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Tools for scaffolding

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Scaffolding is the one area on this site where the tools are the small part. A tube and fitting scaffold is a designed structure, and in the UK erecting, altering or dismantling one requires competence and, for anything beyond basic configurations, a design. All 36 tools and fittings here are described so you can understand what a scaffold is made of and inspect one, which is a different thing from building one.

23 are marked essential to the trade. The competence requirement is not a tool and comes first.

Part of the full construction tools list, 102 tools in 10 groups.

Scaffolder's hand tools 9

A short list, carried on a belt, and almost everything is done with the first item.

  • A scaffold ratchet spanner with a socket head and a tapered podger endEssential

    Scaffold ratchet spanner

    A ratchet with a 7/16 inch AF socket for coupler nuts and a tapered podger end for aligning tubes. The one tool a scaffolder is never without.

  • A steel podger spanner with a long tapered point and an open spanner endEssential

    Podger spanner

    A tapered steel bar with a spanner end, used to lever tubes into alignment and hold a fitting while the nut is run up. Also a lethal dropped object.

  • A 600mm aluminium spirit level with two bubble vialsEssential

    Spirit level

    Ledgers must be level and standards plumb, because an out of plumb standard is carrying its load off axis. A 600mm level is what gets carried up.

  • A retractable steel tape measure with a yellow case, blade partly extendedEssential

    Tape measure

    Lift heights, bay lengths and guard rail heights are all specified figures. This is the tool that turns a guideline into a compliant scaffold.

  • A chrome click type torque wrench with a scale on the handle

    Torque wrench

    Couplers are specified to a torque figure, usually around 50Nm. Tightening by feel leaves some loose and some with damaged threads.

  • A steel scaffold hammer with a square head and a wooden handle

    Scaffold hammer

    For seating a fitting and knocking a tube through a stubborn coupler. Struck onto tube rather than onto a nut, which would deform the thread.

  • Scaffolder's belt: A leather scaffolder's tool belt with spanner frog holstersEssential

    Scaffolder's belt

    Frog holsters for spanners and a loop for the podger, so nothing is carried in a hand or a pocket. Everything at height is a dropped object risk.

  • Two coiled tool lanyards with karabiner clipsEssential

    Tool lanyards

    Coiled tethers connecting each tool to the belt. A dropped spanner from ten metres is the commonest cause of serious injury to people below.

  • Chalk and marker: A chalk line reel and a black marker pen

    Chalk and marker

    Marking base positions on the ground and tie locations on the building. Setting out on the ground is what stops a lift arriving out of square.

Tube and fittings 11

The structure itself. Knowing which coupler is which is the point of this group.

  • Three lengths of galvanised steel scaffold tube stacked togetherEssential

    Scaffold tube

    48.3mm galvanised steel or aluminium, in set lengths. Steel is stronger and heavier; aluminium is lighter and has a lower load rating.

  • Right angle couplerEssential

    Right angle coupler

    Load bearing, joining two tubes at ninety degrees. The main structural fitting, and the one a putlog coupler must never be substituted for.

  • Swivel coupler: A galvanised swivel scaffold coupler with a rotating joint and two jawsEssential

    Swivel coupler

    Load bearing and rotates, so it joins tubes at any angle. What fixes diagonal bracing, which is the component that stops a frame racking.

  • Putlog coupler: A galvanised putlog scaffold coupler with a single clamping jaw and a hook

    Putlog coupler

    Not load bearing. Fixes a transom to a ledger and nothing structural. Visually similar to a right angle coupler and rated for a fraction of the load.

  • Sleeve coupler: A galvanised external sleeve scaffold coupler with two clamping bands

    Sleeve coupler

    Joins two tubes end to end externally, carrying load across the joint. A joint pin sits inside instead and carries less, which matters in a standard.

  • A galvanised steel scaffold base plate with a central spigotEssential

    Base plate

    A steel plate with a spigot that spreads a standard's load. Adjustable ones take up ground level variation without packing under a leg.

  • Two heavy timber scaffold sole boardsEssential

    Sole boards

    Timber under the base plates spreading load onto soft ground. Without them a leg sinks, and a sinking leg redistributes load across the frame.

  • Three scaffold boards with galvanised banded ends, stackedEssential

    Scaffold boards

    Graded timber with banded ends, fully supported and within their span rating. A board over long a span deflects and a deflecting board is a trap.

  • Scaffold ties: A galvanised scaffold ring tie anchor with a threaded eyeEssential

    Scaffold ties

    Fix the scaffold to the building, which is what stops it moving away from the face. The component most often removed for convenience and least safely.

  • Two galvanised scaffold toe board clips

    Toe board clips

    Hold a toe board upright against a standard. Toe boards stop tools and material being kicked off the platform, which is their whole function.

  • A galvanised expanding scaffold joint pin with a central bolt

    Joint pin

    An expanding pin inside two tube ends, joining them internally. Neater than a sleeve coupler and it carries less load, so it is not a straight swap.

Mobile towers and low level access 8

The realistic option for most non trade work, and the one a trained person may assemble.

  • An aluminium mobile access tower with a guarded platform and castor wheelsEssential

    Mobile access tower

    A prefabricated aluminium tower with a guarded platform, assembled to the manufacturer's instruction sequence. PASMA training covers this.

  • Stabilisers: Two aluminium tower stabiliser outrigger legs with adjustable feetEssential

    Stabilisers

    Outriggers that widen the base, which is what makes a tall narrow tower stable. The component most often left off because it takes up floor space.

  • Locking castors: Two heavy duty locking castor wheels with brake leversEssential

    Locking castors

    Wheels with brakes, and the tower is never moved with anyone on it. An unbraked castor is how a tower travels while someone is working from it.

  • Hop up platform: A folding metal hop up work platform with a mesh deck

    Hop up platform

    A low guarded platform for work under two metres, which covers a great deal of interior work with far less setup than a tower.

  • Podium steps: A mobile podium step platform with guard rails and a gate

    Podium steps

    A guarded platform on castors for a couple of metres, with a gate. Far safer than a stepladder for anything that takes more than a minute.

  • Trestles and staging: Two metal trestles supporting an aluminium staging board

    Trestles and staging

    A staging board between two trestles for low level work along a length. Needs edge protection above two metres, which is often overlooked.

  • Access ladderEssential

    Access ladder

    Tied at the top, extending a metre above the platform, at roughly a 75 degree angle. A ladder is for access rather than for working from.

  • Scafftag holder: A yellow plastic scaffold inspection tag holder with an insert cardEssential

    Scafftag holder

    The tag at the access point recording the last inspection. No tag or an out of date tag means the scaffold should not be climbed.

Fall protection and site kit 8

Needed during erection and dismantling, when the edge protection does not yet exist.

  • Full body harness: A full body safety harness with leg loops and a dorsal D ringEssential

    Full body harness

    Worn during erection and dismantling, when guard rails are not yet in place. Inspected before each use and it needs a rated anchor to be worth anything.

  • Shock absorbing lanyard: A shock absorbing fall arrest lanyard with a scaffold hook and a packEssential

    Shock absorbing lanyard

    A tether with a tear strip that limits the arrest force on the body. Its deployed length dictates the minimum clearance below, which has to exist.

  • A white safety helmet with a chinstrap and an adjustable harnessEssential

    Safety helmet

    With a chinstrap, since an unstrapped helmet leaves your head on the way down or when you look up. Vented ones are for heat, not for impact.

  • A pair of leather palmed rigger gloves with reinforced knucklesEssential

    Rigger gloves

    Galvanised tube and coupler threads shred hands, and cold wet steel is worse. Enough grip to feel a nut and enough protection to handle tube all day.

  • Safety boots: A pair of brown leather safety work boots with steel toecapsEssential

    Safety boots

    Toe protection and a midsole plate, because dropped tube and protruding nails are both routine. Ankle support for standing on boards all day.

  • A roll of green scaffold debris netting partly unrolled

    Debris netting

    Contains dropped material and dust, and it also adds wind loading to the scaffold, which is why it is part of the design rather than an addition.

  • Barriers and signage: Two red and white plastic barrier panels with a warning sign

    Barriers and signage

    Keeps the public out of the area beneath. Where a scaffold crosses a pavement this is a licensing requirement rather than a courtesy.

  • A metal scaffold gin wheel pulley with a rope and a hook

    Gin wheel

    A pulley and rope for raising materials, with a rated load. Carrying tube up a ladder by hand is how both the tube and the person come down.

Choosing scaffolding tools

The list above is what exists. This is how to decide which of it you actually need, what separates a tool worth keeping from one that ends up at the back of a drawer.

Who is allowed to erect a scaffold

In the UK, scaffolding must be erected, altered and dismantled by a competent person, which in practice means CISRS carded scaffolders. Basic configurations can follow the recognised guidance; anything outside them requires a bespoke design from a competent designer.

This is not a formality. Scaffold collapses and falls from height are among the most serious construction incidents, and the responsibility falls on whoever put it up and whoever allowed it to be used. Hiring a scaffolder is the correct answer for almost every reader.

Competent person only
CISRS carded in practice. This applies to altering an existing scaffold too.
Standard or designed
Basic configurations follow recognised guidance. Anything else needs a design.
Do not alter one
Removing a tie or a brace to get access is how a scaffold fails. Ask the scaffolder.
Tower alternative
A mobile tower can be assembled by a PASMA trained person and covers many small jobs.

Inspection is a legal duty

A scaffold must be inspected by a competent person before first use, after any alteration or event that could affect its stability, and at intervals not exceeding seven days. The inspection is recorded and the record kept.

In practice a scafftag at the access point shows the last inspection date. An untagged or out of date scaffold should not be used, and that is a decision for the person about to climb it as much as for the site manager.

Before first use
And after any alteration, and after severe weather. Not just weekly.
At least every seven days
Recorded, with the record retained. That interval is a maximum, not a target.
Check the tag
No tag or an out of date tag means do not use it, whatever anyone says.
Report and stop
A missing brace or board is a reason to get off, not to work more carefully.

What the parts are called

Standards are the vertical tubes. Ledgers run horizontally along the length, transoms run across and carry the boards. Braces run diagonally and are what stop the whole frame racking. Base plates spread the load onto sole boards.

Ties connect the scaffold to the building, and they are the component most often interfered with because they are in the way. Removing one changes the structure's stability, which is why it is a scaffolder's decision and not a convenience.

Standards, ledgers, transoms
Vertical, along, across. Transoms carry the boards you stand on.
Braces stop racking
The diagonals. A scaffold without them is a parallelogram waiting to happen.
Ties hold it to the building
The most commonly removed component and one of the most important.
Base plates and sole boards
Spread the load. On soft ground this is what stops a leg sinking.

Couplers and what they can carry

A right angle coupler is load bearing and joins tubes at 90 degrees. A swivel coupler joins them at any angle and is also load bearing. A putlog coupler is non load bearing and only fixes a transom to a ledger.

Using a putlog coupler where a right angle one belongs is a classic and dangerous substitution, because it looks similar and carries a fraction of the load. Torque matters too: a coupler is tightened to a specified figure, not to feel.

Right angle is load bearing
The main structural fitting. Joins tubes at ninety degrees.
Swivel for any angle
Also load bearing. Used for bracing that is not at ninety degrees.
Putlog is not load bearing
Looks similar, carries a fraction. Substituting one is a genuine hazard.
Torque to spec
Usually around 50Nm. Tightened by feel means some are loose and some are damaged.

Working on a platform

A working platform needs guard rails at the correct heights, toe boards to stop things being kicked off, and boards that are fully supported and not overhanging beyond their allowance. Gaps between boards and the building are a fall risk in themselves.

Everything carried up should be secured or in a bag, because a dropped spanner from ten metres is lethal to whoever is below. Debris netting and a controlled area beneath are part of the arrangement, not decoration.

Guard rails and toe boards
Both. Toe boards stop tools and material being kicked over the edge.
Boards fully supported
No excessive overhang, no traps, no gaps to the building face.
Nothing loose in a pocket
Tool lanyards and a bag. A dropped spanner is the commonest serious injury below.
Area below controlled
Netting, barriers, or nobody underneath. This is the scaffolder's arrangement to respect.

Frequently asked questions

Can I erect my own scaffolding?
In the UK it must be erected, altered and dismantled by a competent person, which in practice means a CISRS carded scaffolder. A mobile access tower is different: a PASMA trained person can assemble one, and that covers many domestic jobs at lower height.
What tools do scaffolders use?
A ratchet scaffold spanner, usually 7/16 inch AF, a level, a tape, a spirit level and a podger for aligning tubes. Beyond that it is the components themselves: tubes, boards, couplers, base plates, ties and the harness and lanyard system.
What is a scaffold ratchet spanner?
A ratchet with a 7/16 inch AF socket sized to a scaffold coupler nut, and usually a tapered podger end for aligning holes and levering tubes into position. It is the single tool a scaffolder is never without.
How often must scaffolding be inspected?
Before first use, after any alteration or event that could affect stability such as severe weather, and at intervals of no more than seven days. The inspection must be done by a competent person, recorded, and the record kept.
What is the difference between a right angle and a putlog coupler?
A right angle coupler is load bearing and is the main structural fitting joining tubes at ninety degrees. A putlog coupler is not load bearing and only fixes a transom to a ledger. They look similar and substituting one for the other is a real hazard.
What are the parts of a scaffold called?
Standards are the verticals, ledgers run horizontally along the length, transoms run across and carry the boards, and braces are the diagonals that stop the frame racking. Ties fix it to the building and base plates spread the load onto sole boards.
Can I remove a scaffold tie that is in my way?
No. Ties are what hold the scaffold to the building and removing one changes its stability. Altering a scaffold, including removing a tie, brace or board, is work for the scaffolder who erected it. Ask them to reposition it instead.
Do I need a harness on a scaffold?
A properly built scaffold with guard rails and toe boards is a safe working platform and does not require one. Harnesses are needed during erection and dismantling, when the edge protection does not yet exist, and they need a rated anchor point.