Scaffold Inspections: The 7-Day Rule Explained

Pro Site Docs · Guide

Scaffolding is inspected more often than almost anything else on site — and the rules on when and by whom are set out in the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Here is what UK contractors need to have in place.

When a scaffold must be inspected

• Before first use — on completion, before anyone works from it
• Every 7 days — while it remains erected
• After any event likely to affect it — high winds, impact, alterations, or adaptation

The inspection must be recorded before the end of the working period, and the report kept on site until the work is finished, then for three months after.

Who can inspect

A competent person — someone with the training, knowledge and experience for the complexity of the scaffold. On many sites that is a scaffolder with a CISRS inspection qualification or a site manager who has completed a scaffold inspection course. For complex designed scaffolds, competence needs to match the design.

Handover certificates

When the scaffold contractor completes an erection or alteration, they issue a handover certificate confirming what was built, to what standard (usually TG20/TG30 compliance or a bespoke design), and any loading limits. No handover, no use — and the 7-day inspection clock starts from there.

What the report records

Location and description of the scaffold, date and time, defects found and actions taken, any parts left incomplete, and the inspector's name, position and signature. Scafftag-style visible tags help the workforce, but the written report is the legal record.

Ready-made scaffold paperwork

The Scaffolding Pack includes scaffold RAMS, inspection and handover forms, tag registers and toolbox talks — all editable Word documents. Individual forms are in the single documents library.