Scaffold Safety

Why it matters

Scaffold is the platform that keeps everyone else off ladders, but only if it is erected right, tagged, and left alone. Erecting or dismantling scaffold above four metres is licensed high risk work. The most common scaffold incidents are not spectacular collapses: they are missing planks, removed guardrails, and untagged bays put into use too early.

Hazards

• ⚠ Using an incomplete or untagged scaffold
• ⚠ Missing guardrails, toe boards, or planks
• ⚠ Overloading a bay beyond its duty rating
• ⚠ Removing ties or components to fit the work
• ⚠ Erecting or dismantling near live overhead lines
• ⚠ Unlicensed workers erecting scaffold above four metres

Controls and safe practices

• ✓ Only licensed workers erect, alter, or dismantle scaffold from which a person could fall more than four metres (reg 81, high risk work licence).
• ✓ Erect and inspect to AS/NZS 4576 and check the scaffold tag before every use.
• ✓ Never use a scaffold tagged incomplete or with an out-of-date inspection.
• ✓ Keep full edge protection, planks, and toe boards in place: do not remove them for convenience.
• ✓ Do not overload: know the duty rating and keep materials within it.
• ✓ Report damage or missing components to the supervisor and tag the bay out.

Crew discussion questions

1. Is the scaffold we are using tagged and current?
2. Are any guardrails, planks, or toe boards missing?
3. Who do we tell if a component is damaged or removed?
4. Are we within the duty load for the bay?

Applicable WHS citations

reg 81, AS/NZS 4576

More toolbox talks

• Manual Handling and Your Back
• White Cards and Site Induction
• The SWMS You Just Signed
• PPE: The Last Line, Not the First
• Cranes and Lifting Operations
• Heat and Fatigue

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