Guidance for people running scaffolding firms.
Practical writing on TG20, inspections and competence, from the team building ScaffoldOptix.
Adaptations: the change nobody wrote down
Most scaffolds do not stay as they were handed over. The firms that stay out of trouble are the ones that treat every alteration as a record, not a favour.
What a scaffolding supervisor is actually responsible for
Supervisor responsibilities are usually understood rather than written down, which works until two people understand them differently.
Striking a scaffold: where dismantling goes wrong
Dismantling is erection in reverse with two differences — the structure is degrading as you work, and everyone assumes the job is nearly over.
Keeping a register of what is actually standing
Without a register of structures you are not inspecting a site — you are inspecting whatever somebody remembered was there.
Sheeting, netting and what wind does to a scaffold
Adding sheeting turns a permeable frame into something closer to a sail. It is the commonest way a structure stops behaving as designed.
Spreadsheets vs scaffolding software: when to switch
Spreadsheets do not fail loudly. A second copy appears, then a third, and within months nobody can say which one is right.
Preparing for a client or accreditation audit
Auditors sample. A consistent set of records with one documented exception reads far better than five files each complete in a different way.
Inspecting a scaffold after high winds or bad weather
Weather-triggered inspections are the ones most often skipped, because they arrive unscheduled and usually find nothing.