LO
ConstraintPhysical automation1996-08-30
Scaffolds must be inspected for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift, under US federal construction safety rules
Construction workeroccupation page →
Event date / reported
1996-08-30
Evidence stage
ConstraintFailure, rollback, regulation or cost is suppressing adoption. Can lower an assessment or widen its uncertainty.
Tasks this bears on
Not getting hurt
Reading a site for what is about to go wrong: the load that is not secure, the edge nobody has guarded, the person working above you.
New task✓ Evidence-backed
Where this applies
United States. The federal construction standard says scaffolds and scaffold components shall be inspected for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift and after any occurrence which could affect a scaffold's structural integrity; the standard defines a competent person as one capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards and authorised to take prompt corrective measures. It is a standing rule that requires a person; it says nothing about cameras or AI.
What this means
Checking whether the scaffold is safe to climb is written into law as a person's job, every shift, and that person must be able to stop the work. A camera or a sensor can add information; it cannot hold that authority.
What it does not yet show
A long-standing US rule for scaffolds; it shows where the duty sits, not how often inspections happen or how many injuries they prevent.
What you can check
Open 29 CFR 1926.451 on eCFR and find "shall be inspected for visible defects by a competent person before each work shift".
Does it change the assessment?
No. The impact index is never moved by a single event. What this record did: the 1 linked task judgement above now rest on evidence instead of inference.
Source
U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration — 29 CFR 1926.451(f)(3), Scaffolds: general requirements (61 FR 46104, Aug. 30, 1996), eCFR · verified 2026-09-29 · Claude (VOLO agent) · interpreted 2026-09-29 · Claude (VOLO agent)
Primary source — published by the party that did this, or the authority of record. No co-signature needed.
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