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Short answer

What must a scaffold tag show?

Where the law sets it, a scaffold tag shows who erected the scaffold, what it may carry and when it was last inspected; in the UK and US the tag is industry practice and the legal record is the inspection report. Below are the fields country by country.

By Ole Emil Frikstad Urstad · How the numbers are computed ·

Close-up of the corner where the long wall and the gable wall meet, with Jamax standards, decks, guardrails and toe boards in the ScaFix 3D model
The corner: the bays of the two walls meet, with deck, guardrail and toe board on each lift.

What must a scaffold tag show?

In Great Britain and the US no regulation prescribes a scaffold tag. The British legal record is the written inspection report, and Scafftags are industry practice; OSHA requires only warning tags for existing hazards. Norway, Germany, Denmark and Poland do set the sign's fields in law: who erected it, permitted loads, and the last inspection.

No. Regulation 12 of the Work at Height Regulations requires inspections and a written report; how often is covered in how often scaffolding must be inspected. HSE adds that a scaffold not available for use should carry general warning signs and be physically delineated. Neither asks for a tag.

The tag comes from the trade. Scafftag, a Brady brand, is a holder fixed at every legal access point, normally the ladder, and left on until dismantling (product description). The insert carries the inspections; the 2012 redesign gave it 12 inspection slots, the initial inspection on the front and space to record the drawing reference number (Scaffmag). NASC's SG35:21 covers the handover itself: completion checks, documentation, safe-use information and the first statutory inspection.

What does OSHA say about scaffold tags?

There is no tag rule in 1926.451; its only "tag" is the tag line for hoisted loads. In a 1992 interpretation, OSHA wrote that warning tags need not be placed on all scaffolds during erection, though a citation under 1926.200(h)(1) is possible case by case. Under 1926.200(h), accident prevention tags are a temporary warning of an existing hazard, never a substitute for signs. Red, yellow and green systems are company practice; the director of the Scaffold Training Institute, whose letter prompted the interpretation, described a green "OK" tag after final inspection as widely accepted practice in industrial plants.

Close-up of the corner where the long wall and the gable wall meet, with HAKI Universal standards, decks, guardrails and toe boards in the ScaFix 3D model
The corner: the bays of the two walls meet, with deck, guardrail and toe board on each lift.

Which fields does each country require?

CountryStatusErector and contactLoadsUse or limitsInspectionClause
Great BritainPracticeNot fixedNot fixedNot fixedSlots on the insertScafftag; SG35:21
United StatesHazard tags onlyNoneNoneWarningNone1926.200(h)
NorwayLawOwner, erector, contact with phonePermitted loadsNoneLast date and inspector§ 17-11
GermanyTechnical ruleName, address, phoneLoad and width classType, restrictions, warningsLast inspection dateTRBS 2121-1, 4.2.9
DenmarkLaw, fixed scaffolds over 2 mErecting firmScaffold class (AT)What it is forErection date, last inspectionBEK 428 § 98
SwedenNo field listNonePermitted load must be communicated (8 kap. 40 §), not necessarily on a signNoneDocumented check, handed overAFS 2023:11, 33–34 §§
PolandLawName or firm, phonePermissible loads of decks and structureNoneNone§ 111

Denmark's class column comes from Arbejdstilsynet's fact sheet, not § 98. In Sweden, suppliers sell a green sign (Ahlsell) and say AFS requires it, but the text asks for a documented check and handover papers, not a sign. Load classes are explained in scaffold load classes; what the inspector checks is in the inspection checklist.

What should a tag say while the scaffold is incomplete?

That it must not be used. Norway requires a sign forbidding use and a physical barrier (§ 17-8), Germany the D-P006 sign plus barriers (TRBS 4.4), Denmark warning signs and barriers (§ 99). Sweden: unfinished parts must be fenced off, with signs where the surrounding area is risky (AFS 2023:11, 8 kap. 25 §). The Dutch A-blad has the empty tag holder at the ladder read "do not enter" until the tag goes in.

ScaFix produces the plan and parts list for a scaffold, not its tag or inspection record.

Planning information, not legal advice. The national texts above decide what the sign must show, and the competent person who inspected the scaffold fills it in and updates it.

Frequently asked questions

Does OSHA require green, yellow and red scaffold tags?

No. OSHA prescribes no colour scheme; 1926.200(h) only requires tags as a temporary warning of an existing hazard. Colour systems are company or site rules.

Where should a scaffold tag be fixed?

At every access point, normally beside the ladder. Scafftag says all legal access points, Germany says at the access, and Norway asks for a sign that is easy to see.

What must a German scaffold sign show?

The erector's name, address and phone, the scaffold type, load and width class, any restrictions, warnings and the date of the last inspection, under TRBS 2121-1, 4.2.9.

Who updates the tag after an inspection?

The inspector. Norway requires the sign to be updated after each § 17-9 inspection, and Denmark has the sign endorsed after each inspection under § 97(2).

Is a handover certificate the same as a tag?

No. In the UK the handover under NASC SG35:21 is a documented transfer to the client, while the tag stays at the ladder and records later inspections.

Sources

Primary sources used for this article, with the date each was read.