Boards with saw cuts and a bag of fittings short
The strike goes ahead. The gang finds boards cut to fit around a window, boards covered in render, a few tubes bent where a skip lorry hit the scaffold, and a count of fittings well short of what went out. They load what they have and bring it back.
The yard sorts it. Some boards are scrapped. The fittings are gone. Nobody tells the office in any detail, and even if they did, there are no photos and no record of what went out to that job in the first place.
Why damage is not charged back
Kit is damaged by other trades while the scaffold is standing, and the damage is found at strike, weeks later. Without a record of what was delivered and in what state, a charge is your word against the builder's.
- What was delivered to the job is not recorded item by item.
- Damage is found at strike with no photos taken.
- Missing items are noticed in the yard, not on site.
- Your terms on damage and loss are not applied consistently.
- The yard and the office do not talk about it.
What the lost kit costs
Replacing boards, tubes and fittings is a steady drain on a scaffolding business. When it is not charged back, it is simply absorbed. Over time, the stock gets thinner and the yard spends more on replacement. And builders learn that cutting boards costs them nothing.
It also affects the next job. Damaged boards that are not separated out properly in the yard can go back out on the next wagon, where they are either spotted on site and sent back, wasting a trip, or not spotted at all.
The strike-day kit check we build
- The loading list for each job records what went out, by item type and quantity.
- At handover, the gang lead takes photos of the scaffold, so condition at handover is on record.
- At strike, the gang lead records damaged items and missing counts on their phone by item type, with photos of the damage.
- Returns are checked in the yard against the loading list, and differences are added to the job.
- Damaged and missing items are priced from your damage and loss rates.
- The office reviews and approves charges, which are added to the customer's invoice with photos attached.
- Reports show damage and loss by customer and site, so you can raise it with repeat offenders.
| Record | Taken |
|---|---|
| What went out | Loading list at dispatch |
| Condition at handover | Photos at handover |
| Damage at strike | Photos and counts at strike |
| What came back | Yard check against loading list |
| Charge | Your rates, approved by the office |
Whether and how much to charge is your decision under your terms. The record gives you the evidence to do it.
What it changes
Charges for damage and loss are backed by photos and counts, so fewer are disputed. Customers who damage kit find out it costs them, and some change behaviour. The yard knows what to expect back. And you see which sites and customers are expensive to work for.
Does kit come back like this?
- Boards come back cut or covered in render.
- Fittings go missing on most jobs.
- You rarely charge for damage or loss.
- You have no record of what went out to each job.
- Builders dispute damage charges.