Scaffold Tower Inspections - Workplace Inspection Checklists
Falls from height remain one of the
most common causes of work-related fatalities
14 people suffered a non-fatal fall from height in the workplace every day in 2019/20, according to the most recent RIDDOR statistics released by HSE.
Although this number is high, the true number is likely to be considerably higher, as employers often don't report when they should. HSE believes that only around half of reportable accidents actually are. The Labour Force Survey also collects data on non-fatal workplace injuries. It uses self-reports from workers, so records a wider range of accidents than RIDDOR. Last year it recorded an est 36,000 falls, which is a horrifying 99 per day.
Many people are injured each year when they fall from towers or when the tower overturns. Towers should be erected by trained and competent people. There are a number of organisations that provide training for the safe erection and use of tower scaffolds and approved “card schemes” can help track and confirm competency.
The incidents that occur with tower accidents are mainly caused by:
Dangerous methods of erection or dismantling – where a safe system is not being followed;
Defects in the erected scaffold – where the tower structure is incorrectly assembled or where a platform guardrail is missing;
Misuse of the scaffold – e.g. where a ladder is used on a tower causing it to overturn or when a person falls while the tower is being moved.
Tower scaffold provision and use must be properly managed and include rigorous scaffold inspection arrangements. They must comply with the standard required for all types of scaffolds, e.g. double guardrails, toe-boards, bracing and access ladder. When the tower is purchased or hired it should arrive with all the necessary components to prevent falls and ensure stability - they rely on all parts being in place to ensure adequate strength, and are more liable to collapse if sections are left out, fitted incorrectly or faulty.
All towers must be inspected following assembly and then at suitable regular intervals by a competent person. In addition, if the tower is used for construction work and a person could fall 2 metres or more from the working platform, then it must be inspected following assembly and then after every 7 days. Stop work if the inspection shows it is not safe to continue, and put right any faults. The result of an inspection must be recorded and kept until the next inspection is recorded. A visible tag system, which supplements inspection records as it is updated following each pre-use inspection, is a way of recording and keeping the results until the next inspection. Additional advice is available from the HSE - click here for more information.
Good to Go Safety offers the perfect solution for Scaffold Tower inspection management. Our Scaffold Tower Checklist helps to improve tower safety, reduce maintenance costs and avoid costly accidents. The checklist system generates carbon copies of each scaffold tower inspection checklist which reduces the chance of an inspection being lost with the duplicate copy being retained within the check book. A copy of the completed checklist can be placed inside a status tag (attached to the tower) to ensure everyone knows the date and status of the latest inspection on site, while the duplicate copy can be retained and stored by management off site for a further three months, in line with best practice guidance.
Using our scaffolding tower inspection checklist ensures you are compliant with WAHR, PASMA & HSE legislation and best practice. The scaffold tower status tag is simply attached to the tube at the scaffold tower's point of entry to ensure maximum visibility. Our universal status tag has been designed to sit flush to a scaffold tower tube using cable ties to reduce the risk of snagging. Scaffold towers should meet the specification of BS EN 1004 and the inspections checks found in the Good to Go Safety inspection checklist check books can help to identify any non-conforming or poorly maintained scaffold tower.
All BS EN 1004 scaffold towers should be supplied with detailed user instructions and critical safety information specifying the use of either the 3T or AGR (Advanced Guard Rail) system of assembly and dismantling. You must follow these instructions and the safety information precisely. Scaffold towers come in many different shapes and sizes, but the Good to Go Safety mobile tower checklist helps identify common pre-use checks to help maximise user safety at all times.
Scaffold Tower Inspection Books - 25 Checklists
One of the main reasons for incidents occurring with Scaffold Towers is due to flaws in its erection. When a scaffold tower structure is incorrectly a..
£6.20
Scaffold Tower Inspections - Weekly Checklist Kit
One of the main reasons for incidents occurring with Scaffold Towers is due to flaws in its erection. When a scaffold tower structure is incorrectly a..
£37.10
Scaffold Tower Inspections - Daily Checklist Kit
One of the main reasons for incidents occurring with Scaffold Towers is due to flaws in its erection. When a scaffold tower structure is incorrectly a..
£109.50
Scaffold Tower Poster - Visual Inspection Checklist
Our scaffold tower safety poster has been designed to highlight key components of scaffold towers and reinforce the importance of completing inspectio..
£21.77
Inspection Information Station
The information station will provide your workplace with the ideal central location to store inspection check books. Organising your inspections an..
£233.20
Inspection Wallet and Pen
A handy wallet that not only provides additional protection from the elements but also gives inspectors a solid writing surface to complete inspection..
£6.20
Weather Resistant Inspection Holder
These industrial strength pockets have a press seal fastening to keep important documents clean and dry. An ideal solution for storing check books, in..
£6.31
Inspection Book Dispenser
Allow the storage of checklists in a central location for quick and easy access to important inspection checklists. Provide workers with the ideal ..
£13.25
News
We support National Scaffolding Week 2024
National Scaffolding Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the industry and provide advice, information and valuable insights which can influence the direction of training in the industry. The campaign, which runs from 7th – 11th October 2024 will showcase the diverse range of career options available within the industry; highlight achievements of both organisations and individuals operating within the sector and aim to inspire the next generation to take up a role within the scaffolding ...CONTINUE...
Recycling company fined after worker loses leg
An investigation was carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following a gruesome incident which was so severe that an employee had to have his leg amputated above the knee. The incident occurred on the 5th of October 2022, whilst employees were sorting out refuse at the Pink Skips (NW) Ltd site at Levenshulme. CCTV footage provided the HSE investigators with key knowledge about the incident. When reviewed, it showed employees working around and in close proximity to a 360° ro...CONTINUE...
Work-related fatalities in the UK 2023/24
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have released the 2023/24 statistics for UK work-related fatal injuries and according to these statistics, there were 138 deaths across all UK workplaces in 2023–24 with the construction industry accounting for more than a third of the total with 51 fatalities. The new figures, which can be found here, show that the annual number of work-related fatalities has remained broadly similar for over a decade. Additionally, as per previous years, male workers co...CONTINUE...
Company and director fined after a catalogue of serious injuries
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation following an incident at Code-A-Weld, Harfreys Industrial Estate, Great Yarmouth on the 19th November 2022. A man (54 years) was airlifted to hospital and placed into an induced coma after being struck by an object whilst manufacturing steel cable drums for the offshore industry. During the manufacturing process, the jacking set-up failed, causing parts to strike the man in the face. This caused extremely serious injuries in...CONTINUE...
When did you last check your car?
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Man spared jail for unsafe work on own home
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted a thorough investigation following a site visit to a property where a man was carrying out unsafe work on his home in Manchester. The HSE served enforcement notices to put work to an immediate stop in August 2020. During their initial visit, the Health and Safety Executive found that Abdul Rehman had engaged operatives to help him build an extension to the property on Kings Crescent in Old Trafford. At the property there was an extremely uns...CONTINUE...
Worker drowns and loses life two days later
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation was carried out after the death of a construction worker. Gary Webster, a 60-year-old man was repeatedly pulled under water after his boat capsized during routine cleaning of the River Aire. Mr Webster and another worker (who managed to swim to safety) had been removing debris at the bottom of the weir gates at Knostrop Weir. The accident occured when the boat they were using was pulled into churning water due to the considerable rush of w...CONTINUE...
Managing workplace hazards
Managing hazards in a business is fundamental to maintaining the safety of employees. Under UK law, employers have a duty of care to ensure the health, safety, and wellbeing of all employees. This means it’s an employer’s responsibility to identify the hazards facing their employees and implement measures to mitigate them. It's fairly common for employees (and in many cases, management) to be unaware of the hazards they face regularly. Those who haven't encountered an accident often feel ...CONTINUE...
Workplace Equipment Inspections - Construction - Farming - Warehousing
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Forklift Engineer Seriously Injured during forklift servicing
A 47-year-old grandfather sustained multiple fractured vertebrae on the 14th November 2019 at a Pirelli Tyres' factory in Carlisle. The forklift truck engineer was in the process of servicing a truck when two metal skips fell from a stack of waste tyres, crushing Mr Weightman against the ground. A HSE investigation found that in order for Mr Weightman to work on the forklift truck, he had to move the truck. He was however, unaware that the truck was positioned to stabilise the skips. This...CONTINUE...
Motorsport engineering firm fined following HSE inspection
A motorsport engineering firm based in Kent has been fined after Britain’s workplace regulator identified numerous health and safety breaches. Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Hispec Motorsport Limited - a specialist designer and producer of aftermarket brake upgrades for road, race, track, and kit cars. During their visits, the inspectors found serious breaches of the law and enforcement notices were issued. The subsequent investigation found the busin...CONTINUE...
22-year-old carpenter sustains fatal head injury
On 30 October 2019, Niall McCormack from Kettering, Northamptonshire had been working with another carpenter at a new build construction site in Alconbury Weald, Cambridgeshire. The pair were removing trusses from a pack, to then spread and install across there building. As they were in the process of spreading, a gust of wind caught a spandrel panel, pushing it against the remaining trusses in the pack. Both the truss pack and spandrel panel fell into the work area, hitting Niall McCorma...CONTINUE...
Worker crushed at London Heathrow Airport
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) conducted an investigation after an employee of Dnata Ltd was crushed to death at London Heathrow Airport on the 23rd February 2022. The incident occurred during the unloading of baggage containers from an Emirates Airbus which had arrived from Dubai. The employee walked underneath a high loader (a raised platform similar to a scissor lift) in order to access the other side of a trailer. At the same time the high-loader operator lowered one of its tw...CONTINUE...
Why you should complete daily forklift inspections
Forklift truck inspections can increase productivity by up to 25%. Additionally it will reduce breakdowns by 70% and lowers forklift truck maintenance costs by 25%. Depending on the type of forklift truck, costs and technical sophistication, a broad spectrum of maintenance strategies should be applied. A faulty forklift truck may significantly slow or completely halt your entire production process. Poor maintenance strategies can reduce the overall productive capacity of a warehouse by 5...CONTINUE...
Tragedy at Go-Kart Centre
Capital Karts in Barking, East London has been fined almost £120,000 after an incident on the 6th August 2021. Newham youth group organised a fun filled day at Capital Karts with a group of teens, however the day turned to horror when one of the teens had to be resuscitated at the venue after her hijab (a traditional muslim headscarf) got caught in a go karts drive axle. Ruwaida Adan, 15, died in hospital of hypoxic brain injury and asphyxiation four days after she visited Capital ...CONTINUE...
Banksman loses leg in MEWP accident
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