Scaffold inspections must be carried out by a competent person. Although the regulations do not define a 'competent person', this would be taken as person who has an in-depth practical and theoretical knowledge of scaffolding. A competent person would also have actual experience of what they're inspecting so they would be able to detect any faults, errors, defects or weaknesses in the scaffold and act accordingly.

If a scaffold is being used for construction work and there's a chance that a person could fall two meters or more, then the user of the scaffold must ensure that the an inspection has been carried out by a competent person within the previous seven days. Details of this inspection must be recorded.

All scaffold materials must be inspected before use. Inspection must be carried out by a competent and experienced person. If any scaffold materials are deemed to be unserviceable than they should be clearly marked and removed from site to prevent accidental use.

The Work at Height regulations 2005 state that scaffolds and scaffold working platforms must not be used until inspected by competent person. This inspection must is normally known as the 'hand over' inspection.