Scaffolding Regulations, Standards, and Codes of Practice
Advanced candidates must command the hierarchy of duties that govern scaffolding work, not just the headline rules. In the UK the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 sets the general duty, the Work at Height Regulations 2005 impose the specific hierarchy (avoid, prevent, minimise) and require that scaffolding be stable, erected by competent persons, and inspected at defined intervals, and the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 allocate designer and contractor duties. Recognise that standards such as EN 12811 (scaffold performance and loads) and the NASC guidance (TG20 for tube-and-fitting design, SG4 for fall protection) are not law in themselves but become relevant evidence of good practice and are often cited as 'reasonably practicable' benchmarks.
Common traps: confusing who holds the duty (the dutyholder is the employer/controller, not necessarily the scaffolder); assuming inspection intervals are weekly (they are at intervals not exceeding seven days, plus after events); and treating a code of practice as a legal maximum. Also watch questions that conflate the 'competent person' for erection with the 'person who inspects' - both must be competent but the inspection competence is specific.
Worked rule of thumb: When a question asks 'what must the employer do?', anchor to the general duty (suitable and sufficient risk control), then layer the specific regulation. If a number is quoted (seven days, 2 m for guardrails, 10 m for a working platform requiring design), verify against the regulation rather than memory.