Scaffold Safety Compliance: Inspection Tracking & Risk Management

Scaffolding is one of the highest-risk activities on any construction site, and regulatory requirements are strict. In Australia, scaffolds must be inspected before first use, after any alteration, after adverse weather, and at regular intervals — typically every 7 days for occupied scaffolds and every 30 days for all scaffolds. Missing an inspection is not just a compliance breach; it is a safety risk that can result in SafeWork prohibition notices, project shutdowns, and serious injury.

The 7-day and 30-day inspection cycle

The scaffold register tracks every scaffold on your project with its erection date, last inspection date, next due date, and current status. The system automatically calculates which scaffolds are due for their 7-day occupied inspection and which are approaching the 30-day statutory inspection. Overdue scaffolds are flagged in red with the number of days overdue, giving site managers an immediate view of compliance status across the entire project. This visibility is particularly valuable on large projects where dozens of scaffolds may be active simultaneously across multiple buildings.

Hire cost analysis

Scaffold hire is a significant cost on construction projects, and scaffolds that remain erected longer than necessary bleed money. The hire cost analyser tracks daily hire rates against planned duration and flags scaffolds where hire costs have exceeded the original estimate. By monitoring cumulative hire spend in real time, project managers can prioritise scaffold dismantling and avoid the common problem of forgotten scaffolds accumulating thousands of dollars in unnecessary hire charges.

Incident logging and permit tracking

When incidents occur involving scaffolding — whether a near miss, a dropped object, or a structural concern — the incident log captures the details and links them to the specific scaffold record. This creates a complete history for each scaffold that includes erection details, all inspections, any modifications, incidents, and eventual dismantling. The permit tracker manages scaffold access permits, ensuring only authorised personnel work on or from scaffolds and that permits are current.

Get started

Import your scaffold register as a CSV into the Scaffold Register tool. Within minutes you will have a compliance dashboard showing every scaffold's inspection status, days until next inspection, and cumulative hire cost.