now live in the NASC ePortal and are intended to make TG20 configurations more closely match scaffold arrangements commonly used on site. Users can now select a 1.5m lift height when creating a TG20 configuration.

A handy social media playbook has been released ahead of ScaffEx 2026, giving exhibitors and attendees ideas for building their presence around the event. Created by Petite Agency, ScaffEx26’s social media partner, the 12-page guide covers how companies and their teams can plan content before arriving at Manchester Central, capture material during the show and keep the conversation going afterwards.

Lighthouse Charity has launched an urgent appeal to raise £200,000 by Christmas, warning that record demand is putting its support services for construction workers and their families under pressure. The charity says the number of families seeking financial, emotional and physical wellbeing support has risen by 51% so far this year. Food deliveries are up 65%, and it has funded more than 7,000 counselling sessions.

Scafom-rux will unveil a new aluminium temporary roof and beam system at ScaffEx26 next week, with the company claiming its new beam design can achieve clear spans of up to 70 m. Called VECTA, the system brings temporary roofing and aluminium beams together within a single modular product range. Scafom-rux says the beams have been designed for use across a number of applications, allowing contractors to use the same components beyond temporary roof structures.

M R Scaffolding Services has been named Access & Scaffolding Specialist of the Year at the 2026 Construction News Specialists Awards. The company took the top scaffolding honour at the awards ceremony in London on Thursday night, seeing off competition from Allen & Foxworthy, Brand Access Solutions, Chris Sedgeman Scaffolding, PHD Access and Spencer Bridge Engineering.

A serious scaffolding incident can unfold in seconds, but the consequences for the people and businesses involved can continue for years. That is the focus of the opening episode of the new season of The Brace Yourself Podcast, which sees hosts Simon Boyes and Ben Beaumont, ScaffPlan’s founder and managing director, joined by scaffolding safety specialist and expert witness Keaton Owen. Owen, founder of Scaffold Safety, has more than 20 years’ experience across scaffolding, safety and training.

You’re tendering for one of the biggest jobs you’ve surveyed this year, and now it all comes down to a strong covering letter. You asked ChatGPT to write it. What came back was correct, polite, and could have been sent by any scaffold company in the country. So you wrote better instructions, called a “prompt”. “Confident but not pushy.” “Mention our safety record.” “Keep it under a page.” The second letter was longer than the first and still nothing stands out. You don’t feel unique.

For an experienced scaffolding operator looking to expand, acquire, or relocate, Sidewall Scaffolding offers something that normally takes years to build: an established Auckland business with equipment, customers, systems, and a platform for further growth. Starting a scaffolding business in a new market is rarely about the scaffold alone.