Signed off, in writing

Before it is used for the first time, at intervals not exceeding seven days while it remains in use, and after any event likely to have affected its strength or stability, which in practice means after a storm. The inspection has to be recorded. That is the Work at Height Regulations, and it applies to a domestic scaffold as much as a commercial one.

A written statement, issued when the scaffold is complete, that identifies the scaffold, the configuration it has been built to, the loading it is designed for and the date it was handed over. It is what tells your roofer or your solar installer that the platform they are stepping onto is finished and fit to use, rather than half built.

We are responsible for how it is erected, inspected and altered. Whoever is using it is responsible for not overloading it, not removing ties or boards and not adapting it. If something needs changing, ring us. A scaffold that has been altered by somebody else is no longer the scaffold we certified.

We can look at it and tell you honestly what we think, but we will not certify another firm's scaffold as if we had built it, because we did not see it go up or how it is tied. If it is unsafe we will say so plainly, and if it needs adapting or replacing we will price that.

We provide the scaffold documentation: handover certificate, inspection records, and the scaffold design where the configuration needs one. Building control inspect the building work rather than the access, but having the access paperwork in order makes for a much easier conversation.

Ring us straight away and stop using it. Vehicle strikes, storm damage and missing ties do happen, and the fix is usually straightforward if we hear about it immediately. What is not acceptable is carrying on working from a scaffold that has been hit, which is exactly the situation the inspection regime exists to catch.