The Footing Bench — CPCCCM2008 Scaffold Footings

Your SWMS calls up a footing check before anyone climbs. Work through the site checklist below: dial in the leg load from your load table, then test footings on all four ground conditions. The Australian Standard for scaffolding — AS/NZS 1576.1, Scaffolding: General requirements — sets the bar: level, fully seated, and enough bearing area for the ground.

Load test — cross-section

Bearing pressure under the footing—

0ground capacity ▲

—

Animate the test

Build the footing

1 · Ground condition

2 · Sole board

3 · Base plate / screw jack

4 · Leg load — from the load table

2 kN6.0 kN12 kN

The expected load on one standard — dead load plus duty live load — worked out from the manufacturer’s load tables during planning.

Site checklist — get the sign-off 0 of 5 signed off

Sign-off complete. You’ve proven footings on all four ground conditions and caught a dodgy seat. Remember the three rules: sole boards spread the load, base plates sit level and fully seated, and soft ground needs a bigger bearing area.

📐 What AS/NZS 1576.1 expects of scaffold footings ▶

The scaffold must stand on a foundation that can carry the leg loads you determined from the load tables — without excessive settlement.
On any soil, bear the load through sole boards sized to suit the ground. A base plate alone belongs on sound concrete or similar hard standing.
Base plates must be centrally loaded, level, and fully seated over their whole area — never rocking on packing.
Use adjustable base plates (screw jacks) to bring standards plumb on uneven or sloping ground — and never wind a jack out past the manufacturer’s marked safe extension.
On slopes, bench the ground or bed sole boards level so every board bears fully. Re-check footings after rain — soft, wet ground loses capacity fast.
Record the footing check in your SWMS sign-off and the scaffold inspection log before handover.