Scaffold inspection
The inspection of a scaffold by a competent person before first use, every seven days, and after alteration, damage or weather, recorded and kept on site.
The Work at Height Regulations require that a scaffold from which a person could fall two metres or more be inspected by a competent person before it is first used, at intervals not exceeding seven days, and after any event likely to have affected its strength or stability (alteration, impact, high winds, heavy rain). The inspection is recorded on a report that names the site and scaffold, the date, the inspector and any defects, and the report is kept on site until the work is complete and then for three months.
The competent person for a general access scaffold has scaffold inspection training (CISRS or equivalent); the scaffolder who built it can inspect it, but a site manager who has not been trained cannot. The scaffold tag on the ladder access is the visible summary of the last inspection and is not itself the record. Scaffolds are also handed over by the scaffolding contractor with a handover certificate stating the design loading and use; any change of use or alteration by others invalidates it.
Where it comes from
- Work at Height Regulations 2005 reg.12 and Schedule 7: inspection of work equipment and the report.
- NASC guidance SG4 (Preventing falls in scaffolding) and TG20 (Guide to good practice for tube and fitting scaffolding).
Questions people ask
Can the site manager inspect the scaffold?
Only if competent to: trained in scaffold inspection and experienced with that type. Otherwise the scaffolding contractor or an independent inspector does the seven-day inspection, and the site manager does the daily visual check for obvious problems.
What about mobile towers?
The same seven-day and after-event rules apply where a person could fall two metres or more, plus a check every time the tower is moved or re-erected. PASMA training for the people erecting and inspecting.
Scaffold inspection, handled on a phone
SiteLynx puts the RAMS, permits, inspections, audits, plant checks and records behind every term in this glossary on the crew's phones, signed on site, with a PDF at the end. 14 days free, no card.
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