Scaffolding handover certificates – your questions answered

As the UK trade body for access and scaffolding, the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) has recently received a number of enquiries from principal contractors relating to scaffolding handover certificates. Here, NASC Technical Advisor Dennis Braithwaite answers a selection of the most frequently asked questions.

Once the scaffolding contractor has completed the erection of a scaffold and it has been inspected by their competent person, the contractor should issue a handover certificate to the client.

This will advise the client that at the time of the handover the scaffold has been erected to the agreed specification, has been left in a condition suitable to perform the duty for which it is intended, and complies with the requirements of statutory regulations and, where applicable, any local authority requirements.

The countersigned certificate demonstrates that the client has acknowledged their responsibility to maintain the scaffold and to follow any loading limitations and other restrictions for its use.

Whilst there is no statutory requirement for a scaffold contractor to issue handover certificates, it is generally in the best interest of both parties to do so. The NASC therefore recommends that, for safety and traceability reasons, clients instruct scaffold contractors to issue them with a handover certificate for each completed and inspected scaffold, adapted scaffold or completed section of scaffolding.

The handover certificate may also be used as documentary evidence of the first statutory scaffold inspection, provided that it meets the requirements of Schedule 7 of the Work at Height Regulations 2005, so there is no need to also record this in the scaffold register. A signed copy of the handover certificate should, of course, be retained as a record of the inspection.

Once the scaffold structure has been inspected and handed over to the client it is the responsibility of the client, and not the scaffolding contractor, to ensure that mandatory inspections – ie seven-day inspections or after any event which could have affected the scaffold’s integrity – are performed in accordance with the Work at Height Regulations 2005.

In accepting the certificate, the client acknowledges the responsibility to perform the statutory scaffold inspections. However, in the event of the client not having a competent person to conduct subsequent inspections, that duty is often subcontracted to the scaffolding contractor or a specialist inspection company.

The handover certificate should also state whether any parts of the scaffolding do not comply with regulatory requirements which have been requested by the client. For example, if inner guard rails or toe boards are omitted where a significant gap exists that could lead to injury in order to gain clear access to the wall. In such cases, the client is responsible for devising and implementing a compensatory safe working method. Client requests that are not considered good practice, such as a non-preferred method of access, may be similarly recorded.

Whilst again this is not a legal requirement, handover certificates should always refer to any relevant design drawings or TG20 compliance sheets. As compliance sheets and design drawings usually contain essential information for the client, it is always beneficial for a copy of such documents to be issued at the time of handover.

It is generally agreed that copies of handover certificates should be kept for the duration of the contract and for at least three months thereafter. However, as injured persons can make claims for injuries up to three years after the incident occurred, some companies choose to retain copies for three years after the date when the scaffold has been dismantled to demonstrate that the scaffold was in good order at the time of handover.

Whilst scaffold inspections and recording in the scaffold register are mandatory, the use of scaffold inspection tags or electronic scaffold inspection devices is not. However, they are very useful as they clearly show the scaffold user that the scaffold has been inspected within the last seven days and, if used correctly, they will indicate when the scaffold is unsafe to use – a legal requirement under the Health and Safety at Work Regs. They are generally considered as good practice throughout the industry and often specified by clients in tender enquiry documents. q • For further reading and guidance see ‘SG35:21 Handover of Scaffold Structures and First Scaffold Inspection’ and ‘TG20:21 Operational Guide – Section 18.2’ which also contains a copy of the NASC recommended format for a handover certificate.