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At Mays Scaffolding, safety and compliance are fundamental to how we plan, erect and manage our scaffolding installations. We follow the recognised industry guidance in TG20, ensuring applicable tube and fitting scaffolds meet the required standards for structural stability, loading, bracing, and tying.
TG20 provides established scaffolding configurations that can be erected without a separate bespoke structural design, provided the installation meets all relevant criteria.
Where a scaffold falls outside the scope of TG20, we ensure that an appropriate bespoke design is obtained before erection.
Our approach helps ensure that scaffolding supplied throughout London and the South East is properly planned, constructed and maintained in accordance with applicable safety requirements.
TG20 is technical guidance published by the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC), the UK trade body representing the scaffolding industry.
It establishes recognised standards for the design and construction of tube and fitting scaffolding, providing detailed requirements for common scaffold configurations.
The guidance covers important structural and safety considerations, including:
By providing recognised scaffold configurations, TG20 helps scaffolding contractors establish when a structure can be erected in accordance with standard guidance and when additional structural design is necessary.
TG20 plays an important role in maintaining consistent safety standards across the UK scaffolding industry.
Scaffolding must be capable of safely supporting its own weight, the people using it, materials placed on working platforms and other loads that may act on the structure.
Incorrectly positioned ties, inadequate bracing, unsuitable dimensions or excessive loading can compromise structural stability.
TG20 provides technical guidance to help prevent these issues by establishing the requirements that must be satisfied for recognised scaffold configurations.
Following the guidance also helps contractors demonstrate that the scaffold has been planned and erected using an accepted industry standard rather than relying solely on individual judgement.
For property owners, principal contractors and other parties responsible for construction work, TG20 compliance provides reassurance that the scaffolding has been erected to recognised technical requirements.
TG20 is not legislation, and no standalone legal requirement states that every scaffold must have a TG20 compliance sheet.
However, scaffolding must comply with applicable health and safety legislation, including the Work at Height Regulations 2005.
These regulations require scaffolding to be appropriately designed, assembled, maintained and inspected to ensure it is safe for its intended use.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recognises that scaffolds should generally be assembled to a recognised standard configuration, such as one contained in NASC TG20 guidance, or designed through bespoke calculations by a competent person.
This means that although TG20 is not law, following its recognised configurations is an established way to meet relevant scaffold design requirements.
Where a scaffold cannot be constructed within TG20’s limitations, an appropriate bespoke design is required.
TG20 compliance depends on the scaffold meeting the conditions of a recognised configuration.
Before erection, the proposed scaffold must be considered in relation to its dimensions, intended loading, location, supporting structure and environmental conditions.
Where the arrangement falls within the applicable guidance, the relevant software can generate a TG20 compliance sheet.
The compliance sheet identifies the permitted configuration and the requirements to follow during erection.
These may include the maximum scaffold height, bay dimensions, working platform loading, bracing arrangements and the number and positioning of scaffold ties.
The completed scaffold must correspond with the specified configuration for the compliance documentation to remain valid.
A compliance sheet does not automatically confirm that an erected scaffold is safe. Correct installation, competent supervision and the necessary inspections remain essential.
Although TG20 covers many common tube and fitting scaffold arrangements, it does not apply to every installation.
Some structures have unusual dimensions, loading conditions or structural requirements that fall outside recognised configurations.
Examples can include:
In these circumstances, a competent scaffold designer must prepare the necessary design calculations and drawings.
The scaffold must then be erected in accordance with the approved design rather than treated as a standard TG20 configuration.
At Mays Scaffolding, we ensure our installations are supported by the appropriate TG20 configuration or bespoke structural design, depending on the project’s requirements.
TG20 compliance and scaffold inspections are closely related, but they serve different purposes.
TG20 establishes the technical requirements for recognised scaffold configurations. Inspections assess whether the erected scaffold remains safe for use.
Under the Work at Height Regulations 2005, scaffolding used for construction work must be inspected by a competent person before first use, at intervals not exceeding seven days and following circumstances that could affect its safety.
These circumstances can include severe weather, substantial alterations or other events that may compromise the structure.
At Mays Scaffolding, we arrange required scaffold inspections and use the ScaffTag scaffold identification system to provide a visible indication of inspection status.
Scaffold inspections do not replace the need for appropriate design documentation, and TG20 compliance sheets do not replace statutory inspections.
Both form part of the wider process of maintaining safe scaffolding installations.
Mays Scaffolding is committed to following recognised scaffolding standards across our domestic, commercial and construction projects.
We consider the structural requirements of each installation before erection, including the intended scaffold configuration, working platform loads, supporting ground conditions and available tying locations.
Where TG20 applies, our scaffolders follow the relevant configuration and its specified requirements.
Where the proposed arrangement falls outside TG20, we ensure we obtain the necessary bespoke design.
Any alterations to an existing scaffold must be assessed and carried out by competent scaffolders. Changes affecting the original configuration may require updated compliance documentation or revised structural calculations.
We also arrange the necessary scaffold inspections throughout the hire period and ensure competent personnel carry out dismantling.
Our objective is to provide scaffolding that meets the applicable technical guidance, statutory requirements and safety standards throughout its use.
TG20 is the designation used by NASC for its technical guidance on tube and fitting scaffolding. The guidance has been updated through successive editions to reflect developments in scaffold design, engineering and industry practice.
No. TG20 primarily covers specified configurations of tube and fitting scaffolding. Other scaffolding systems may have their own recognised manufacturer guidance or design requirements. Structures outside the relevant standard configurations require an appropriate bespoke design.
The scaffolding contractor is responsible for ensuring that the scaffolds it supplies and erects follow the appropriate design requirements. Other dutyholders, including contractors and those controlling construction work, also have responsibilities under health and safety legislation.
TG20 provides recognised configurations that can be used without separate bespoke structural calculations, provided all specified conditions are met. A bespoke design involves calculations and drawings prepared for a particular scaffold where standard configurations are unsuitable.
Not on its own. A compliance sheet establishes the requirements for a particular configuration, but the scaffold must also be correctly erected, inspected and maintained. The actual installation must match the documented requirements.
Yes. Alterations to the structure, removal of ties, changes to loading or the addition of protective coverings can take a scaffold outside its original compliant configuration. Such changes must be assessed and, where necessary, supported by revised documentation or a bespoke design.
Mays Scaffolding follows recognised industry guidance and applicable health and safety legislation to ensure our scaffolding installations are appropriately designed, erected, inspected and maintained.
TG20 forms an important part of this commitment, providing established technical requirements for standard tube and fitting scaffolds.
Where TG20 does not apply, we ensure that suitable alternative design documentation is in place.
By following these requirements, we aim to provide safe and reliable scaffolding for projects throughout London and the South East.
