A scaffolding inspection is the recorded check by a competent person that an erected scaffold is still safe to work on: standing on sound ground, tied and braced as designed, fully boarded, guarded at every open edge, with safe access, and not overloaded. This form starts with why you are inspecting it, works up from the base plates, and ends by setting the tag. You can fill it in here and download the record as a PDF without creating an account.
When a scaffold must be inspected
The triggers are much the same everywhere, though the intervals differ. A scaffold is inspected before it is first used, at a regular interval while it stands, after it has been altered, and after anything that could have affected its stability — high wind, a storm, heavy rain softening the ground, an impact from plant.
The routine interval is where countries differ. In the US, a competent person inspects before each work shift and after any occurrence. In the UK, the Work at Height Regulations require inspection at intervals not exceeding seven days. Australian codes commonly set thirty days at most, alongside the event triggers. Your local rules and your contract decide; the form records which trigger applies so the report says why it exists.
Tags: green, yellow, red — or an insert
Tagging systems vary. Much of North America and Australia uses colours: green for safe to use, yellow for use with conditions written on the tag (often a harness, because a section of guardrail is missing), red for do not use. In the UK and elsewhere a tag holder at each access point is common, with an insert showing the last inspection that is removed to signal "do not use".
Whatever the system, two things matter: there is a tag at every access point, and the tag tells the truth. The form records the tag as you found it before you start, and the status you set when you finish.
What changes between inspections
A scaffold that was perfect when handed over rarely stays that way. The changes that matter come from the people using it:
- Ties removed by a trade because they were in the way of windows or cladding.
- Boards lifted to pass materials through, and not put back.
- Guardrails taken out to land a load and left out.
- Materials stacked on a light-duty lift until it is overloaded.
- Sheeting or netting added, which multiplies the wind load on the ties.
- Ground dug out next to a base plate for a drain or a service trench.
Not the handover certificate
When a scaffold is first erected, the scaffolding contractor hands it over with a certificate stating what it was designed for — its duty, its loading, its intended use. That is a separate document. This form is the inspection that follows, again and again, for as long as the scaffold stands. Keep the handover certificate with these reports; the form asks whether the scaffold is still being used as that certificate allows.
Common questions
How often should scaffolding be inspected?
Before first use, at a regular interval set by your local rules — before each shift in the US, at least every seven days in the UK, commonly within thirty days in Australia — and after any alteration, severe weather, or event that could affect its stability.
Who can inspect a scaffold?
A competent person: someone with the training and experience to recognise defects in the type of scaffold in front of them, and the authority to stop it being used. For complex or designed scaffolds that often means a scaffolding supervisor or someone with an inspection qualification, not just the site manager.
What do scaffold tag colours mean?
Where colours are used: green means safe to use, yellow means use only under the conditions written on the tag, red means do not use. Systems differ by country and company, so follow the one on your site and make sure everyone using the scaffold knows it.
What is the 4:1 rule for scaffolding?
A rule of thumb in US practice that a freestanding scaffold taller than four times its smallest base width must be tied, guyed or braced against tipping. Other countries and makers set their own ratios, especially for mobile towers — use the figure in the design or the maker's instructions.
Can workers remove scaffold ties or guardrails?
No. Only the scaffolding contractor or a competent person under their direction should alter a scaffold, and the altered scaffold must be inspected before it is used again. A missing tie or rail found during an inspection is a finding, and finding out who removed it matters as much as replacing it.