Podium Step Inspections

What podium step inspections are required?

A podium step is work equipment under PUWER and access equipment under the Work at Height Regulations. It must be suitable for the task, maintained in a safe condition, and inspected where damage could cause a fall.

There is no seven-day scaffold rule for a standalone podium. The practical regime is a user check before each use — and again after the unit has been moved, folded or taken off a van — plus a recorded inspection at intervals set by risk assessment and the manufacturer. Many sites record that look every shift because podium fleets are shared and the last user is unknown.

BS 8620 is the British standard many podium steps are built to. It is about strength, access, stability and rigidity of the product. It is not an inspection certificate. EN 131 is the ladder standard; do not treat a podium sheet as an EN 131 document.

These products record the site check. They do not decide whether a podium is the right access method, and they do not replace the manufacturer’s assembly instructions.

What should a podium step pre-use check cover?

Check it on the floor before anyone stands on the deck.

The Podium Step Inspection Books are written for that pre-use routine. The product listing covers:

• Main platform, toe boards and perimeter guardrails
• Locking castors, anti-surf feet and stabilizer deployment

Confirm every brake is on before work starts. Castors that roll under load are a common reason a podium walks. Look for bent frames, missing locking pins and a platform that no longer sits square. If the unit is telescopic, check the locks are engaged at the working height.

Do not move the podium with a person or materials on the platform. After it has been pushed to a new position, check again — the last inspection was for a different floor.

How the Good to Go inspection system works

The tag sits at the entry to the platform, where the next person would step on.

1. Complete the podium step checklist before use.
2. Put the top copy in the status tag so the unit shows as good to go or do not use.
3. Leave the carbon copy in the book as the access record.
4. Seal the tag so yesterday’s sheet cannot cover a rail removed this morning.
5. After transport, a fold-down or a knock in the aisle, complete a new sheet.

Daily kits match a shift-by-shift record on a shared fleet. Weekly kits suit a recorded weekly inspection where that is what has been set. Manufacturer guidance for this equipment type also points to a look after use so damage from the job is written down, not left for the next trade.

Holders and the inspection station keep books with the podium store so the pad is not living in a van.

Choose the right podium step inspection products

The printed items for this equipment are the book and the poster. The rest is shared Good to Go hardware.

• Podium Step Inspection Books – 25 Checklists — carbon-copy pre-use sheets for podium steps.
• Create Your Own Inspection Books – 25 Checklists — blank books if a house form or an unusual telescopic / GRP model is not covered.
• Equipment Inspections – Daily Checklist Kits — select the podium step option. Checklists, tags, seals, wallet and pen.
• Equipment Inspections – Weekly Checklist Kits — podium step option for a weekly recorded inspection.
• Good To Go Safety Status Tag and Anti-Tamper Seals (Pack of 100) — fit at the platform entry or on the storage rack.
• Weather Resistant Inspection Holder, Check Book Wallet & Pen and Equipment Inspection Book Dispenser — keep the current book with the fleet.
• Inspection Information Station and Equipment User Manuals – Document Holder — wall storage for books and manufacturer instructions.
• Podium Steps Inspection – A2 Safety Poster — wipe-clean reminder of the check points.

A leaning ladder, stepladder or scaffold tower has its own book. The tag hardware can be shared; the checklist should not.

Who these products are for

They are for people who use a small guarded platform instead of a stepladder:

• Facilities and maintenance teams working on lights, HVAC and high-level fittings
• Warehouse and retail staff picking or installing at low height
• Contractors sharing a podium fleet across a fit-out
• Hire desks issuing podium steps with a consistent check method
• Safety managers keeping a simple access register

If the same store holds towers or ladders, keep each type on its own Good to Go book.

Podium step inspection FAQs

How often should a podium step be inspected?
By the user before each use, and after it has been moved or transported. Record a more detailed inspection at intervals set by how hard the fleet is used and by the manufacturer.

Is a podium inspected like a scaffold tower?
No. Towers have their own checklist and, on construction, a different inspection pattern. Use the podium book for podium steps.

Does BS 8620 replace the site check?
No. BS 8620 is how many podiums are made. The book records the condition of the unit in front of you.

Where should the status tag go?
At the platform entry, or on the rack if that is where people collect the unit.

Can I use the ladder inspection book on a podium?
No. Guardrails, toe boards and castor locks are part of this check.

Should castors be locked while someone is on the platform?
Yes. Brakes on, on firm level ground, before work starts.

Free UK mainland delivery on orders over £50. Trade discounts and bespoke options are available for fleet packs or a different checklist layout.