Competent Person Scaffold Inspection Checklist

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North Carolina Department of Labor , OSHA Office of Construction & Engineering

Summary Statement

A checklist of items a competent person should complete daily for scaffold safety.
Spring 1999

The competent person should use this checklist for daily inspections of the scaffold. It is not all-inclusive and should be used as a starting point for the competent person to develop a checklist specific to the type of scaffold and jobsite conditions encountered.

  • Are scaffolds and scaffold components inspected before each work shift by a competent person?
  • Have employees who erect, disassemble, move, operate, repair, maintain, or inspect the scaffold been trained by a competent person to recognize the hazards associated with this type of scaffold and the performance of their duties related to this scaffold?
  • Have employees who use the scaffold been trained by a qualified person to recognize the hazards associated it with this scaffold and know the performance of their duties relating to it?
  • Is the maximum load capacity of this scaffold known and communicated to all employees?
  • Is the load on the scaffold (including point loading) within the maximum load capacity of this particular scaffold?
  • Is the scaffold plumb, square, and level?
  • Is the scaffold on base plates and are mudsills level, sound, and rigid?
  • Is there safe access to all scaffold platforms?
  • Are all working platforms fully planked?
  • Do planks extend at least 6 inches and no more than 12 inches over the supports?
  • Are the planks in good condition and free of visible defects?
  • Does the scaffold have all required guardrails and toeboards?
  • Are 4:1 (height to width) scaffolds secured to a building or structure as required?