Falls From Height Are Still Construction’s Biggest Killer: What TG20:21 Means for Scaffolding in Cambridge and East Anglia

Fatal falls are down on last year, but the data shows the risk hasn’t gone away, it’s just being missed more often. Here’s what the latest scaffolding compliance standards mean if you’re building, extending or renovating in East Anglia.

Why we’re talking about this now

Falls from height remain the single biggest cause of death on UK construction sites. HSE figures show that 12 of the 25 construction fatalities recorded in 2025/26 involved a fall from height, and across the five years to 2024/25, falls accounted for more than half of all construction deaths. The headline number looks better than it did: fatalities fell from 51 in 2023/24 to 25 in 2025/26. But look past the headline and the picture is less reassuring. RIDDOR recorded 4,684 non-fatal falls from height in 2024/25 alone, and HSE’s own long-run estimate puts the true decade-long total closer to 425,000 injuries. HSE enforcement notices also hit a five-year low in 2025, which raises an uncomfortable question: is the industry actually getting safer, or is less being caught?

As a CISRS-trained, CHAS and SSIP accredited scaffolding contractor working across Cambridge, Ely, Huntingdon, Newmarket and the wider East Anglia region, this is the question we get asked most by builders, developers and homeowners alike: what does “compliant scaffolding” actually mean, and how do you tell the difference between a scaffold that looks fine and one that’s been signed off properly?

In this article

1. Why we’re talking about this now
2. What TG20:21 and TG30:24 actually require
3. Why compliance paperwork isn’t box-ticking
4. What this means if you’re hiring scaffolding in Cambridge or East Anglia
5. Five questions to ask before you hire scaffolding
6. Frequently asked questions

What TG20:21 and TG30:24 actually require

TG20:21 is the National Access & Scaffolding Confederation’s (NASC) technical guidance for basic tube-and-fitting scaffold design, and it remains the route the HSE recognises for demonstrating compliance with the Work at Height Regulations 2005. In practice, it sets out the load classes, tie patterns, bracing and configuration limits a scaffold has to meet before it’s fit to work on. TG30:24 sits alongside it and covers system scaffolding specifically, reflecting how much of the industry has moved from traditional tube and fitting to proprietary systems over the last decade.

The detail that matters for anyone hiring scaffolding rather than designing it: both standards now put more weight on digital inspection records and verifiable competence, not just a paper certificate stapled to a site file. A scaffold that falls outside TG20:21’s standard configurations needs a bespoke design from a qualified engineer before it goes up. That’s not a formality. It’s the difference between a structure that’s been calculated to carry its load and one that’s been built to look right.

• 12 of 25 – Construction fatalities in 2025/26 involved a fall from height (HSE)
• 4,684 – Non-fatal falls from height recorded under RIDDOR, 2024/25
• 25+ years – CISRS-registered scaffolding experience across Cambridge & East Anglia

Why compliance paperwork isn’t box-ticking

It’s easy to treat scaffold inspection tags and handover certificates as admin. They’re not. Every scaffold we put up is inspected before first use, then at minimum every seven days after, and again following any weather event that could affect its stability, in line with our health and safety procedures. Our scaffolders are all CISRS registered, and every structure is designed and erected to current NASC technical guidance and SG4 safe-working standards, backed by £5 million public liability cover.

The RIDDOR non-fatal figures matter here. Most of those 4,684 recorded falls weren’t catastrophic collapses, they were smaller failures: a missing guardrail, a tie that hadn’t been checked after a storm, a load class exceeded because nobody flagged the change of use. None of those show up in a five-minute visual check from ground level. They show up in the inspection record, if there is one.

What this means if you’re hiring scaffolding in Cambridge or East Anglia

If you’re managing a commercial or industrial build, the compliance bar is set by your principal contractor and your own insurers, and it’s usually well understood. Where we see the gap is on domestic projects: loft conversions, extensions, re-roofs. Homeowners often assume any scaffold hire company is equivalent, and price becomes the only variable that gets compared.

It shouldn’t be. A CHAS and SSIP accredited scaffolding contractor in Cambridge is required to hold current inspection and design documentation for every job, not produce it retrospectively if asked. If a contractor can’t show you a handover certificate and a seven-day inspection schedule before work starts, that’s a compliance gap, not a saving.

Five questions to ask before you hire scaffolding

1. Are your scaffolders CISRS registered? Ask for card numbers, not just an assurance.
2. Which technical standard does the scaffold design follow? TG20:21 for tube and fitting, TG30:24 for system scaffold.
3. What’s your inspection schedule? It should be at minimum every seven days and after any adverse weather.
4. Can I see your public liability cover? £5 million or more is standard for commercial-grade work.
5. Will I get a handover certificate before scaffold use begins? If the answer is “we’ll sort that later,” that’s a red flag.

If you’re planning a build in Cambridge or East Anglia and want to see our current CISRS registrations, inspection schedule or public liability documentation before you commit, get in touch with our team, we’re happy to talk it through before you hire.

Frequently asked questions

What is TG20:21 and does it apply to domestic scaffolding?

TG20:21 is the NASC’s technical guidance for tube-and-fitting scaffold design, recognised by the HSE as a route to compliance with the Work at Height Regulations 2005. It applies to any scaffold built to standard configurations, domestic or commercial, and any structure outside those configurations needs a bespoke engineer’s design instead.

How often should scaffolding be inspected once it’s up?

At minimum every seven days, plus an additional inspection after any event that could affect stability, such as high winds, heavy snow or an impact. Each inspection should be logged and the scaffold tagged accordingly, in line with the process set out on our health and safety page.

Why did construction fatalities drop but non-fatal falls stay high?

HSE fatality figures fell from 51 in 2023/24 to 25 in 2025/26, but RIDDOR still recorded 4,684 non-fatal falls from height in 2024/25. The two figures measure different things: fatalities are catastrophic and rare, non-fatal injuries are far more common and often go unreported unless RIDDOR thresholds are met.

What’s the difference between TG20:21 and TG30:24?

TG20:21 covers traditional tube-and-fitting scaffold design. TG30:24 covers system scaffolding, the proprietary component-based systems now widely used across the industry, and reflects updated guidance on digital inspection records and competence verification.

Do I need to check a scaffolding contractor’s accreditations before hiring?

Yes. CHAS and SSIP accreditation, CISRS-registered operatives and current public liability cover are the minimum checks worth making before any scaffold goes up on your property or site.