The scaffold and its components must be inspected by a competent person before every work shift.

Quick Scoop

Under OSHA and similar safety standards, a “competent person” is someone who has the knowledge to recognize scaffold hazards and the authority to correct them on the spot. This is the individual officially responsible for inspecting all scaffolds and their components before each work shift and after any event that could affect structural integrity, such as storms, impacts, or alterations.

What “competent person” really means

  • Has sufficient training and experience to identify existing and predictable hazards in scaffolds and their environment.
  • Has the authority from the employer to take prompt corrective actions, including stopping work and ordering repairs or dismantling unsafe scaffolds.
  • Is typically a trained supervisor, foreman, or designated scaffold inspector, not just any worker on site.

A simple example: on a construction site, the company may appoint a scaffold supervisor who has completed formal scaffold safety training to act as the competent person; this supervisor inspects planks, frames, ties, guardrails, and access points before each shift and signs or updates the scaffold tag to show it is safe to use.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.