Are Shoulder Injuries the Forgotten Issue in Scaffolding?

And Why the Industry Is Frustrated With the Lack of Action**

Shoulder injuries have become one of the silent epidemics in scaffolding.
Every gang knows at least one lad who’s blown a shoulder, torn a cuff, or is grafting through constant pain because the job simply doesn’t allow rest.

Scaffolders aren’t dealing with light loads or tidy lifting environments.
They’re swinging tube, carrying awkward sections, working overhead, and loading joints that are already worn from years on the tools.

Yet despite how common these injuries are, many in the industry still feel that shoulder damage is not being recognised as a significant scaffolding risk.

And that’s where frustration is starting to boil over.

Concerns Raised — But No Progress Made

Members of the scaffolding community have already taken the issue to the HSE at director level, providing case examples, evidence, and professional insight into the scale of the problem.

But even after raising the issue formally, there has been no meaningful movement or updated guidance, and no clear indication that shoulder injuries will be recognised as a scaffolding-specific risk category.

People in the trade aren’t claiming wrongdoing — but they are saying this:

👉 It feels like the issue simply isn’t being prioritised, despite the evidence and the impact on workers.

And when you’re the one carrying the tube, that lack of progress hits differently.

Daily Graft, Long-Term Damage

Scaffolders experience shoulder loads that most industries never account for:

• Swinging and catching heavy tube

• Repetitive overhead positioning

• Carrying weight on a single shoulder point

• Sudden jolts during hand-over lifts

• Years of joint wear without rotation or relief

• PPE that rarely protects the shoulder area

These aren’t occasional movements.
They’re every hour of every shift.

And when injuries finally force someone off the tools, it’s rarely treated like a recognised industrial pattern — it’s treated like “wear and tear” or “part of the job.”

That’s the problem.

Why Recognition Matters Right Now

If shoulder injuries were formally recognised as a significant scaffolding risk:

• Updated guidance could be produced

• Training could include shoulder-safe lifting techniques

• PPE standards could push for shoulder protection

• Reporting could reflect the real scale of the issue

• Workers could feel supported instead of ignored

Instead, the trade has a risk that’s widespread, predictable, and preventable — but still sits in the shadows of official guidance.

And the lads are left dealing with the consequences themselves.

The Questions the Industry Deserves to Ask

These aren’t political questions.
They’re questions about health, longevity, and fairness in one of the hardest trades in construction.

• Do you think the HSE should formally recognise shoulder injuries as a major scaffolding risk?

• Should there be updated guidance specifically for scaffolding shoulder load and repetitive strain?

• Have you or your own gang dealt with long-term shoulder damage?

• Do you feel the lack of action is leaving scaffolders exposed?

• Would official recognition finally bring the right training and protective equipment into the mainstream?

The people affected are the scaffolders on the tools — not the boardrooms. Their experience deserves to shape the conversation.

Final Word

Scaffolding is graft. Real graft.
Everyone knows the shoulders take the brunt of it.

But just because the lads are tough doesn’t mean the industry should ignore a preventable, predictable pattern of injury.

Concerns have been raised.
Evidence has been presented.
The impact on workers is real.

Now the question is simple:

When will shoulder injuries in scaffolding get the recognition they deserve?