Scaffolding Inspection

Scaffolding is temporary works, which means it is designed for a purpose, erected to that design, and altered constantly once trades start using it. Most scaffold failures follow modification rather than erection — a tie removed to get material through, a board lifted for access, a bracing member taken out and not replaced.

Types inspected

• Tube and fitting scaffolds
• System and modular scaffolds
• Independent and putlog access scaffolds
• Birdcage and internal access scaffolds
• Mobile tower scaffolds
• Cantilever and truss-out scaffolds
• Suspended and hanging scaffolds
• Shoring and back-propping
• Formwork support structures
• Loading bays and material platforms
• Temporary roofs and encapsulation
• Access towers and staircases

What the inspection covers

• Foundations — sole boards, base plates, bearing capacity of the ground beneath, and evidence of settlement or scour
• Standards, ledgers and transoms at the spacing the design requires, plumb and level within tolerance
• Bracing, both facade and ledger, present and complete — the most commonly removed components
• Ties, at the pattern and frequency the design specifies, correctly fixed to a structure capable of taking the load, and tested where the type requires it
• Boarding, complete and correctly supported, with no traps or gaps
• Edge protection — guardrails at the required heights, mid-rails and toe boards
• Access — ladders correctly secured and extended, or stair towers, with safe landings
• Loading class marked and appropriate to the actual use, including material stacked on the platform
• Couplers and fittings, correct type, condition and tightness
• Proximity to overhead services and excavations
• Public protection, netting, sheeting and the additional wind loading sheeting imposes
• Compliance with the scaffold design drawing, and identification of any deviation from it

Design and deviation

Standard configurations can be erected to a recognised compliant arrangement. Anything outside that — cantilevers, truss-outs, bridging, sheeting, loading bays, unusual heights or restricted tie patterns — requires a design from a competent temporary works designer.

A large share of findings are deviations from the design that were made for practical reasons on site and never referred back. We report the deviation against the drawing, because the question of whether the scaffold is still adequate is one for the designer rather than for the inspector or the gang who made the change.

Inspection intervals and tagging

Scaffolding is inspected before first use, at intervals not exceeding seven days thereafter, and after any event liable to have affected its stability — high wind, impact, alteration or prolonged wet weather affecting the foundations. It is also inspected after any modification, however minor.

Scaffolds passing inspection are tagged at each access point with the inspection date, the next due date and the loading class. Scaffolds that fail are tagged to prohibit use and the access physically restricted — an untagged or incorrectly tagged scaffold will be used by someone who assumes it is safe.

Standards applied

Inspection follows the standard specified by your contract or governing authority, commonly BS EN 12811 for temporary works equipment, BS EN 12810 for facade scaffolds of prefabricated components, TG20 guidance where the client works to British practice, and the manufacturer's design manual for system scaffolds. Where a client HSE specification sets additional requirements, inspection is against those as well.

Who commissions this

• Principal contractors requiring independent verification of scaffold erected by a subcontractor
• Facility owners where scaffolding is erected on their premises by others
• Scaffolding contractors demonstrating compliance to their client
• Projects where the client HSE specification requires third-party inspection
• Operators during shutdowns, where large volumes of scaffold are erected quickly
• Following an incident, a near miss, or a regulatory finding

Accreditation and coverage

ITMAD is accredited to ISO/IEC 17020 as an inspection body, is an ADNOC approved inspection contractor, and is listed on the Abu Dhabi City Municipality register of Approved Third Party Inspection Bodies. Inspection is carried out across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and the northern Emirates, with attendance scheduled to the seven-day cycle where a scaffold remains in use, and at short notice following alteration.

What you receive

• An inspection report identifying the scaffold by location, reference and type
• Findings recorded against each element, with photographic evidence of defects
• Deviations from the scaffold design identified and referenced to the drawing
• Defects classified by severity, distinguishing what prohibits use from what must be corrected
• Tagging applied at each access point with inspection and due dates
• Handover certificate where the scaffold is being accepted from the erector
• A register of scaffolds under inspection, with next due dates, where we hold it

Related services

Scaffold erector and inspector training is delivered under our equipment safety training programme, and where a scaffold supports powered access equipment or lifting operations, those are inspected separately.