I have been placed in charge of a shopping centre with some derelict buildings. One of the derlict buildings is a listed building. At some point in the past few years a structural scaffold has been put up to support part of the building. What checks should be carried out on the scaffold and at what frequency? Thanks in advance for your help. Rob

Structural shoring, such as you describe, comes under the definition of "Temporary Works". The principle guidance on managing temp works is BS5975 and guidance to HSE inspectors on the topic is at: www.hse.gov.uk/foi/inter.../construction/021004.htm Obviously in your case all the guidance about design coordination is no longer relevant. In terms of checking... try to get a copy of the original design/drawing, then get a competent scaffolder to check that it is still as designed and hasn't been 'modified' since it was first put up. If the original design isn't available you should involve a qualified engineer to confirm that the existing shoring is fit for purpose. An engineer should also be able to advise on an inspection scheme taking into account what activities are taking place in the area that might affect the shoring. Apart from inspecting the scaffold, the engineer may also want to have the building checked to ensure that the building hasn't been altered or degraded to a state where it can't take the loads imposed by the shoring. Finally an individual needs to be identified who has the responsibility of managing the temp works [i.e. ensuring that the assessments and checks take place; and that any future intended work to the building or the shoring is referred through a competent temp works engineer]

Thank you, I have found the original design and contacted a scaffold company to come and inspect.