Scaffold inspections: the 7-day rule and what to expect

A scaffold isn't something that's simply checked once when it goes up and then left alone until it comes down. UK law sets out a specific, recurring inspection schedule for scaffolding, and understanding it helps both to know what should be happening on any job with scaffolding in place and to spot when it isn't.

The legal basis for this is Regulation 12 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. Under this regulation, a scaffold must be inspected before it is used for the first time, every 7 days after that for as long as it remains standing, and again after any event that's likely to have affected its strength or stability — this covers things like severe weather, or any substantial addition, alteration or partial dismantling carried out on the structure. The 7-day rule is the part most commonly referred to, but it's worth remembering it isn't the only trigger for a required inspection — a period of particularly bad weather, for instance, should also prompt a fresh check even if it falls between the routine 7-day intervals.

Inspections must be carried out by a "competent person" — someone whose combination of knowledge, training and experience is appropriate to the specific type and complexity of the scaffold being inspected. This is a deliberately flexible standard rather than a single fixed qualification, since what counts as competent for inspecting a simple single-lift domestic scaffold is different from what's needed for a complex, multi-level commercial structure, but it does mean inspections shouldn't be carried out casually by whoever happens to be on site with no relevant background.

Each inspection has to be properly documented, not just carried out informally. Under Regulation 12(7), the particulars of every inspection must be recorded in a formal Report of Inspection. This report should be kept available on site for as long as the scaffold remains standing, and needs to be retained for three months after the scaffold is eventually dismantled. In practice, many scaffolding companies use a visible tagging system — often a coloured tag or certificate attached to the scaffold itself — to show at a glance whether it's currently within its inspection window, which is a useful, quick visual check for anyone working near or using the scaffold day to day.

One point that catches people out is exactly whose responsibility the ongoing 7-day inspections actually are. Once a scaffold has been erected and formally handed over, responsibility for the ongoing routine inspections sits with whoever controls the site — commonly the client or principal contractor for the project — rather than automatically remaining with the scaffolding company that built it, unless a specific separate arrangement for ongoing inspections has been agreed. This is genuinely worth clarifying explicitly with a scaffolding contractor before the job starts, since it's the kind of thing that's easy to assume is covered by the original hire and isn't necessarily, and a gap here means a legal duty simply isn't being met by anyone.

For anyone with scaffolding up on a project, whether commissioning the work directly or simply working near it, it's worth checking a couple of things practically: is there a visible, current inspection tag or certificate on the scaffold, and if in doubt, is there a Report of Inspection available to look at that confirms the last check and when it was carried out. If a scaffold has clearly been up for more than a week with no visible sign of a recent inspection, that's a reasonable prompt to ask who's actually responsible for it and to get that clarified rather than simply assuming someone else has it in hand.

Frequently asked questions