Seems simple enough. The intention behind weekly is to have the scaffolding checked for safety every seven days.

Your scaffolder is being what I like to refer to as "maliciously compliant".

If a scaffold must be inspected 'weekly' and the definition of weekly is "done, produced, or occurring once a week" (Oxford dictionary), then we need to know what a week is. Oxford defines a week as "a period of seven days generally reckoned from and to midnight on Saturday night". I would tend to side with the scaffolder on this. Other things to consider are that a 13-day gap between inspections would mean a shorter gap for the next inspection, and the scaffolding company is only one of the PCBUs responsible for scaffolds being 'safe'. When I did construction audits, a scaffold inspection was only considered not to have been completed if there was one clear week (midnight Saturday - midnight Saturday) gap between inspections.

Oxford defines a week as "a period of seven days generally reckoned from and to midnight on Saturday night". — Dave McBeth

My opinion is the first part of that definition is the important part - a period of seven days. The second part is just an additional qualifier that actually reinforces that the "start day" is arbitrary as it is only "generally reckoned", even more so when the other typical convention is a Mon-Sun week.

Other things to consider are that a 13-day gap between inspections would mean a shorter gap for the next inspection — Dave McBeth

Which could literally be done the next day to "tick the box" for the next week. Take this to the extreme and you could (based on a Sun-Sat week) inspect the scaffold at 11:55pm Saturday night for one week, go have a 10 minute smoko break and come back at 12:05am Sunday morning to complete the next weeks inspection. I know that is an absurd conclusion, but it is also a logical conclusion.

he scaffolding company is only one of the PCBUs responsible for scaffolds being 'safe'. — Dave McBeth

This is a key point for me too, and what I think is most important the main contractors (and any subcontractor that uses the scaffold) to understand - the weekly inspections (regardless of how you actually define the time-frames) are actually the back-up measure for a "more" competent person to regularly check that no issues with the scaffold are being missed in the daily checks.

The scaffolding GPG states weekly ( yes that is 7 days) while in use and by the user prior to using the scaffold. Just like electrical test and tag the Scaf inspection only means that the scaffold is compliant to the GPG at that point in time.
Unfortunately many trades will alter the scaffold once the scaffold company has left the site , often making it unsafe. Scaffolders are encourage to take photos of their complete scaffold encase something go wrong between inspections
Scaffolds need to also be inspected after alterations and any storm or event that may adversely affect the safety of a scaffold, e.g. vehicle crashing into it.
Scaffolds not in use (scaftags pulled ) need to be inspected monthly 30 days +- 1 day or again after storms etc.
The person that inspects it must have the correct Certificate of competency for that type/ class of scaffold.
If the scaffold was erected on a Friday , then it needs to be inspected no later than the next Friday. If it is inspected earlier say a Wednesday then the 7 day count starts from that day, so no later than the following Wednesday.
If it was Thursday morning then that would probably be considered ok.
Remember that the user has a duty to check it is safe prior to use , just like anything else!
I recommend that you should always use a scaffolding company belonging to SARNZ.
Please don't alter scaffolds, thanks

Good points Matt. You mention that the second part of the definition of a week is an 'additional qualifier' and that the definition of a week should be "a period of seven days". I'm not sure that cherry picking parts of a dictionary definition is great practice. If I was standing in front of a magistrate my sphincter might be giving me trouble at that point.

Your comment, though, on 11:55pm and 12:05 am potential timing for inspections is valid, although, as you say, absurd. Having inspections exactly seven days apart is ideal, but things like public holidays, pandemics, higher priority work etc. mean that it may not be feasible. Also, the day may not always be suitable for the client.

Couple of examples where weekly can be viewed differently: I recently had to have weekly blood tests, but my specialist didn't insist on a particular day. He was happy as long as it was completed once in each week. However, if someone has to report to the police weekly (I've had no experience of this!!) a time, date, and location are usually stipulated. Both are required weekly but, in each case, weekly has a different meaning.

If the intention for weekly inspections was to be so prescriptive in the inspections of scaffolds, it should have been determined to occur 'every seven days' as opposed to weekly. I believe weekly is an indication of frequency, not an arbitrary measure. That way it allows for the vagaries of the workplace without putting undue pressure on those involved.

Thanks@David Sopp - just have to drop in here that you are a SARNZ Life Member and ex-board member just to put a bit more weight behind your reply.

Thanks Matt :smile:

Your comment, though, on 11:55pm and 12:05 am potential timing for inspections is valid, although, as you say, absurd. Having inspections exactly seven days apart is ideal, but things like public holidays, pandemics, higher priority work etc. mean that it may not be feasible. Also, the day may not always be suitable for the client. — Dave McBeth

If the intention for weekly inspections was to be so prescriptive in the inspections of scaffolds, it should have been determined to occur 'every seven days' as opposed to weekly. I believe weekly is an indication of frequency, not an arbitrary measure. That way it allows for the vagaries of the workplace without putting undue pressure on those involved. — Dave McBeth

I get the feeling we're basically on the same line of thought but just coming from different directions - essentially "don't take the piss", or more (or less) elegantly put "comply with the intent of the requirement, not just the wording".
Interesting that AS/NZS4576-1995, which has different sections for Australian and NZ requirements, actually states the inspection frequency in both ways:

• Australia - At intervals not exceeding 30 days
• NZ - weekly while the scaffold is in use.

Although this does highlight the arbitrariness of the stated time frames as for essentially the same scaffold you would have to inspected it 4x more frequently in NZ than Australia (under the standard's requirements anyway). And this comes down to the key issue in play - miscommunication; If I say weekly (and I mean within 7 days of the last inspection) and you say weekly (and you mean anytime within the following week), but we don't say the quiet parts out loud then there is an issue. However if we do say the quiet parts that opens the conversation to understand and come to an agreement that both parties accept. In the case of these scaffold inspections I see it as:

• we want the scaffolds to be inspected on a regular basis every 7 days, or so,
• they want to comply with the GPG for scaffolds, without setting themselves up to fail.

then lets agree that inspections will be done approximately every 7 days, i.e. +/- 2 days, to allow for public holidays, pandemics, higher priority work etc. and that if there is a need to push any inspection outside of that time frame the scaffolder just has to let us know when it will be completed.

And this is why I was wanting to gauge the generally accepted "meaning" (hence the poll) - as if the scaffolder's position was more generally accepted (than mine) that would play a big part in the conversations I am currently having.

Good points Matt. You mention that the second part of the definition of a week is an 'additional qualifier' and that the definition of a week should be "a period of seven days". I'm not sure that cherry picking parts of a dictionary definition is great practice. If I was standing in front of a magistrate my sphincter might be giving me trouble at that point. — Dave McBeth

My point was that phrase "generally reckoned" implies there are also other accepted start/end days - e.g. the typical Mon-Sun week, but also that a week could be defined in a contract as beginning on the day the contract is signed and reoccurring on every 7 day after that, e.g. Wed-Tue.
Or in other words the second part of the sentence, "generally reckoned from and to midnight on Saturday night", is only providing an example to both clarify the definition and to provide information on the accepted norms (of the author).
Also this is only the definition "week", which when used in the definition of "weekly" you provided makes the start/end day irrelevant. Which is coincidentally analogous to the discussion on the scaffold inspection frequencies - we can either spend our time debating who's definition is right and who's is wrong (and not really getting anywhere) or we can try to understand the other-side's reasoning for their point of view and come to a mutually beneficial agreement. Which is what S34 of HSWA (PCBU must consult other PCBUs with same duty) is all about anyway.

David Sopp is on point as usual and has been heavily involved in the GPG and industry regulation for many years. His insights are invaluable, especially regarding SARNZ.

My husband and I own a scaffolding company and have faced this topic regularly over the years. It’s worth highlighting that we are generally the sub-trade to the main contractor. There needs to be greater awareness, as Dave mentions, that inspections are only a snapshot in time. The Client should ensure the structure is fit for purpose daily which is just as or even more important.

But the questions spreads wider to all temporary works I can think of. Consider safety nets, fencing, mobiles, propping or even lifting pads.

To help solve this challenge, we have developed EZICHEQ, a tool for the industry to manage the inspections process. A key function of the app is the daily inspection feature for clients, which is provided on the tag located at the entrance point. This tool offers the Client an easy step-by-step process to show you what to look for without needing to be an expert while also providing evidence and feedback loop. Check it out here