Scaffold Inspection, Dismantling, and Storage
What this domain covers
You must inspect a scaffold formally, decide whether it is safe for use, dismantle it without dropping anything, and store components so they remain serviceable.
Inspection rules
- Inspect before first use, at the start of every shift, after any alteration, after high wind, rain or impact, and at documented intervals of at least weekly.
- Check in order: foundation for settlement, soleplates, base plates and jack extension; standards plumb and undamaged; couplers at torque; bracing and ties complete; boards sound with gaps ≤ 25 mm and overlaps ≥ 300 mm, secured; guardrails, mid rails and toe boards; ladder access and gates; load class signage; clearance from power lines; falling-object protection.
- Tag it: green "safe for use", red "do not use", with date, name and signature - recorded in the register. A defect means the tag comes off until it is fixed.
Dismantling rules
Plan and permit it, barricade the drop zone, and work top-down, the reverse of erection. Strip toe boards, guardrails and planks at the top lift first, then transoms and ledgers, then standards - removing ties only as you reach the level below, never all at once. Lower components by rope, basket or hoist; never throw.
Worked example
An inspector finds a 40 mm gap between two boards on a lift in use. The limit is 25 mm, so the scaffold is not tagged; a board is cut and fitted, the planks re-secured, and only after re-inspection is the lift tagged green.
Storage
Sort, inspect, count against the take-off, tag rejects, stack tubes and frames horizontally on dunnage, retract jacks, cover planks, cap tube ends and secure the yard.
Traps
Tagging green with a tie missing, dismantling from the bottom, and storing planks on edge in the rain.