What Happened
In January 2025, a nine-metre scaffold being used for townhouse construction on the boundary of Ellerslie Racecourse in Peach Parade, Remuera, collapsed onto the public road. Wind conditions at the time contributed to the collapse, but WorkSafe’s investigation identified the root cause quickly: the scaffold was not anchored to the structure and was effectively free-standing. No fatalities resulted — the timing and trajectory of the collapse avoided the worst outcome — but the event was a serious harm incident that did not need to happen.
WorkSafe Northern Regional Manager Brad Duggan stated the position plainly: “Rakers, ties, and risk assessments are essential, not optional.”
What the Regulations Require
New Zealand’s scaffolding regulations under the Health and Safety at Work Act are specific about what scaffolds must withstand and how they must be secured:
- All scaffolds must be capable of withstanding both vertical and horizontal loads, including wind loads appropriate to the site’s exposure
- Scaffolds must be secured against movement, uplift, and overturning — not merely against collapse under vertical load
- Ties must be installed progressively as the scaffold rises, not at the end of construction
- Anchors must be tested for capacity before the scaffold is loaded
- Scaffolds in locations accessible to the public require exclusion zones, protective barriers, and regular inspections by a competent person
The Remuera collapse failed on the most fundamental of these requirements. A scaffold adjacent to a public road, rising nine metres, with no anchoring to the structure it was serving, did not meet any reasonable interpretation of these requirements.
High Winds Are Not an Excuse
A scaffold properly designed and anchored for its location should withstand the wind conditions characteristic of that location. Wellington scaffolds are designed and tied for Cook Strait wind exposure. Auckland scaffolds in exposed positions must similarly be engineered for the wind loads the site can reasonably experience. Wind is a foreseeable condition in New Zealand — not an act of God that excuses inadequate engineering.
WorkSafe has intensified its inspection and prosecution activity around scaffolding in recent years, specifically in response to the frequency and severity of collapse incidents. The regulator has the tools to prosecute both the scaffolding company and the principal contractor who engaged them. Both carry a duty of care.
The Practical Checklist
Before any scaffold is loaded on your site, confirm: it has been erected by a competent person, ties and rakers are installed progressively and at the correct intervals, anchors have been tested, the scaffold design accounts for wind loads at the site’s exposure, and an exclusion zone and inspection regime are in place if the public can access the area below. These are not aspirational standards — they are the minimum required to meet your legal obligations and protect the people who work on and around the structure.
