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    SiteKiln, Your rights on site. In plain English.

    Scaffolds: Who Signs It Off, and When

    The competent-person rule, the inspection triggers, and the fall-protection height that is not the one you think.

    The competent person

    • Someone capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards, AND authorized to take prompt corrective action. 29 CFR 1926.450(b)
    • Both halves matter. Someone who can spot a fault but cannot stop the work is not a competent person under this rule.
    • No certificate or course is mandated. The test is functional, which cuts both ways: a card proves nothing on its own, and the absence of one is not a defense.

    When it must be inspected

    Before each work shift By a competent person, for visible defects. 29 CFR 1926.451(f)(3)
    After any event that could affect integrity Windstorm, heavy rain, earthquake, vehicle impact, an altered tie
    Large frame systems Only the areas to be used next shift need inspecting, not the whole structure

    Heights and gaps, scaffold-specific

    Fall protection trigger More than 10 FT, not the 6 ft used elsewhere in construction. 1926.451(g)(1)
    Toprail height 38 to 45 in for scaffolds in service after 1 Jan 2000 (36 to 45 in for older)
    Cross-brace as a rail May serve as a midrail if it crosses 20 to 30 in above the platform, OR as a toprail at 38 to 48 in. Never both at once.
    Platform gaps No more than 1 in between adjacent units and between platform and uprights
    Ladder bottom rung No more than 24 in above the supporting level
    Safe access required Wherever the platform is more than 2 ft above or below the access point
    The 10 ft scaffold trigger and the 6 ft general construction trigger under Subpart M are different rules for different work, and mixing them up is one of the most common scaffold citations. Frame, tube-and-coupler and suspension scaffolds each carry additional requirements beyond this summary. Use the scaffold inspection tool on this site for the documented inspection itself; this card is the check before you climb.

    Sources: osha.gov

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