by admin | Aug 21, 2026 | Consultancy Services, Health and Safety
Stacks of blocks, plasterboard, steel or plant can create loads a floor was not ready or designed to carry at that stage of construction. After a recent HSE prosecution involving a floor collapse, contractors should look again at how delivery locations, temporary loads, design information and structural stability are being controlled before materials arrive on site.
A £30,000 prosecution shows why temporary loading needs active control
On 18 August 2026, HSE reported the prosecution of an Oldham construction company after a 25-year-old bricklayer was seriously injured when the upper floor on which he was working collapsed.
The worker fell with a quantity of concrete blocks that had been stored on the floor. He suffered fractures to his leg, hip and hand, required surgery and remained in hospital for a month. HSE Media Centre
HSE found two particularly important issues. The floor had been overloaded with concrete blocks and had not been constructed in accordance with the manufacturer’s design. Inspectors also identified unsafe scaffolding, inadequate work-at-height arrangements, insufficient fire precautions and inadequate competent site management. HSE Media Centre
Oldham Business and Construction Management Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 13(1) of CDM 2015. The company was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £4,883 in costs. HSE described the incident as part of a broader failure to plan, manage and monitor the construction work properly. HSE Media Centre
Read the HSE prosecution notice
Although the prosecution was brought under the principal contractor’s management duty, the circumstances also highlight a very specific legal requirement that deserves more attention: structures must not be loaded to the point that they become unsafe.
What does CDM 2015 actually require?
Regulation 19 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 deals directly with structural stability.
It requires all practicable steps to be taken, where necessary to prevent danger, to ensure that a new or existing structure does not collapse where construction work may make it unstable or leave it temporarily weak or unstable.
The Regulation then becomes particularly relevant to site loading. It states that temporary supports must be designed, installed and maintained to withstand foreseeable loads and that a structure must not be loaded so as to render it unsafe to any person. Legislation.gov.uk
Read Regulation 19 of CDM 2015
There is a wider management duty too. Principal contractors must plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, construction work is carried out without risks to health and safety. HSE’s guidance specifically emphasises planning work stages and their sequence, not simply reacting once work has started. HSE
The legal requirement is therefore not merely to stop a worker putting “too many blocks” in one place. The project needs arrangements capable of identifying what can safely be loaded, where, when and under what conditions.
The finished floor capacity is not the whole story
One of the traps on site is assuming that because a floor will eventually carry a particular load, it can carry that same load throughout construction.
That may not be the case.
During construction, the structure can pass through several temporary states. Concrete may still be gaining strength. Temporary propping may be required. Bracing may not be complete. Connections may not have been fully installed, or elements that form part of the eventual load path may not yet exist.
There is also a difference between a relatively distributed load and placing several tonnes of material into a relatively small area.
A pallet of dense blocks, packs of plasterboard, steelwork, masonry, roofing materials or mechanical equipment can create a significant concentrated construction load. Moving several pallets to one convenient unloading point can alter the loading further.
The question for the site manager should therefore not be:
“What load will this floor eventually take?”
It should be:
“What can this floor safely carry at this stage, in this location and in its present condition?”
Where that cannot be answered from approved design information, manufacturers’ instructions or an agreed temporary works arrangement, the appropriate response is to obtain competent engineering advice rather than make an assumption.
HSE’s structural-stability guidance is clear that structures should never be overloaded and that where temporary support is necessary, its arrangement should be determined by suitably competent people and designed for the foreseeable loads involved. HSE
HSE guidance on structural stability
Where does temporary works management fit in?
Temporary loading is not always recognised as a temporary works issue because nothing obviously looks “temporary”.
There may be no scaffold, excavation support or falsework.
However, HSE includes permanent works being used temporarily during construction within its examples of temporary works. It also identifies propping to floors and walls, falsework, working platforms and other temporary structural arrangements as matters requiring proper planning and management. HSE
This can become important where a permanent floor is being asked to perform a temporary function — for example, supporting stored construction materials, plant or access equipment before the structure has reached its completed condition.
A Temporary Works Coordinator can provide an effective management route for identifying and controlling such issues. It is important, however, to distinguish good practice from a specific statutory appointment requirement.
CDM 2015 does not expressly require every project to appoint someone with the job title “Temporary Works Coordinator”. HSE says there are no specific legal requirements prescribing exactly how temporary works must be managed. It describes appointing a TWC as an effective method, and notes that BS 5975 provides a widely used management approach, particularly on medium and large projects. HSE
That distinction should not be taken as a reason to manage temporary works informally. Someone still needs sufficient authority and competence to coordinate designs, checks, loading restrictions, site conditions and changes.
On projects where temporary works form a significant part of the construction process, a properly implemented temporary works procedure and clearly appointed TWC are established industry good practice.
For supervisors and others who need a basic introduction to the subject, All Star Safety currently provides the CITB Temporary Works General Awareness course online free of charge. All Star Safety
Material storage needs planning before the delivery arrives
Material storage is often treated as a logistics or housekeeping problem. Structural loading shows why it also needs to form part of construction planning.
HSE advises that storage arrangements should be discussed and agreed between those involved in the project. It also recommends planning deliveries so that the amount of material held on site is kept to a sensible minimum. HSE
HSE guidance on construction material storage
That planning becomes particularly important when deliveries are being craned or telehandled directly onto upper levels.
Once a delivery vehicle arrives and a crane or telehandler is waiting, there can be considerable pressure to decide quickly where the materials should go. That is the wrong point in the process to start determining whether a floor can carry them.
Site logistics planning should establish the approved storage areas beforehand.
Depending on the project, that might involve confirming:
- the permitted material and maximum quantity;
- approved loading or lay-down areas;
- any prohibited zones;
- maximum loading stated by the designer or system supplier;
- whether materials must be spread rather than concentrated;
- whether temporary propping is required;
- whether propping can be removed before materials are loaded;
- restrictions during concrete curing or different construction stages;
- how loading areas will be identified to delivery teams, crane operators and trades; and
- who has authority to approve a change.
The final point matters particularly.
A well-controlled site can still become unsafe when somebody decides that the planned storage area is inconvenient and moves a delivery “just for today”.
Where a loading arrangement changes, the effect of that change should be considered before the materials are moved.
What should you do now?
Contractors and principal contractors should review how temporary construction loads are controlled rather than relying on general instructions to “spread materials out”.
Start by identifying floors, roofs, platforms and partially completed structures currently being used for materials storage or supporting plant. Check that the construction matches the approved design and that any required bracing, connections or temporary support are in place.
Then establish where the loading information comes from. If the designer, temporary works designer or system manufacturer has issued restrictions, make sure the site team can actually find and understand them.
Storage areas should be included in logistics arrangements and communicated to people controlling deliveries. Where useful, physically identify maximum loading areas or restricted zones rather than expecting every delivery team to interpret structural drawings.
Supervisors should also watch for gradual accumulation. Ten small deliveries over several days can produce the same structural problem as one large delivery if nobody is monitoring what remains stored on the floor.
Finally, if the site team cannot establish whether a proposed load is safe, stop and obtain competent advice. A delivery programme is easier to recover than a structural collapse.
Our professional view
Temporary loading is a good example of a risk that can sit between different parts of a project.
The structural designer may understand the floor capacity. The temporary works team may understand the construction sequence. The logistics manager controls deliveries. The subcontractor wants materials close to the workface. The site manager is trying to maintain the programme.
The danger appears when everybody assumes somebody else has considered how those pieces interact.
The HSE case published this week reinforces a basic principle: structural safety during construction must be actively managed in the temporary condition, not judged only by how the completed building is expected to perform. HSE Media Centre
For contractors needing project-specific help with temporary works, site controls or wider CDM arrangements, All Star Safety’s health and safety consultancy service includes project-based support, site audits and temporary works/complex civils assistance. All Star Safety
by admin | Aug 10, 2026 | Consultancy Services, Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, Safety Update
Could Someone Reach the Dangerous Parts of Your Machinery?
A machine may have been used without incident for years, but that does not make an exposed drive, belt, roller or blade acceptable. A new HSE prosecution in East Anglia is a timely reminder that machinery guarding must physically prevent access to dangerous parts — and that training or instructions are not substitutes for proper engineering controls.
Why this matters now
On 7 August 2026, the Health and Safety Executive reported the prosecution of a Thetford chemical manufacturer following an incident involving an unguarded powered conveyor.
An employee removed a cardboard box from a running conveyor and his hand became entangled in the machinery. He suffered a broken finger and bruising to three other fingers, required surgery and was unable to work for six weeks.
HSE found that the business had failed to prevent access to dangerous parts of the conveyor. Easy Cleaning Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching regulation 11(1) of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £100,000 plus £6,468.18 in costs.
Although this incident occurred in manufacturing rather than construction, the underlying requirement applies to work equipment across construction workshops, fabrication facilities, plant yards and other workplaces. PUWER defines work equipment very widely, covering machinery, appliances, apparatus, tools and installations used at work.
What does PUWER actually require?
Regulation 11 of PUWER 1998 requires employers to take effective measures to prevent access to dangerous parts of machinery or to stop the movement of dangerous parts before a person enters the danger zone.
Importantly, PUWER establishes a hierarchy of protective measures. Physical prevention comes before reliance on human behaviour.
The starting point is normally fixed guards or enclosures. Where those are not practicable, other guards or protection devices should be considered, followed where appropriate by jigs, holders or similar devices. Information, instruction, training and supervision sit further down that hierarchy rather than replacing the higher-order controls.
That distinction matters.
A warning sticker saying “keep hands clear” does not make an accessible roller safe. Neither does a toolbox talk, a trained operator or a written instruction telling people not to reach into the machinery.
If someone can foreseeably reach a dangerous moving part during normal operation, the first question should be how access can be physically prevented.
When should a fixed guard become an interlocked guard?
HSE guidance says fixed guarding will normally be the preferred method of preventing access to dangerous parts. A fixed guard should require a deliberate action, normally involving tools or secure fixings, before it can be removed.
However, some machines need regular access for loading, adjustment, inspection, cleaning or clearing material.
Where routine access is genuinely necessary, HSE advises that an interlocked guard may be more appropriate. The interlock should prevent the dangerous movement from operating while the guard is open and, where necessary, prevent the guard being opened until movement has stopped.
This is particularly relevant to:
- Conveyors and rollers.
- Workshop saws.
- Fabrication machinery.
- Cutting and forming equipment.
- Plant-processing equipment.
- Crushers and screening equipment.
- Machinery where blockages or offcuts require regular removal.
The correct safeguarding arrangement depends on the particular machine and risk. Simply replacing a missing fixed panel with an easily removable cover may not be sufficient if workers must repeatedly remove it during normal production.
What about clearing jams, cleaning and maintenance?
Some of the most dangerous interactions with machinery happen when the equipment is not performing normally.
A blockage develops. Material becomes trapped. Something sounds wrong. A worker reaches in to investigate.
PUWER applies not only to normal operation but also to activities including starting, stopping, repairing, maintaining, servicing and cleaning work equipment.
For maintenance, HSE guidance says plant and equipment should be made safe before work starts. In most cases that means stopping the machinery and isolating energy supplies. Where accidental reconnection is possible, locking off may be necessary. Stored hydraulic, pneumatic, gravitational or other energy may also need to be released or physically restrained.
PUWER regulation 19 separately requires suitable means of isolating work equipment from all sources of energy where appropriate, with the isolation means clearly identifiable and readily accessible.
A useful rule for supervisors is therefore:
If somebody needs to put part of their body into an area normally protected by a guard, normal operating controls should not automatically be treated as safe isolation.
The appropriate method should be determined through the machinery risk assessment and manufacturer’s instructions.
Why training cannot compensate for missing guards
Training remains important. Regulation 9 of PUWER requires people using work equipment to receive adequate training for health and safety purposes, including the methods to be used, risks arising from use and precautions to be taken.
Managers and supervisors also need enough knowledge to recognise unsafe machinery arrangements and challenge practices such as removed guards, defeated interlocks or inadequate isolation. IOSH Managing Safely provides practical training in risk assessment, hazard control, legal responsibilities and incident investigation for people responsible for managing or supervising others. For employees and operatives, IOSH Working Safely provides a broader introduction to identifying hazards and reducing workplace risks.
But training is not permission to operate fundamentally unsafe machinery.
A competent, experienced employee can still make an error, react instinctively to a blockage or become distracted. Machinery safeguarding is designed on the basis that foreseeable human interaction needs to be controlled.
This is why the hierarchy matters. Engineering controls should prevent the worker reaching the danger in the first place wherever reasonably practicable.
The same principle should inform supervision. If operators routinely defeat an interlock, remove a guard, prop open a cover or use an improvised method to clear material while machinery is running, simply reminding them of the rules is unlikely to resolve the underlying problem.
Managers should ask why the unsafe behaviour has become convenient or necessary.
It may reveal:
- A poorly designed access arrangement.
- Repeated blockages.
- Unrealistic production pressure.
- An unsuitable machine for the task.
- A damaged or unreliable interlock.
- Inadequate isolation arrangements.
- A maintenance problem that has become accepted as normal.
What should you do now?
Businesses using powered machinery should take the HSE prosecution as an opportunity to walk their workplace and look at the equipment as it is actually used — not simply as it appeared when the risk assessment was first written.
Start with machinery capable of drawing, trapping, crushing, cutting or entangling someone.
Check:
- Are all original guards present and secure?
- Can hands, fingers, clothing or tools reach belts, chains, rollers, blades, gears or drive components?
- Have guards been modified, removed or defeated?
- Do interlocks actually stop dangerous movement?
- Are emergency stops accessible and functioning?
- How are routine blockages cleared?
- How is machinery isolated before maintenance?
- Can stored energy cause unexpected movement?
- Are operators trained in the actual safe method?
- Are supervisors challenging shortcuts?
- Are recurring machinery faults being repaired rather than worked around?
Where a machine has been modified, refurbished or adapted, the safeguarding should also be reviewed. HSE confirms that refurbished and modified machinery must remain safe in use and meet PUWER requirements.
For higher-risk or unfamiliar machinery, specialist engineering input may be necessary. The objective is not simply to produce another PUWER checklist; it is to confirm that a person cannot foreseeably reach a dangerous moving part.
Frequently asked questions
Can a machine be used temporarily with a guard removed?
Not merely because the period is short. Where the guard is necessary to prevent access to dangerous parts, operating without it could breach PUWER. Any exceptional activity requiring access must be properly assessed and controlled using suitable safeguarding, isolation or another engineered method appropriate to the task.
Is an emergency stop a substitute for a guard?
No. Emergency stops are an additional protective measure. HSE’s machinery-safety hierarchy prioritises preventing access to dangerous parts through guards and safeguarding arrangements.
Can trained maintenance staff work on moving machinery?
Most maintenance should be carried out with machinery stopped and isolated. There are specialist circumstances where work cannot be undertaken completely de-energised, but these require specific assessment and additional controls rather than simply relying on experience or training.
Does PUWER apply to old machinery?
Yes. PUWER applies to work equipment used at work, including older equipment. Older machinery may in fact require particular attention where guarding standards, modifications or previous repairs have changed over time.
All Star Safety provides health and safety consultancy and workplace auditing across construction, engineering and industrial environments, including reviews of risk assessments, equipment controls and safe systems of work.
For businesses employing plant mechanics and maintenance technicians, our workplace-based Plant Maintenance NVQs assess competence through the inspection, servicing, fault diagnosis and repair activities people already undertake at work.
by admin | Aug 6, 2026 | Construction Site Management, Consultancy Services, Health and Safety, Safety Update
Digital product records are not yet a general legal requirement in Great Britain, but construction businesses should start improving product traceability now. Existing duties already require project teams to select suitable products, control substitutions and retain reliable building information. Future digital records are likely to make those processes more visible—not replace them.
The government is currently gathering evidence on how digital product records could work in the UK. For contractors, the important question is not whether another QR code will appear on product packaging. It is whether the business can show what was specified, approved, delivered and installed.
What is the government considering?
The Department for Business and Trade has opened a call for evidence on digital product records. The consultation is exploring how digital records could improve access to product information, supply-chain transparency, regulatory compliance, recalls, maintenance and sustainability data.
The Construction Leadership Council highlighted the consultation on 31 July 2026. Responses are due by 21 September 2026.
The government has not yet settled the format, technical standards or scope of a future Great Britain system. This is a policy-development exercise, not a new compliance deadline.
A future digital product record could contain information such as:
- Manufacturer and supplier details
- Product, batch or serial identifiers
- Declared performance and certification
- Materials and composition
- Installation instructions
- Inspection and maintenance requirements
- Safety notices and recalls
- Environmental, repair and recycling information
Access might eventually be provided through a QR code, barcode or another digital identifier. However, the technology is less important than the reliability of the information behind it.
Is this already a legal requirement?
There is currently no general requirement for every product placed on the Great Britain market to carry a digital product record.
Businesses supplying products into Northern Ireland or the European Union may encounter digital-product requirements earlier because relevant EU requirements can apply in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.
For contractors working solely in England, Scotland and Wales, it would therefore be misleading to claim that Digital Product Passports are already mandatory across construction.
That does not mean contractors can ignore product information until new legislation arrives. Existing construction-product, Building Regulations and building-safety duties already require decisions to be supported by suitable evidence.
What records should contractors already be keeping?
For building work in England, regulation 7 of the Building Regulations 2010 requires building work to use adequate and proper materials that are appropriate for their intended circumstances and properly applied.
Approved Document 7: Materials and Workmanship provides guidance on satisfying that requirement. It is statutory guidance rather than the legislation itself.
The current construction-products regime in Great Britain also regulates the placing of relevant products on the market. CE marking continues to be recognised for construction products in Great Britain, while UKCA marking remains available.
However, a conformity mark does not prove that a product is suitable for every project or application.
The project team must still compare its declared characteristics and limitations with:
- The approved design
- Its intended location and use
- Fire and structural performance requirements
- Compatibility with adjoining products
- Environmental exposure
- The manufacturer’s installation instructions
Why product substitutions are a particular risk
Substitutions often arise because the specified product is unavailable, has a long lead time or can be replaced by a cheaper alternative.
That does not make the alternative equivalent.
Consider a specialist contractor proposing a different fire-stopping product because the original material is out of stock. The substitute may look similar but have different tested applications, supporting-construction requirements, annular-gap limits or installation conditions.
A proper substitution process should record:
- The original specification
- The reason for the proposed change
- The technical information for the alternative
- Comparison against the required performance
- Designer or other appropriate approval
- Any revised installation requirements
- The final product and location installed
An informal email saying that a product is “similar and approved” is unlikely to provide a reliable audit trail.
How do digital product records relate to the golden thread?
They are related, but they are not the same.
A digital product record concerns information about a product. That information may accompany the product through manufacture, supply, installation, maintenance and eventual reuse or disposal.
The golden thread concerns information about a particular higher-risk building. Government guidance requires specified dutyholders to maintain an accurate, accessible and usable digital record for relevant higher-risk buildings.
Product data may contribute to the golden thread, but it does not demonstrate on its own:
- Which product was approved for a particular location
- Whether it was installed in accordance with the design
- Who carried out the installation
- Whether concealed work was inspected
- Whether a substitution was properly controlled
- Whether testing and commissioning were completed
A QR code can provide access to technical information. It cannot prove that the product was installed correctly.
What should contractors do now?
There is no need to purchase a complex new digital platform solely because the consultation has been announced.
A more useful first step is to review how product information currently moves through the business.
Set a minimum product-information requirement
For safety-critical or performance-critical products, determine what must be obtained before approval or installation. This could include:
- Product and manufacturer identification
- Technical data and declared performance
- Applicable certification
- Installation and compatibility requirements
- Batch or serial information where proportionate
- Inspection and maintenance instructions
- Evidence approving any substitution
Connect the paperwork to the installed product
A folder containing product literature is of limited value if nobody can identify where each item was installed.
For relevant products, records should connect:
- The approved specification
- Purchase and delivery information
- Batch or serial details
- Installation location
- Installer details
- Inspection and photographic evidence
- Handover information
This is particularly important for fire doors, fire stopping, structural fixings, façade components, insulation, structural products and safety-critical building services.
Preserve the information relied upon
Do not rely exclusively on a manufacturer’s live webpage. Pages, downloads and product ranges can change.
Retain the relevant version of the technical information, declaration, certificate or installation document used when the product was selected and approved.
Test the process on one project
Select three or four safety-critical products and trace each one from design through procurement, delivery, installation, inspection and handover.
This will quickly show whether the process contains:
- Missing approvals
- Uncontrolled substitutions
- Duplicate records
- Unclear responsibilities
- Product information that cannot be connected to the installed work
Our professional view
Digital product records could make construction information easier to access and audit. They will not correct weak procurement, installation or quality-control systems.
The priority for contractors should be to establish a reliable product-information process before investing heavily in technology. Once the responsibilities, approval stages and records are sound, digital tools can make the process more efficient.
Poor information does not become good evidence simply because it is delivered through a QR code.
Businesses reviewing product approval, substitution and construction-compliance processes can obtain support through All Star Safety’s health and safety consultancy service. Managers responsible for procurement, quality and project controls may also benefit from appropriate Supervisory and Management NVQs.
Frequently asked questions
Are Digital Product Passports mandatory for UK construction products?
Not generally in Great Britain at present. The government is gathering evidence to inform possible future policy. Different requirements may apply when supplying products into Northern Ireland or the European Union.
Is CE or UKCA marking proof that a product is suitable?
No. Marking provides information about conformity and declared performance under the relevant product regime. The project team must still confirm that the product is suitable for the approved design and intended use.
Is a QR code enough for the golden thread?
No. It may provide access to product information, but the project record must also show approval, change control, installation, inspection and other building-specific evidence.
Who should approve a product substitution?
That depends on the project and the significance of the change. Approval may require the designer, principal designer, client, principal contractor, building control authority or another competent specialist. The process and authority should be defined before substitutions arise.
by admin | Jul 17, 2026 | Consultancy Services, Health and Safety, Safety Update
Sheeting is sometimes added to scaffold towers to contain dust, protect materials or provide limited weather protection. However, it can dramatically increase wind loading and turn a normally stable tower into a large sail.
A recent Health and Safety Executive prosecution followed an incident in which a sheeted mobile scaffold tower overturned onto a busy London high street, seriously injuring two members of the public.
There is no simple rule stating that sheeting can always—or never—be fitted to a mobile tower. The configuration must be permitted by the manufacturer or supported by a competent design assessment. Wind conditions, stabilisers, foundations, public access, inspection and emergency arrangements must all be properly controlled.
What Happened on Putney High Street?
On 10 July 2026, the Health and Safety Executive reported the prosecution of a construction company and its sole director after a mobile scaffold tower overturned on Putney High Street.
The incident occurred on 19 July 2023. Operatives had assembled the tower while working on a commercial-to-residential conversion. It was assembled incorrectly, insufficiently separated from the public and subsequently covered with sheeting.
The sheeting acted as a sail in windy conditions. The tower overturned, striking and trapping two members of the public and causing serious injuries.
HSE found that the temporary structure had not been designed, installed and maintained to withstand foreseeable loads, including wind acting on the sheeting. It had also not been erected or inspected by adequately trained and competent people or in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 in costs for breaching regulation 19(2)(a) of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Its sole director was convicted under section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and received a separate fine and costs order.
Can Sheeting Be Fitted to a Mobile Scaffold Tower?
Sheeting a mobile access tower is not automatically prohibited by a single blanket regulation. However, it must not be treated as a minor site adjustment.
A standard tower has an open structure through which much of the wind can pass. Adding impermeable or semi-permeable sheeting significantly increases the area exposed to wind. This creates additional overturning forces that may exceed the capacity of the tower, its stabilisers, its ballast or the ground supporting it.
Our professional recommendation
Do not attach sheeting, debris netting, banners, signs or other coverings to a mobile scaffold tower unless:
- The manufacturer’s instructions expressly permit the proposed configuration.
- The supplier or manufacturer has confirmed any additional stabiliser, ballast or tying requirements.
- The expected wind loading has been assessed by someone competent to do so.
- The tower can be installed exactly as specified.
- Suitable weather-monitoring and stop-work arrangements are in place.
- The effect on the public, workers and surrounding property has been assessed.
Where the original tower instructions do not cover sheeting, the safest decision will normally be to use a different access or containment system that has been designed for the intended purpose.
This is a professional recommendation based on the foreseeable change in loading. It should not be interpreted as a substitute for the manufacturer’s instructions or an engineering assessment.
What Does the Law Require?
Stability under CDM 2015
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require construction work to be planned and managed so that temporary structures remain stable and do not create danger.
The recent prosecution was brought under regulation 19(2)(a). HSE concluded that the tower had not been designed, installed or maintained to withstand foreseeable loads.
Wind is foreseeable. If sheeting is added, the additional wind loading is also foreseeable and must be considered before the tower is used—not after it begins moving.
Work at Height Regulations
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require work at height to be properly planned, appropriately supervised and carried out safely by competent people using suitable equipment.
HSE’s guidance on the law relating to work at height confirms that those controlling the work must assess the risks and select the right type of equipment.
A mobile tower may be suitable for straightforward short-duration work. It does not automatically remain suitable after its height, location, loading or configuration has changed.
Protecting members of the public
Construction dutyholders must consider people who are not employed on the project but may be affected by the work. On high streets, pavements, schools, occupied premises and shared access routes, the potential consequences extend beyond the workforce.
The fact that a tower is within a nominal work area does not make the public safe. The control measures must reflect the distance a structure or falling materials could travel if something fails.
Follow the Manufacturer’s Instructions
HSE’s tower scaffold guidance states that the manufacturer, supplier or hirer should provide an instruction manual explaining the erection sequence, bracing requirements and permitted height.
The manual must be available to the person erecting the tower and the person supervising the work.
HSE also advises that:
- Towers must stand on firm, level ground.
- Castors or base plates must be properly supported.
- Stabilisers or outriggers must be installed where required.
- Towers must not exceed the manufacturer’s permitted height.
- All required components must be fitted.
- Towers must never be used in strong winds.
- Towers must not be moved in windy conditions.
Omitting components or introducing incompatible equipment can undermine the designed strength and stability of the system.
The PASMA Operator’s Code of Practice provides recognised industry good-practice guidance on assembling, using, altering and dismantling mobile access towers. However, general training or guidance does not authorise an unapproved site modification.
Who Is Competent to Erect and Inspect the Tower?
HSE states that towers should be erected and dismantled by trained and competent people. Users must also understand the hazards and precautions associated with the equipment.
Competence should relate to the actual task. Someone may be competent to assemble a standard tower in accordance with an instruction manual but not competent to calculate wind loading or approve a sheeted configuration.
Where the proposed arrangement falls outside the manufacturer’s instructions, the matter may require input from:
- The tower manufacturer or supplier.
- A competent temporary works designer.
- A temporary works coordinator.
- A structural engineer with appropriate experience.
- A competent health and safety adviser working alongside the designer.
Managers can strengthen their broader risk-management and supervisory skills through IOSH Managing Safely training. Experienced construction managers and supervisors may also demonstrate their occupational competence through appropriate Supervisory and Management NVQs.
Neither qualification removes the need for specialist design input where the technical limits of a tower are being changed.
How Often Must a Mobile Tower Be Inspected?
All towers must be inspected by a competent person after assembly and at suitable intervals.
Where a tower is used for construction work and a person could fall two metres or more from the working platform, HSE states that it must be inspected:
- After assembly.
- Every seven days.
- Following substantial alteration.
- After adverse weather or any event likely to affect its stability.
- Before further use where its safety is in doubt.
The findings must be recorded, and work must stop if the tower is not safe.
A scaffold tagging system can be useful, but HSE confirms that tags are not themselves a legal requirement. The legally important elements are a competent inspection, an appropriate report and action where defects are identified.
Managing Towers Beside Roads and Pavements
Where a tower is positioned near members of the public, planning should include:
- A properly defined exclusion area based on the possible collapse zone.
- Suitable pedestrian diversion routes.
- Barriers appropriate to the location and risk.
- Protection from falling tools and materials.
- Local authority pavement or highway permissions where applicable.
- Traffic-management arrangements where roads or parking areas are affected.
- Secure arrangements when the site is unattended.
- A process for monitoring weather conditions.
- Clear authority to stop work and remove sheeting.
- Emergency arrangements if the structure becomes unstable.
Cones or lightweight barriers immediately around the tower will not necessarily protect someone if the entire structure overturns.
For related guidance, see our earlier article on temporary works and traffic-management safety.
What Should Contractors Do Now?
Contractors and principal contractors should identify every mobile tower under their control and check whether anything has been attached that was not included in its original design.
Particular attention should be given to:
- Sheeting and debris netting.
- Advertising banners and signs.
- Temporary roofs.
- Hoarding panels.
- Waste chutes.
- Fans, ducts and extraction equipment.
- Lifting devices or material-loading arrangements.
- Ties, ballast or stabilisers added without approval.
Where there is doubt, stop using the tower until the manufacturer, supplier or another suitably competent person has confirmed that the arrangement is safe.
Businesses requiring assistance with site inspections, work-at-height arrangements, RAMS or contractor controls can obtain support through our health and safety consultancy service.
Action Checklist
- Identify all mobile scaffold towers currently in use.
- Confirm that the manufacturer’s instructions are available.
- Check that every component is compatible and correctly installed.
- Remove unauthorised sheeting, banners or attachments.
- Verify the competence of erectors, users and inspectors.
- Check ground conditions, castors, outriggers and stabilisers.
- Establish weather-monitoring and stop-work arrangements.
- Review pedestrian and vehicle separation.
- Confirm that inspections are completed and recorded.
- Reinspect following alteration or adverse weather.
- Check applicable pavement or highway permissions.
- Replace the tower with a purpose-designed system where necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it illegal to put sheeting on a mobile scaffold tower?
There is no universal blanket prohibition. However, the tower must remain stable under foreseeable loads. Sheeting should not be fitted unless the configuration is permitted by the manufacturer or supported by a competent design assessment.
Is PASMA training enough to approve a sheeted tower?
PASMA training can help demonstrate competence in standard tower assembly and use. It does not automatically qualify someone to calculate wind loading or approve a modification outside the manufacturer’s instructions.
What wind speed is safe for a scaffold tower?
There is no single figure that can safely be applied to every tower and configuration. Follow the manufacturer’s limits and any project-specific design. HSE’s general instruction is never to use a tower in strong winds.
Does a mobile tower require a weekly inspection?
Where it is being used for construction work and a person could fall two metres or more, it must be inspected after assembly and every seven days. It must also be inspected following events that may affect its safety.
Is a scaffold tag legally required?
No. HSE confirms that a tag system is not a specific legal requirement. However, the required inspections and reports must still be completed by a competent person.
“Adding sheeting to a mobile tower is not decoration—it changes the loading on the entire structure.”
“A competent tower erector is not automatically competent to approve a non-standard wind-loaded configuration.”
“The collapse zone must be based on where the tower could fall, not simply where the barriers are convenient to position.”
by admin | Oct 7, 2025 | Consultancy Services, Health and Safety
Why plant and product safety are still high-risk areas
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a strong warning this week after several fatal incidents involving plant machinery. In one case, a slinger was killed after an excavator operator unintentionally moved the machine during a routine communication error — and failed to activate the safety isolation device. This was a preventable tragedy.
At All Star Safety Ltd, we regularly support businesses to review their plant operation protocols, from CPCS/NPORS training and NVQs to hands-on site audits. It’s essential to ensure that both operators and those working around machinery understand:
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How and when isolation devices must be used
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The importance of clear, agreed signals between slinger/signaller and operator
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That all risks are considered in method statements and RAMS
If your team operates plant or lifting equipment, now is the time to double-check whether your controls are truly protecting your workforce — not just box-ticking.
Are the products you’re using putting your site at risk?
The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has just released a new guide to help construction businesses identify and control risks associated with products critical to safety.
This follows serious concerns about product substitutions, incomplete documentation, or poor system integration — especially in façade systems, fire doors, fixings and fasteners, and any products forming part of a life-critical safety system.
At All Star Safety Ltd, we can support you to:
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Review your procurement and product assurance procedures
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Identify high-risk product areas (especially on refurb, retrofit or design & build projects)
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Integrate product safety checks into your site inspection regime
This is especially important if you’re working under Building Safety Act obligations or managing high-rise or high-risk residential buildings.
Green skills and safety: preparing your team for the future
The CIOB has also backed a new green skills initiative encouraging UK construction firms to support younger workers and upskill their teams in low carbon, sustainable and safety-integrated construction.
From your perspective, this isn’t just about ticking a sustainability box. As materials, methods and systems change, so do the safety considerations:
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New technologies and materials may have unfamiliar hazards
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Retrofit and decarbonisation projects can introduce new fire, load, or structural risks
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Failing to understand the full system performance of “green” products could create long-term liabilities
We offer tailored NVQs, CPD, and training that can bridge these gaps, helping you stay compliant, competitive and future-ready.
✅ What you should do now
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Review your current plant and machinery safety procedures. Are your teams using isolation devices correctly and consistently?
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Conduct a product safety risk check — particularly on components forming part of fire or structural systems.
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Ask whether your team is equipped with the knowledge to deliver sustainable construction safely — we can help.
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Contact us if you’d like to discuss NVQ routes, in-house training, or site consultancy to reduce risk and improve compliance.
📞 Let’s work together to protect your team and futureproof your site
All Star Safety Ltd is here to support you with:
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Plant operations NVQs (e.g. Telehandler, Excavator, Dumper, Slinger/Signaller)
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NPORS and CPCS upgrades
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Product safety reviews and site risk assessments
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Sustainable construction safety training and CPD
Call us on 0330 133 0402 or 01473 561 402 to find out how we can help your business stay compliant, competent, and confident.
by admin | Oct 5, 2025 | Consultancy Services, Health and Safety, Lift planning, Safety Update
Insights from this year’s leading construction events
This autumn, All Star Safety Ltd attended two of the UK’s most influential construction industry trade shows — Vertikal Days and UK Construction Week — both of which offered valuable insights into the future of safety, training and site technology.
Vertikal Days, held at the East of England Showground, continues to be the UK’s most focused event for lifting and access equipment. As a centre that delivers NVQs for crane supervisors, appointed persons, and slinger/signallers — as well as lift planning consultancy — we found the event particularly relevant. From new telehandlers and tower cranes, to lifting accessories, rescue systems, and operator safety technologies, the innovations on display showed that the lifting sector is rapidly evolving — and so must training and compliance systems.
Over at UK Construction Week in Birmingham, sustainability, digitalisation and site productivity took centre stage. As always, there was plenty of discussion around workforce development, skills gaps, and the rising demand for NVQs and accredited training as a solution to both compliance and retention. Our work in supporting firms with workforce upskilling — from plant operations to senior management NVQs — is directly aligned with these themes.
What we missed — and what’s coming next
Although we didn’t get the chance to attend Plantworx this year at Newark Showground, it’s very much on our radar for 2026. This event, which also takes place around the same time of year as Vertikal Days and UKCW, is one of the UK’s most hands-on exhibitions for construction equipment, plant, and related services. With our expanding NPORS training centre and ongoing support for CPCS to Blue Card upgrades, we’re keen to attend next year and connect with both suppliers and clients across the plant and lifting operations space.
Looking ahead, we’re also preparing for the Health and Safety Event in early 2026. This is one of the UK’s top forums for updates on legislation, new safety tech, and compliance trends across all industries — not just construction. As a provider of health & safety consultancy, workplace audits, and NVQs in occupational safety, it’s an important fixture for staying current and ensuring our offer matches the needs of our clients.
Why trade shows matter for you
Whether you’re a construction manager, H&S advisor, or training coordinator, these events reveal where the industry is heading — and that’s key to keeping your workforce competent, compliant and competitive. Here are a few trends we’ve picked up from this year’s trade show circuit:
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Lifting operations are becoming more digitised, with new software, sensors, and planning tools. NVQs and CPCS/NPORS assessments need to reflect this shift.
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Green construction and sustainability are no longer buzzwords — they’re being baked into procurement, tendering, and skills frameworks.
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Training remains critical, not just for compliance but for staff retention, card renewals, and workforce progression. Grant funding and card upgrade deadlines are driving uptake.
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Health and safety is broadening to include mental health, digital safety tools, and more strategic, forward-looking approaches to risk management.
If you’re not already planning for how these themes impact your site or workforce, now’s the time to act.
How All Star Safety Ltd can support you
We’re more than just a training provider. We offer:
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NPORS and CPCS plant training and NVQs, including support for Red to Blue card upgrades
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Lifting operations consultancy, lift plan reviews, and NVQs in planning/supervising lifts
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Health & Safety consultancy, workplace audits, and support with new regulatory requirements
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NVQs from Level 2 to Level 7 across plant ops, site supervision, construction management, H&S, and more
Let’s make sure your team is ready for what’s next.
📞 Call us today on 0330 133 0402 or 01473 561 402
📩 Or email: info@allstarsafety.co.uk