On site
What is a scaffold inspection?
A scaffold inspection is a recorded check of a scaffold by a competent person before first use, at intervals thereafter, and after any event likely to have affected its stability.
Use this diagram+
Free to use on your own site, in training material or in a handout, as long as the credit link stays on it. Paste this where you want the diagram to appear.
<figure>
<img src="https://buildoptix.co.uk/glossary/scaffold-inspection/diagram.svg" alt="scaffold inspection — diagram from BuildOptix" width="880" height="620" loading="lazy">
<figcaption>
<a href="https://buildoptix.co.uk/glossary/scaffold-inspection">What is a scaffold inspection?</a> — diagram by
<a href="https://buildoptix.co.uk">BuildOptix</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>The trigger most often missed is the third one. Scaffolds are inspected on schedule and after alteration, but high winds, an impact from a delivery or a dismantled tie are all events that call for an inspection before the next one falls due.
The handover and the tag are how the rest of the site knows the position. An untagged or incomplete scaffold that nobody has physically prevented access to will be used, because the default assumption on a site is that a scaffold is there to be climbed.
Alterations by other trades are a persistent source of risk. A tie removed to get a window in, or a board lifted for a cable, changes the structure and is rarely reported by whoever did it.
What goes wrong in practice
- Ties removed by another trade with nobody informed and no re-inspection.
- Inspections carried out on schedule but not after high winds or an impact.
- Incomplete scaffolds left untagged but physically accessible.
- Inspection records kept in a file with no tag at the access point, so nobody on site can see the status.