Using Scaffolding Association members gives clients the peace of mind that they are sourcing reputable businesses who are operating to recognised standards and working to ensure they remain compliant. We require our members to undergo a vetting process before joining, which varies upon their level of membership, and are subsequently monitored to ensure continuous compliance.
Whether it’s industry-specific topics like building regulations, or something broader like COVID-19 guidelines, rules and requirements are constantly subject to change. So too is scaffolding best practice, particularly with the development of new innovative technology, safer equipment, or just new ways of approaching old problems.
It’s important that businesses don’t fall behind with these changes, and as members of the Scaffolding Association they receive all the latest sector information, regulation changes and industry updates through bulletins, newsletters, and printed guidance to support them. This means that clients can be confident that they are engaging scaffolding contractors who have access to the most up to date resources and information and among the most compliant and professional available.
Using our members also means that there is somewhere to go for help in the unlikely event that things go wrong. We require all our members to sign up to a Code of Practice which details the minimum standard that the organisation is expected to meet and that it should conduct its business in a fair and reasonable way.
Even the best organisations have problems occasionally and through our complaints process we can effectively help to resolve the problem, acting as a mediator between the client and the member organisation, where necessary.
Our tiered membership structure means that scaffold companies at all levels of development have access to a supportive and inclusive trade body that can help them grow their business. For those at the start of their development journey we can offer them access to a range of services and resources that enable them to achieve statutory compliance, and for those that are well-established or operating in specialist areas, we offer them a platform to demonstrate their competence and showcase their capabilities when tendering for large and complex contracts.
Over the last 12-months we have seen an increase in enquiries from clients looking to expand their scaffolding supply chain. Many are finding their existing policies are restrictive and difficult to implement on a national scale. By using our Audited Members they can be confident that they are engaging scaffold contractors who have been subject to a robust and independent third party audit, against a scaffolding specific procurement standard.
The conversations we are having with clients mark a continuing shift in their thinking as they overturn their original procurement policies and add Scaffolding Association Audited Membership as an accepted route to tender. We will continue to work with client groups and major contractors to ensure that our members continue to gain recognition.
We are very proud that through tiered membership, the Scaffolding Association can be inclusive, not exclusive and able to support compliant and reputable businesses of all sizes, regardless of where they are on their journey.