Scaffolding Inspector

The objectives of the Scaffolding inspector program are to cultivate competency and equip students for employment as Scaffold Inspectors, facilitating additional training for individuals currently or previously engaged in scaffolding work.

According to OSHA 3150 (A Guide to Scaffold Use), OSHA 1926.450 Subpart L (Safety Standards for Scaffold), and OSHA 1926.454 (Scaffold Training Standards), it is the responsibility of the employer or hirer to ensure that all users of scaffolding receive proper training and that scaffolding undergoes inspections as follows:

1. Inspection after installation, before initial use, or deployment.
2. Regular inspections, conducted at least every 7 days thereafter.
3. Inspections following any circumstances that may compromise the safety of the scaffold, such as high winds.

Scaffolding inspections must be conducted by individuals deemed competent, possessing a suitable combination of knowledge, training, and experience commensurate with the type and complexity of the scaffold being inspected. Competency may be evaluated based on specific training received from a manufacturer or supplier for inspecting a particular type of system scaffold.

Furthermore, individuals such as Site Supervisors, Safety Officers, or Site Managers, who have attended scaffold inspection courses, can be considered competent to inspect basic scaffold structures, even if they do not have direct scaffolding experience.

Below training requirements as per OSHA to relate to the hazards of work on scaffolds:

A. The employer shall have each employee who performs work while on a scaffold trained by a person qualified in the subject matter to recognize the hazards associated with the type of scaffold being used and to understand the procedures to control or minimize those hazards. The training shall include the following areas, as applicable:

(1) The nature of any electrical hazards, fall hazards and falling object hazards in the work area;

(2) The correct procedures for dealing with electrical hazards and for erecting, maintaining, and disassembling the fall protection systems and falling object protection systems being used;

(3) The proper use of the scaffold, and the proper handling of materials on the scaffold;

(4) The maximum intended load and the load-carrying capacities of the scaffolds used; and

B. The employer shall have each employee who is involved in erecting, disassembling, moving, operating, repairing, maintaining, or inspecting a scaffold trained by a competent person to recognize any hazards associated with the work in question. The training shall include the following topics, as applicable:

(1) The nature of scaffold hazards;

(2) The correct procedures for erecting, disassembling, moving, operating, repairing, inspecting, and maintaining the type of scaffold in question;

(3) The design criteria, maximum intended load-carrying capacity and intended use of the scaffold;

C. When the employer has reason to believe that an employee lacks the skill or understanding needed for safe work involving the erection, use or dismantling of scaffolds, the employer shall retrain each such employee so that the requisite proficiency is regained. Retraining is required in at least the following situations:

(1) Where changes at the work site present a hazard about which an employee has not been previously trained; or

(2) Where changes in the types of scaffolds, fall protection, falling object protection, or other equipment present a hazard about which an employee has not been previously trained; or

(3) Where inadequacies in an affected employee’s work involving scaffolds indicate that the employee has not retained the requisite proficiency.