Temporary works companion content

On this page:
News and legislation
BS 5975 is currently going through consultation. To keep informed of progress, follow these British Standards Institution standards development pages:
BS 5975-1 Code of Practice for Temporary Works – Procedures, General Information and Design of Falsework. Part 1: Management procedures for the control of temporary works (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
BS 5975-2 Code of Practice for Temporary Works – Procedures, General Information and Design of Falsework. Part 2: The design of falsework (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Temporary works document templates
These templates are designed to support the exercises from the training courses and represent what is typically required from such documents:
- Design brief (PDF, 715KB)
- Temporary works register (PDF, 708KB)
- Inspection checklist and record (PDF, 1.2MB)
- Design and checks certificate (PDF, 708KB)
- Permit to load (PDF, 667KB)
- Permit to unload (PDF, 661KB)
It can be helpful to see forms used ‘in action’ to understand the level and type of information that is expected. These forms are completed examples based on the blank templates above. They are based on a scenario that is outlined in the first document in this list.
- Completed example - Scenario brief (PDF, 96KB)
- Completed example - Design brief (PDF, 130KB)
- Completed example - Temporary works register (PDF, 172KB)
- Completed example - Inspection checklist and record (PDF, 139KB)
- Completed example - Design and checks certificate (PDF, 161KB)
- Completed example - Permit to load (PDF, 157KB)
- Completed example - Permit to unload (PDF, 189KB)
The following forms may apply to any construction project, they are therefore relevant to temporary works. These forms come from a wider collection of checklists and forms that accompany the GE700 publication.
A simplified temporary works flowchart has been developed with the support of Andun Engineering Consultants, the flowchart breaks the project steps down into:
- Role appointment
- Process
- Key TW document
Download a copy of the simplified flowchart (PDF, 163KB)
The full flowchart, on which this is based, can be found at http://andun.co.uk/temporary-works-flowchart (External link - Opens in a new tab or window).

Case studies
This below accordion contains links to articles relating to 11 key incidents, that trainers may choose to develop into case studies or scenarios to support exercises or the wider scheme of work.
Download all case studies as PDF documents (Zip, 15.26MB)
1972 | London Bridge, Reading
2000 | Cardiff
- Firms fined over scaffolding collapse, BBC News Wales (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Cardiff Scaffold Collapse Dec 2000, Scaff Mag (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Scaffold collapse – Cardiff, Safetyphoto.co.uk (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
2004 | Singapore
- Nicoll Highway collapse, Singapore Government Agency Website (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Revisiting lessons learned from the Nicoll highway Collapse, Scaff Mag (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- The collapse of the Nicoll Highway_SCOSS (PDF, 163KB) (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
2008 | Stroud
- Risk management briefing, Construction Industry Council (PDF, 26KB) (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- First corporate manslaughter conviction delivers £385,000 penalty, SHPonline (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
2011 | Great Yarmouth
2011 | Battersea
- Piling rig topples in Battersea, Construction Enquirer (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Piling platform failure, CROSS safety report (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
2016 | Watford
- Company fined after worker paralysed by fall at Watford Football Stadium, SHPonline (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Revealed raft of safety failings that led to tragic Watford Stadium collapse (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
2017 | Cricklewood
2017 | Luton
2019 | Bristol
- Rail line closed after 4,000t replacement bridge gets stuck in mud, New Civil Engineer (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Gipsy Patch Lane mega-bridge move runs into trouble on soft ground, Stoke Gifford Journal (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
2021 | Warrington
- Scaffolding collapses onto train line throwing services into chaos, Cheshire Live (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Scaffolding collapse causes travel chaos, Scaff Mag (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- RIDDOR dangerous occurrence scaffold failure, Network Rail (PDF, 91KB) (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Further Reading
The below accordion contains a selection of further reading that includes standards and guidance. Where the document is freely available a direct link has been included.
Andun: https://andun.co.uk/ (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
British Standards Institution (BSI): https://shop.bsigroup.com (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- BS 5975:2019 Code of practice for temporary works procedures and the permissible stress design of falsework
- BS 7121, Parts 1 to 14, Code of practice for safe use of cranes
- BS EN 12811-4:2013 Temporary works equipment - Protection fans for scaffolds. Performance requirements and product design
- BS EN 12812:2008 Falsework. Performance requirements and general design.
CIRIA: www.ciria.org (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- C579 (2003). Retention of masonry façades – Best practice guide
- C589 (2003). Retention of masonry façades – best practice site handbook
In particular:
- oBook C: General safety (Chapters 04, 07 and 09)
- oBook D: High risk activities
- oBook F: Specialist activities (Chapter 03).
CITB: CDM guidance for designers
Concrete Centre: www.concretecentre.com/Publications-Software.aspx (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Concrete Society: www.concrete.org.uk (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- CS030 (2012). Formwork – A guide to good practice. Third edition.
Construction Plant Hire Association: https://www.cpa.uk.net (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Ground Conditions for Construction Plant (2014). Good practice guide (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Definition of Engineering Terms Relating to Piling, Excavations and Temporary Works Design (STIG TIN 201) (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- CSG005: Guide to the safe use of formwork and falsework (2008)
HSE: www.hse.gov.uk (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- L153: Managing health and safety in construction, Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. Guidance on Regulations (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- CIS56, Safe erection, use and dismantling of falsework (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- HSG48, Reducing error and influencing behaviour (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- RR834 (2011) Preventing catastrophic events in construction (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- HSG150 Health and safety in construction (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- SIM 02/2010/04 The management of temporary works in the construction industry (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
HMSO:
ICE Publishing: www.icevirtuallibrary.com (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Pallett, PF and Filip, R (2018). Temporary Works: Principles of Design and Construction. Second edition
- McAleenan, C and Oloke, D (2010). ICE Manual of Health and Safety in Construction
- Hewlett, W., Jones, A., Marchand, S. and Bell, B (2014). Re-visiting Bragg to keep UK's temporary works safe under EuroNorms (External link - Opens in a new tab or window) (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
The Institution of Structural Engineers: https://www.istructe.org (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
NASC: www.nasc.org.uk/information (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- TG20:21: Good practice guidance for tube and fitting scaffolding
- TG9:18: Guide to the design and construction of temporary roofs and buildings (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Pallett Temporary Works Limited: http://www.temporaryworks.info (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Steel Construction: http://www.steelconstruction.org (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
The Structural Engineer: www.istruct.org/journal (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
These largely reference to permanent works but the principles apply to temporary works.
- Carpenter, J. (2003). Practical application of risk management, The Structural Engineer, 15 July 2003, pp.19–20 (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- Carpenter, J. (2010) A simple approach to the management of risk on civil and structural engineering projects: how to get on with ERIC, The Structural Engineer, 7 April 2010, p.20 (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Temporary Works forum: www.twforum.org.uk/home (External link - Opens in a new tab or window) (see ‘Resources’)
- TW16.005 Rev A. TWf Information Sheet No. 2 – Temporary works training (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- TW19.010. TWf Information Sheet No. 6 – The safe management of temporary works (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- TW21.081. TWf Information Sheet No. 13 – PAS 91, Construction prequalification questionnaires – Supplementary questions specific to temporary works (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- TW17.037. Principles for the management of temporary loads, temporary conditions and temporary works during the construction process (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- TW11.027, Rev F. Competencies of the TWC (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
- TW19.065/TWf2019:03. Temporary Works Procedure: Sample (External link - Opens in a new tab or window)
Temporary works: references (up to end of February 2020)
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