The scaffolding industry is calling for work at height regulations to be tightened much in the way they are in the gas fitting industry.

The National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) issued the call in its response to the Lofstedt report, the government-commissioned review of the UK's health and safety legislation.

The Work at Height Regulations are due to be reviewed by 2013.

To improve safety standards the NASC wants regulations to stipulate that scaffolders are 'qualified' rather than 'competent', as is currently the case.

It said the current use of ambiguous terms are flaws at the heart of the existing regulations.

Since their introduction in 2005, the Work at Height regulations have provided an increased awareness to both operatives and employers on the inherent risk when working at height, including what the requirements are to work safely and legally, the NASC said.

But it warned: "One particular 'grey' area is the use of the terms 'competent' and 'competence' which occur frequently throughout the current legislation."

"These terms are both ambiguous and open to interpretation. This non-specific term has resulted in different interpretations and hence different standards of safety protocol – yet these terms are also at the 'heart' of the regulations."

Replacing 'competent' and its related terms with the indisputable term 'qualified' put the industry on a much clearer footing.

It said: "The NASC recommend that these terms be replaced by the term 'qualified' (as already adopted in the gas fitting industry).

"The work at height industry, including scaffolding can demonstrate clearly and accurately that an individual is 'qualified' by virtue of the fact that he has completed suitable training, which includes theoretical, practical and on site experience – the aptitude of the scaffolder to continue to carry out his/her skilled works is also challenged every five years to ensure continued compliance."