Free Scaffold Inspection Report Template (Schedule 7): PDF & Excel

Scaffold inspection reports are one of the few records where the law prescribes the exact contents: Schedule 7 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. This template includes every prescribed particular, so a report completed on it is a compliant report.

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Free for use within your organisation. No sign-up required.

The regime

• Inspect before first use, at intervals not exceeding 7 days, and after any event liable to affect stability (high winds, alteration, impact).
• Complete the report before the end of the working period; give it to the person it was done for within 24 hours.
• Keep it on site until work completes, then at an office for 3 months.

Full guidance: scaffold inspection logbooks: UK legal requirements.

Who must keep this record

The duty sits with the employer, the self-employed person, or whoever controls the work at height, under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and CDM 2015. It applies to any scaffold from which someone could fall two metres or more, or where a fall of any distance is likely to injure.

• The erecting contractor confirms the scaffold is erected correctly and safe before handover.
• The principal contractor or user keeps the seven-day inspections running while it stays in use.
• Inspections are for a competent person: training, knowledge and experience matched to the scaffold's complexity. CISRS is the widely recognised marker.

How long to keep it

Keep the report on site while the work continues, then at an office for three months, and give a copy to the person it was carried out for within 24 hours. A report is kept at least until the next one for the same scaffold, or until the end of the project on a construction site. Because fall claims surface years later, retaining the records for at least three years after project completion is strongly advisable. More on the wider duties: Work at Height Regulations record keeping.

What a completed entry looks like

Schedule 7 fixes the fields. A Tuesday morning check might read:

• Inspection carried out for: Bramley Construction Ltd, 14 Mill Road, Leeds
• Location and description: Plot 6, north elevation. Independent tied tube-and-fitting scaffold, three lifts
• Date and time: 12 May 2026, 07:40, before the shift started
• Matters giving rise to risk: toe board missing, second lift, north bay
• Action taken and further action needed: board refitted 08:15 and the bay re-checked, nothing outstanding
• Name and position: R. Patel, scaffolding supervisor (CISRS)

Write it up before the end of the working period. A report cannot be backdated.

FAQs

Does a scaffold tag replace the inspection report?

No. Tags are a visual signal and nothing more: green for inspected and safe, yellow for restricted use, red for do not use. The formal inspection report is the document the Work at Height Regulations require, and tags on their own will not demonstrate compliance.

Can the scaffold be used before the report is written up?

No. The inspection must be completed and recorded before the scaffold is used, and the report finished before the end of the working period in which the inspection was carried out. Filling records in retrospectively defeats their purpose and is not compliant.

What happens if a scaffold fails its inspection?

Take it out of use. Note the defects on the report, get the remedial work done, then carry out and record a further inspection before anyone goes back on it.

Is there a prescribed form we have to use?

No specific form is prescribed by law. Any format that captures the particulars required by the Work at Height Regulations is acceptable, which is exactly what this template does.

Sources

legislation.gov.ukWork at Height Regulations 2005, Schedule 7HSEHSE: scaffold checklist

Tell me when the rules behind this template change (free, one email when it happens, nothing else).