Compliance · 10 min read

Scaffolding risk assessment template UK: what to include, with a worked example

A generic risk assessment copied from the internet will not protect you in an incident. This guide gives you a scaffolding-specific risk assessment process, a copy-paste table you can use on site, and a worked example for a domestic job.

When a scaffolding risk assessment is required

Two sets of regulations apply to almost every UK scaffolding job:

• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which require every employer and self-employed person to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment.
• CDM 2015, which requires scaffolding contractors to plan, manage and monitor construction work under their control.

A risk assessment is not the same as a method statement. The risk assessment identifies hazards, who could be harmed, and the controls needed. The method statement describes the safe system of work that puts those controls into practice. Many firms combine them into a single RAMS document, but the risk assessment thinking has to be done first.

The five-step risk assessment process

1. Identify the hazards. Walk the site, look at the drawings, talk to the client and other trades, and think through erect, use, alteration and dismantle.
2. Decide who might be harmed and how. Scaffolders, other contractors, the public, occupants, delivery drivers, and anyone passing below or nearby.
3. Evaluate the risks and decide on precautions. For each hazard, decide whether the existing controls are enough or whether more are needed. Record the residual risk.
4. Record your findings. If you employ five or more people this is a legal requirement; for everyone else it is still the best evidence that you thought about the job properly.
5. Review and update. Revisit the assessment when the scope changes, after alterations, incidents, near misses, or significant changes in conditions.

Hazards every scaffolding risk assessment should cover

The list below is not exhaustive, but a scaffolding risk assessment that misses any of these is likely to be challenged:

• Falls from height during erection, alteration, inspection and dismantle, including falls from incomplete platforms and gaps between boards.
• Falling materials and objects such as tubes, fittings, boards, brick guards and tools, especially where the scaffold oversails a footpath, highway or other work area.
• Manual handling of tubes, boards and fittings, particularly on sloping ground, long carries, or where loads must be passed up by hand.
• Ground conditions and buried services affecting base plates, sole boards, stability and excavation work nearby.
• Overhead hazards including power lines, overhead cables, cranes, other trades' plant and adjacent structures.
• Public and pedestrian interface, including pavement licences, hoarding, netting, drop zones and hours of work.
• Weather, especially wind limits for sheeting, board carrying and working at height, plus ice, snow and poor light.
• Interface with other trades, such as scaffold being altered or overloaded by people who did not erect it.
• Plant and vehicles delivering materials, lorry loader operations, and mobile plant working close to the scaffold.
• Lone working for inspection visits or small alteration jobs.
• COSHH from coatings, treated timber, bird droppings, lead paint or contaminated surfaces.

Copy-paste scaffolding risk assessment template

Use this table as the core of your assessment. Add rows for anything site-specific, and always include a cover sheet with job name, client, site address, author, date and version number.

Keep the assessment with the job file, and make sure every operative has signed the briefing record before starting work.

Worked example: domestic rear-elevation scaffold

A typical semi-detached house re-roof. The scaffold is an independent tied scaffold with one lift, boarded lift at gutter height, and a temporary access ladder. Key assessment points:

• Access: materials brought through the side passage; no public oversail, so no pavement licence needed, but the neighbour's fence must be protected.
• Ground: firm paved driveway; base plates and sole boards sufficient. No known services directly below, but the client confirmed drains run to the front.
• Overhead: no power lines close to the rear; front garden has a phone line at 4.5 m, well clear of the access route.
• Other trades: roofers will use the lift; load class 3 specified, no unauthorised alterations allowed.
• Controls: advance guard rail erection, brick guards facing the access route, full handover and briefing before roofers start.

Linking the risk assessment to other job paperwork

A risk assessment should not sit on its own. Tie it to the other documents so there is a clear paper trail:

• Method statement translates the controls from your risk assessment into the sequence of work. See our scaffolding RAMS guide for how the two documents fit together.
• TG20:21 compliance sheet proves the design basis for standard configurations. If your scaffold falls outside TG20, your risk assessment must reference the bespoke design. Read our TG20:21 compliance guide for the line between standard and bespoke.
• Handover certificate records that the finished scaffold was checked, safe to use, and handed over. Our scaffold tags and handover certificates guide covers what must be on it.
• 7-day statutory inspections keep the assessment live during the hire period. The inspection record should reference the same hazards and controls.

Common mistakes that weaken a risk assessment

• Generic templates with no site detail. A risk assessment that could apply to any house on any street is not suitable and sufficient.
• Missing the dismantle phase. Dismantle often has different hazards from erection, especially for temporary roofs or birdcages.
• Ignoring other trades. Roofers, painters and renderers change the load and access profile of the scaffold after handover.
• No briefing record. An unbriefed operative cannot rely on a document they have never seen.
• Residual risk set to "low" for everything. If every hazard is low, you probably have not looked hard enough.

Frequently asked questions

Is a scaffolding risk assessment a legal requirement?

Yes. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and CDM 2015 requires scaffolding contractors to plan, manage and monitor their work. A written risk assessment is the standard way to demonstrate that.

Who should write the scaffolding risk assessment?

The scaffolding contractor or a competent person who understands the job, the scaffold type and the site. It should not be delegated to someone with no scaffolding knowledge, and it should never be copied without being reviewed for the specific site.

Can I use the same risk assessment for every scaffolding job?

You can keep a standard structure, but every job needs a site-specific review. Address the actual access, ground conditions, oversail, adjacent hazards, other trades and scope for that job.

How often should a scaffolding risk assessment be reviewed?

Review it when the scope changes, after alterations, incidents or near misses, when conditions change, and at sensible milestones on longer hires. Make sure the briefing record is updated whenever a new gang or operative joins the job.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Always tailor your risk assessment to the specific site and confirm current requirements against CDM 2015, the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and HSE guidance.