NASC Unveils 2024 Safety Report

Last month, NASC (National Access and Scaffolding Confederation) published its annual safety report containing statistics and analysis based on 2023 information from its members.

The scaffolding trade body began formally recording accidents back in 1975, demonstrating the significant improvements in health & safety that have taken place over the course of almost 5 decades.

The findings in numbers 

• An increase of 30% in Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) accident rate from NASC contracting members
• The number of incidents rose from 67 in 2022 to 87 in 2023
• The report was based on information from 16,667 scaffolding and access workers
• There have been no fatalities among contracting members of the NASC.
• There have been no accidents reported involving members of the public by contracting members of the NASC.
• NASC currently has 249 contracting members

Manual handling continues to be one of the biggest hazards within the scaffolding industry, closely followed by slip and trips and falls from height.

Jamie Lyons, Consultancy Manager and Senior H&S Advisor comments:

“In 2023, NASC Contracting members experienced a rise in accidents, partly due to an increased membership of small-to-medium-sized companies and a greater reliance on subcontractors driven by the evolving commercial landscape of scaffolding. However, it’s notable that the accident rate for the youngest trainee group has not increased, underscoring the effectiveness of high-quality training in preventing accidents.

Additionally, 16 fall-from-height incidents in 2023 occurred on-site or in NASC members’ yards. Falls from height are often the most serious of accidents, and fall prevention continues to be a high priority. The NASC’s thorough analysis of accident statistics allows the industry to pinpoint areas for improvement, resulting in the creation of comprehensive guidance documents and initiatives aimed at enhancing health and safety standards”.

All NASC contractor members are audited, and supplying official accident and injury statistics to the trade body is a condition of their membership. This makes the NASC annual safety report a comprehensive, reliable, and accurate source of data and information on the current situation in the industry.

At SIMIAN, we are passionate about the safety and professionalism of our industry, and we have been working tirelessly to improve safety standards for those working as scaffolders and working at height. Our training courses, apprenticeships and consultancy services all contribute to helping scaffolders work safely and manage the risks associated with their work.

We are proud of the work we do with NASC and the contribution that we have made to improving safety. The findings are the culmination of many years of hard work across the scaffolding and access industry to improve standards through the right training and adhering to health and safety guidelines to make our sector as safe as it can be.

Where safety is concerned there is always more that can be done and we will continue to work with NASC, our clients, and students to capitalise on the excellent work which has already had a positive impact, and to continue to improve standards.

For information on how we can help your organisation, call for an no obligation chat on 0345 6022 418, or email us at hello@simian-risk.com.