Scaffold tagging requirements in NZ: tags, inspections and tickets

What the tag has to show

WorkSafe’s good practice guidelines, Scaffolding in New Zealand, say every scaffold, whatever its height, must have a tag at the access points displaying the important safety information. The one carve-out is a minor scaffold, which the guidelines describe as lightweight, portable, single bay, with a working platform no higher than 2 m. These are guidelines rather than an Act, but they explain how the duties in the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA) are expected to be met on a scaffold, so a PCBU that ignores them has a hard time defending itself after an incident. The tag should show the status (SCAFFOLD SAFE or SCAFFOLD UNSAFE), the name and contact phone number of the certified scaffolder (or the erector if the scaffold is under 5 m), the intended use, the duty loading, the maximum number of platforms or bays that may be loaded, any limitations on use, and a record of each inspection or alteration including who did it and when. The guidelines note that the inspection history can sit on a separate register instead of on the tag itself, which is how most firms keep a tag legible after months of weather.

• Status: SCAFFOLD SAFE or SCAFFOLD UNSAFE
• Certified scaffolder’s name and phone (erector’s if under 5 m)
• Intended use and duty loading
• Maximum platforms or bays loaded, and any limitations
• Each inspection or alteration: who, and when

Handover before anyone climbs on

Before handover, the guidelines say every scaffold is checked by a competent person, and a notifiable scaffold is inspected by someone holding the appropriate certificate of competence. Once it is judged safe, the scaffolding business issues a handover certificate to the client confirming the scaffold has been built to the agreed specification, duty rating and limits, has been left suitable for its intended use, and complies with the statutory requirements. The tag goes up with the handover, and the certificate is kept until the scaffold is altered or dismantled. If the scaffold is incomplete or fails inspection, access is prevented and the access points are tagged UNSAFE or INCOMPLETE. The practical point is sequence: the handover date, the person who signed it off and the tag status should all agree. A scaffold erected on Monday, used by the roofers on Tuesday and handed over on Thursday is the kind of gap that causes arguments with a client and a lot of trouble if someone falls.

How often a scaffold must be inspected

The guidelines set a minimum frequency for any scaffold in use for a week or more: weekly while it is in use, monthly while it is set up but not in use, after each structural alteration, repair, addition or change of anchorage, and after any storm or event that could adversely affect its safety. Notifiable scaffolds follow the same schedule but are inspected by a certified scaffolder; for other scaffolds the inspector is a certified scaffolder or a competent person depending on the type. Suspended scaffolds are inspected before first use as well, and have a daily pre-start check by the competent user, including a visual check and load test. Inspection details must be recorded and signed by the person who did the inspection, and the record or register must be kept on site. A scaffold that fails, or is damaged, is taken out of service immediately and stays out until it is repaired and re-inspected. Bent tube is cut out and discarded, not straightened for reuse.

Certificates of competence and the 5 m line

Under the Health and Safety in Employment Regulations 1995, which WorkSafe’s guidelines continue to apply alongside HSWA, anyone erecting, altering, repairing or dismantling a scaffold of which any part is 5 m or more above the ground must hold the appropriate class of certificate of competence for that type: basic, advanced or suspended. A trainee may work under the direct supervision of a holder of the relevant type, which the guidelines define as within reach or visual contact and able to take immediate charge. For the certificate requirement, the 5 m is measured from the ground to the highest component. Certificates are issued by SARNZ (the Scaffolding, Access and Rigging Association of New Zealand) under WorkSafe’s delegated authority and are valid for four years, so expiry dates need watching. Special-duty scaffolds, such as cantilever, bridging, roof saddle, hanging scaffolds and loading platforms, should be handled by an appropriate certificate holder regardless of height, and designed by a Chartered Professional Engineer unless the loads can be calculated from the information available.

Notifying WorkSafe before erecting or dismantling

WorkSafe’s list of particular hazardous work includes erecting or dismantling scaffolding with a risk of falling 5 m or more, and it requires at least 24 hours’ notice. Note that the measuring point differs from the ticket rule: for notification, the 5 m is taken from the highest platform a person could fall from. The guidelines’ example is a working platform 3 m above a slab beside a 5 m void, which is a notifiable scaffold even though the scaffold itself is only 3 m high. The notice is given online through WorkSafe’s notifiable work form, by the employer and the person controlling the workplace. Treat erection and dismantling as two events so that the dismantle does not get missed, and keep the confirmation with the job. Separately, WorkSafe’s guidelines say that a scaffold over a public footpath or road needs the local authority requirements checked, and that scaffolds built for public access need resource and building consent and an engineer’s design.

Keeping the register without chasing paper

Toolie’s scaffold register is built from the same sections of the guidelines. Each scaffold record holds the tag details (intended use, duty loading, maximum loaded bays, limitations, the certified scaffolder and their phone), the erected and handover dates, and a table of inspections with the date, inspector and CoC number, reason, result and tag status. It works out the next inspection from the last one, weekly while in use and monthly when set up but idle, and an overdue item shows on your dashboard. It warns if the last inspection was UNSAFE, if the tag status does not match the result, and when a scaffold at 5 m or more is flagged as needing a certificate holder and a WorkSafe notice. Crew tickets and their expiry dates can be kept on each worker’s profile, so a lapsed certificate shows up before the roster does. Toolie does not file the WorkSafe notification for you or replace your own judgement; you still lodge that online and sign off each inspection yourself.

Sources

Official sources this guide relies on. Rules change, so check the current version before relying on a date or threshold.

• WorkSafe NZ: Scaffolding in New Zealand (good practice guidelines)
• WorkSafe NZ: Particular hazardous work (notifiable works)

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