NASC and SAIA launch framework to align UK and North American scaffold training and test standards

The National Access & Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) and the Scaffold & Access Industry Association (SAIA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at aligning safety, training and technical standards across the UK and North America. According to the original report, the agreement was executed on 7 August 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, at the industry gathering hosted by SAIA’s annual convention, where senior representatives from both bodies were present.

The MoU sets out a programme of cooperation that, the organisations say, will include exchanges of technical expertise on equipment testing, sharing best practice in training and education, promoting safer and more efficient scaffold structures, and exploring mutual recognition of training and membership standards. The document also introduces reciprocal membership benefits and access to events for senior representatives, and scaffolding trade press reports that discussions are already underway to begin rolling out initial joint initiatives.

Speaking at the Fort Worth signing, Clive Dickin, Group CEO of NASC, described the alliance as “an exciting partnership that will deliver huge benefits to NASC and SAIA members as well as the wider scaffolding and access sector.” Mike Bredl, President of SAIA, said the collaboration “represents far more than the pursuit of global standards — it’s a powerful commitment to the safety, education, and empowerment of the men and women working on jobsites around the world.” Those comments were made at the event and reported by industry media.

The NASC brings long experience to the table: established shortly after the Second World War, the Confederation has for decades produced industry‑recognised health and safety, contractual and technical guidance that is accepted by regulators and sector partners in the UK. The body represents a large membership base, operates auditing and a Code of Conduct for full contracting members, and publishes annual safety reports drawing on mandatory accident returns — practices that NASC says underpin its drive for continuous improvement.

SAIA’s contribution, meanwhile, rests heavily on its training infrastructure and standards work. The association operates SAIA University, which offers classroom and digital courses ranging from user hazard awareness to certificated competent person and operator programmes, and states it has trained tens of thousands of students. SAIA also serves as secretariat for important US standards programmes — including the A11 series that governs equipment testing and performance criteria — giving it a formal role in the consensus development and maintenance of North American scaffolding and formwork standards. The Fort Worth convention provided the forum where those technical and training strengths could be brought into direct partnership talks.

Taken together, the two bodies’ complementary roles suggest practical areas for immediate collaboration — for example, aligning test regimes for scaffold assemblies or developing pathways that allow recognised training to be accepted across jurisdictions. At the same time, meaningful mutual recognition will face technical and regulatory hurdles: North America’s ANSI A11/A92 framework and Europe’s BSI/CEN system have different histories, reference tests and regulatory interfaces, and any cross‑border equivalence will require detailed mapping, committee work and likely engagement with national standards bodies and regulators. NASC’s TG20/TG30 guidance and SAIA’s A11 test standards give both organisations a concrete starting point for that technical dialogue.

The memorandum is a framework rather than a binding treaty: it sets a direction and a structure for cooperation but leaves detailed implementation to follow‑on work programmes and joint committees. Industry sources say early steps are likely to include pilot exchanges on equipment testing, reciprocal attendance at technical committee meetings, and exploratory talks on how specific courses might be accredited or benchmarked between SAIA’s training programmes and NASC’s membership requirements. Any moves towards joint certification or formal cross‑recognition would, however, require time and transparent verification processes.

For an industry where site safety and workforce competence are constant priorities, the pact is notable for bringing two of the sector’s influential trade bodies into a formal dialogue. The success of the initiative will ultimately rest on converting the MoU’s broad ambitions into technical agreements, verified training equivalence and shared testing protocols — outcomes that both organisations say they intend to pursue in the months ahead.