Scaffold Tower Inspections

What scaffold tower inspections are required?

Towers must be erected by trained, competent people and used with the manufacturer’s instructions — including the 3T or advanced guardrail method specified for that tower.

Inspection follows the Work at Height Regulations. After assembly, and after any event that could affect strength or stability (weather, impact, a change of height), a competent person inspects before anyone works from the platform. If a person could fall two metres or more, the tower is inspected again at intervals of no more than seven days. A new written report is not required every time the tower is rolled on the same site, unless it was altered to get past an obstruction or something happened during the move.

PUWER still applies to the components as work equipment. BS EN 1004 is the product standard many mobile towers are built to. It is not an inspection certificate.

These products record the site inspection. They are not a PASMA training card and they are not a substitute for building the tower correctly.

What should a scaffold tower pre-use check cover?

Inspect the erected tower, not the pile of frames on the van.

The Scaffold Tower Inspection Books walk a competent person through:

• Ground conditions, outriggers, stabilisers and adjustable legs
• Horizontal and diagonal bracing, platform decking and trapdoors
• Primary and mid-guardrails, toe boards and internal ladder access

Confirm castor brakes are on before anyone climbs. Check that the platform is fully boarded, the trapdoor closes and the access is inside the tower, not up the outside. If a pin, brace or rail is missing, the tower is not used.

A user who did not build the tower should still look at the tag and the platform before they step on. That look does not replace the competent person’s recorded inspection after assembly or at seven days.

How the Good to Go inspection system works

The tag sits at the point of entry, tied flush to the frame so it is visible and less likely to snag.

1. After assembly — or at the seven-day mark — the competent person completes the scaffold tower checklist.
2. The top copy goes into the status tag so the tower shows as good to go or do not use.
3. The carbon copy stays in the book as the site record.
4. An anti-tamper seal closes the tag so last week’s date cannot cover a rail removed this morning.
5. After weather, a height change or a knock, inspect again before anyone climbs. Moving the tower on the same site does not by itself demand a new report unless the structure was altered.

Weekly kits follow the seven-day cycle. Daily kits exist for sites that also want a recorded check each working day. Keep the record on site until the job finishes; industry practice is to retain it for a further three months.

Holders and the inspection station keep books with the tower store so the pad is not left in a different van.

Choose the right scaffold tower inspection products

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

• Scaffold Tower Inspection Books – 25 Checklists — carbon-copy sheets for mobile access towers.
• Create Your Own Inspection Books – 25 Checklists — blank books if a house form or an unusual staircase / telescopic tower is not covered.
• Equipment Inspections – Weekly Checklist Kits — select the scaffold tower option. Checklists, tags, seals, wallet and pen for the seven-day cycle.
• Equipment Inspections – Daily Checklist Kits — tower option if the contract also records a daily check.
• Good To Go Safety Status Tag and Anti-Tamper Seals (Pack of 100) — fit at the entry to the working platform.
• Weather Resistant Inspection Holder, Check Book Wallet & Pen and Equipment Inspection Book Dispenser — keep the current book with the tower.
• Inspection Information Station and Equipment User Manuals – Document Holder — wall storage for books and the manufacturer’s 3T / AGR instructions.
• Scaffold Tower Inspection Checklist – A2 Safety Poster — wipe-clean reminder of the check points.

Fixed scaffolding, podium steps and MEWPs have their own books. Do not inspect a tube-and-fitting scaffold on this sheet.

Who these products are for

They are for people who build and use mobile towers:

• PASMA-trained operatives inspecting after assembly
• Site supervisors checking the seven-day date on towers left standing
• Facilities and maintenance teams using a tower in a plant room or warehouse
• Hire desks issuing towers with a consistent check method
• Principal contractors keeping WAHR records on construction work

If the same site also has fixed scaffolding or podium steps, keep those on their own Good to Go books.

Scaffold tower inspection FAQs

How often must a mobile tower be inspected?
After assembly and before use, after weather or alteration, and at least every seven days where a person could fall two metres or more. Lower towers are inspected after assembly and at suitable intervals.

Does moving the tower need a new report?
Not if it stays on the same site and is not significantly altered. Inspect again if components came off to pass an obstruction, or if the move may have affected safety.

Who can carry out the inspection?
A competent person — typically someone trained to erect and inspect that class of tower.

Does a status tag meet the legal record?
The tag shows the result on the tower. The written checklist in the book is the record you keep. PASMA’s own inspection record is a separate product and is not what is listed here.

Can I use the fixed scaffolding book on a tower?
No. Towers have castors, outriggers and a different assembly method. Use the scaffold tower book.

Does a completed book prove the tower is EN 1004?
No. EN 1004 is how the tower was made. The book records the condition of the erected structure.

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