Scaffold Risk Assessment & Method Statement: UK Template Guide
Scaffolding and mobile access towers are involved in a disproportionate number of the serious and fatal injuries on UK construction sites every year. Falls from scaffold, scaffold collapses, and objects falling from scaffold onto people below are all preventable — but only if the access equipment is correctly selected, properly erected, regularly inspected, and used by people who know what they are doing.
A scaffold risk assessment is not optional. Whether you are erecting a full tube-and-fitting scaffold, using a mobile tower, or working from a proprietary system, the Work at Height Regulations 2005 require a suitable and sufficient risk assessment before work begins. This guide covers what that assessment must contain and what additional documentation you need.
Types of scaffold used in UK construction
Understanding which type of scaffold you are using matters because the risk assessment, the legal requirements, and the competency needed differ for each.
Tube and fitting scaffold — traditional scaffold constructed from tubes and couplers. Versatile and used for most external facades, it must be designed, erected, and inspected by competent scaffolders. Complex or heavily loaded structures should be designed by a structural engineer. Operatives working on it do not need to be qualified scaffolders, but those erecting, altering, or dismantling it do.
System scaffold — proprietary scaffold systems such as Kwikstage, Layher, or Haki. Faster to erect than tube-and-fitting and self-aligning, but still requires competent erection and inspection.
Mobile tower scaffold — aluminium or fibreglass frames assembled into a freestanding tower, typically up to 8.2m working platform height for outdoor use. The most commonly misused type of access equipment on UK construction sites. PASMA (Prefabricated Access Suppliers' and Manufacturers' Association) training is the recognised competency standard for mobile tower assembly and use.
Birdcage scaffold — internal scaffold filling a full room or hall, used for work on ceilings. Requires careful design to ensure adequate load bearing and safe access.
Slung and suspended scaffold — scaffold hung from an overhead structure rather than supported from below. Requires engineering input and specific competency.
Legal requirements for scaffold and mobile access towers
Work at Height Regulations 2005 — the primary legislation. All work at height must be planned, supervised, and carried out by competent persons. Equipment used for work at height must be suitable, stable, and of sufficient strength. Inspection records must be kept.
BS EN 12811 — the European standard for temporary works equipment, including scaffold. While not legislation in itself, compliance with this standard is the benchmark for what constitutes a safe and properly designed scaffold.
LOLER 1998 (Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) — applies to any scaffold used for lifting operations, including gin wheels and hoist systems attached to scaffold.
PUWER 1998 (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) — applies to mobile towers and other scaffold equipment, requiring that equipment is suitable, maintained, and inspected.
CDM 2015 — scaffold and temporary works must be considered in the construction phase plan. On notifiable projects, temporary works designs — particularly for complex scaffold — should be included in the pre-construction information.
PASMA and competency for mobile towers
PASMA training is the industry-recognised standard for mobile tower assembly and use. A PASMA card is widely required by principal contractors before operatives are permitted to erect or use mobile towers on site.
The PASMA Mobile Towers course covers: working safely at height, hazard identification, tower selection and planning, assembly and dismantling, and pre-use inspections. It is typically a one-day course resulting in a five-year PASMA card.
For tube-and-fitting scaffold, the recognised competency scheme is CISRS (Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme), with separate cards for trainees, basic scaffolders, advanced scaffolders, and scaffold inspection operatives.
The risk assessment for mobile tower use must confirm that operatives have the appropriate competency. Allowing an untrained operative to erect or move a mobile tower is a common cause of collapse incidents.
What must a scaffold risk assessment include?
A compliant risk assessment for mobile tower scaffold or other scaffold use must address:
Task and scope description — what work is being carried out from the scaffold, at what height, and in what environment. An indoor mobile tower in a warehouse is a different risk profile from an outdoor tower on a windswept flat roof.
Hazard identification — the core hazards to assess include: falls from the platform, falling objects (tools, materials, debris), scaffold instability (ground conditions, overloading, impact from plant), proximity to overhead lines, wind and weather, and unauthorised access or use.
Ground conditions — a mobile tower erected on soft, sloping, or uneven ground is inherently unstable. The risk assessment must confirm that ground conditions have been assessed and that outriggers or base plates are used where required.
Working platform dimensions and load — the platform must be of sufficient size for the task, have adequate edge protection (guard rails, toe boards), and must not be overloaded. The maximum working load is specified by the manufacturer and must not be exceeded.
Assembly and movement — mobile towers must be assembled in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions. They must not be moved with anyone on them unless specifically designed for this and assessed as safe to do so. The risk assessment must address the assembly sequence and the controls for moving the tower.
Inspection requirements — see below.
Emergency arrangements — what to do if someone falls, is trapped, or the tower collapses.
Scaffold inspection requirements
The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require that any scaffold from which a person could fall more than 2 metres must be inspected by a competent person:
- Before first use
- After any event likely to have affected its stability (storm, impact, modification)
- At intervals not exceeding 7 days
The inspection must be recorded in writing. The record must be kept until the scaffold is dismantled. For scaffolds remaining on site beyond the project, records must be kept for a further three months.
For mobile towers, a pre-use inspection should be carried out every time the tower is assembled or moved to a new location, regardless of the 7-day rule.
RAMS for scaffold and mobile tower use
If you are using scaffold or mobile towers as part of your scope of work, your RAMS should cover the scaffold use specifically — not just reference it generically. Principal contractors will want to see that you have assessed the scaffold-specific hazards and that your operatives are competent to use it.
For mobile tower scaffold specifically, your method statement should describe: the assembly sequence, the ground condition check, the maximum platform height and load, the inspection process, and how the tower will be safely moved between positions.
→ Mobile Tower Scaffold Risk Assessment & RAMS template
→ Working at Height Risk Assessment template
For ongoing site monitoring of scaffold — weekly inspection records and scaffold register:
Written by the SafetyPod team — NEBOSH-qualified H&S professionals with hands-on experience across UK construction, civil engineering, and facilities management. All content is written to current HSE guidance and CDM 2015 compliance.
Last reviewed: June 2026