Scaffold tower inspection checklist

Tower inspection is two habits, not one: a quick pre-use check every time anyone climbs the tower, and a formal recorded inspection on a defined cycle. Together they satisfy the Work at Height Regulations and, more usefully, they catch faults while they are still spares-order problems rather than incident-report problems.

Pre-use check (every use)

• Ground and castors: firm level footing; all brakes locked; legs seated and clipped.
• Structure: every frame, brace and stabiliser from the manual's diagram present, claws latched, nothing bent or cracked.
• Platforms: hooked home with wind locks engaged; trapdoors closing; decks free of damage, mud and frost.
• Protection: guardrails at every working platform, both sides; toe boards fitted.
• Height and config: still matches the manual for the ground and weather you have today.

Formal inspections (recorded)

• After assembly and before first use — every time it is built or altered.
• After any event that could affect stability: high winds, an impact, being moved to new ground.
• At suitable intervals while it stays up — for construction work, at least every 7 days, with a written report.

Records need not be elaborate: date, location, tower identity, inspector, findings, action taken. A duplicate pad or a phone form both work — what matters is that the record exists and defective findings take the tower out of service until fixed.

Component condemnation triggers

Bowed tubes, cracked welds, claws without spring pressure, platforms with delaminating decks, castor brakes that creep — all are replace-now items, covered in detail in our castor and spares guides. Quarantine condemned parts away from the stack so they cannot be built in by the next crew.

General guidance — your tower's manual and site rules take precedence.