Risk Assessments · Mandatory · Pre-Construction

RAMS — Temporary Works

This RAMS covers the design, installation, maintenance, and removal of temporary works including propping, formwork, falsework, and temporary bracing. It follows the BS 5975 procedure requiring a temporary works coordinator and design checker. No loading of temporary works may occur until the design has been checked and a permit to load issued.

Last reviewed: 29 March 2026 — This guide reflects UK law as of this date. BS 5975 remains current with no amendments enacted as of 29 March 2026. Next scheduled review: 29 March 2027.

Legal basis	CDM 2015 Regulations 13 and 19 + Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Key standard	BS 5975-1:2024 and BS 5975-2:2024 (revised 2024, two-part standard replacing BS 5975:2019)
Who	Designated Individual (DI), Temporary Works Coordinator (TWC), Temporary Works Supervisor (TWS), TWD, TWDC
Design requirement	All temporary works must be designed or checked to an appropriate level before installation
Inspection	Before use, at prescribed intervals during use, and after any event that could affect stability
Removal	Temporary works must not be removed until formal permission is given by the TWC
Enforcing authority	Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

1. What It Covers

Temporary works are engineering structures or procedures that are needed during construction but do not form part of the permanent works. They include everything from trench support and formwork to facade retention schemes and crane bases. Temporary works failures cause some of the most catastrophic incidents on construction sites — collapses that kill and injure multiple people simultaneously, often without warning.

BS 5975 was revised in 2024 and is now published as a two-part standard: BS 5975-1:2024 (Code of practice for temporary works procedures) and BS 5975-2:2024 (Guidance and commentary). The revision reinforces the procedural management framework — particularly the roles of the Designated Individual, Temporary Works Coordinator, and the design check category system. CDM 2015 Regulations 13 and 19 require that the stability of structures (including temporary structures) is ensured at all times and that all practicable steps are taken to prevent danger from collapse.

“All practicable steps must be taken, where necessary to prevent danger to any person, to ensure that any new or existing structure...does not collapse.”— CDM 2015 Regulation 19(1)

Matrod Frampton Ltd prosecution — December 2025

In December 2025, Matrod Frampton Ltd was prosecuted following a temporary works failure on a residential development. The investigation found that propping to a party wall had been removed before the permanent works were complete and without authorisation from a Temporary Works Coordinator. The wall collapsed, seriously injuring two operatives. The court found that no temporary works register was maintained, no TWC had been appointed, and there was no formal procedure for authorising the removal of temporary supports. The case underlines that the procedural requirements of BS 5975 are not discretionary — they are the standard against which compliance is judged.

2. Categories of Temporary Works

Temporary works encompass a wide range of structures and support systems. The following table identifies the most common categories encountered on construction sites, together with typical examples and the key design considerations for each.

Category	Examples	Key design considerations
Earthworks support	Trench sheets, trench boxes, sheet piling, ground anchors	Soil type and condition, water table, surcharge loads from plant and materials, adjacent structures
Formwork and falsework	Slab formwork, wall formwork, falsework towers, table forms	Concrete pour pressure, rate of pour, striking times, prop loads, wind loading during erection
Propping and shoring	Acrow props, strongbacks, raking shores, dead shores	Load path, bearing capacity at top and bottom, eccentricity, adequacy of connections, sequential loading
Facade retention	Steel frame retention, needle and prop systems, buttressing	Wind loading, lateral stability, connection to retained facade, demolition sequence behind facade, monitoring
Scaffolding	Tube and fitting, system scaffold, birdcage scaffold, cantilever scaffold	Design to TG20 or specific design, tie spacing, foundation adequacy, cladding wind loads, loading bays
Plant foundations	Tower crane bases, piling rig platforms, mobile crane hard standings	Bearing capacity, ground investigation, load spread, drainage, proximity to excavations or retaining walls
Excavation support	Timber waling and struts, hydraulic bracing, secant piling, contiguous piling	Depth of excavation, ground conditions, water pressure, surcharge from adjacent structures, monitoring regime

3. Design Check Categories

BS 5975-1:2024 classifies temporary works into design check categories (Cat 0 to Cat 3) based on the complexity and risk of the temporary works. The category determines the level of design and checking required. Assigning the correct category is a critical decision — under-categorisation leads to inadequate design scrutiny, while over-categorisation creates unnecessary cost and delay.

Category	Risk level	Design requirement	Check requirement
Cat 0	Negligible risk	No formal design required; standard proprietary equipment used in accordance with manufacturer instructions	No independent check required; TWC confirms compliance with manufacturer guidance
Cat 1	Low risk	Simple design or selection from proprietary system tables (e.g. Acrow prop safe loads, trench box selection)	Self-check by the designer; TWC reviews and accepts the design
Cat 2	Medium risk	Full engineering design by a competent Temporary Works Designer (TWD)	Independent design check by a separate competent Temporary Works Design Checker (TWDC) who was not involved in the original design
Cat 3	High risk / complex	Full engineering design by a specialist TWD, often requiring advanced analysis (FEA, staged construction modelling)	Independent check by a TWDC with specialist expertise in the specific type of temporary works; may require third-party review

The TWC assigns the design check category — not the designer

A common error is allowing the temporary works designer to assign the design check category for their own work. BS 5975-1:2024 is clear that the Temporary Works Coordinator is responsible for assigning the category. This prevents a conflict of interest where a designer might under-categorise to avoid the cost and delay of an independent check.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

BS 5975-1:2024 defines a clear hierarchy of roles for managing temporary works. Each role carries specific responsibilities that must be formally assigned and documented. The table below sets out the five key roles.

Role	Abbreviation	Key responsibilities
Designated Individual	DI	Senior manager with overall accountability for the temporary works procedure on the project. Appoints the TWC and ensures the organisation has adequate resources, competence and procedures in place. Must be a named individual with authority to stop work.
Temporary Works Coordinator	TWC	Day-to-day management of the temporary works procedure. Maintains the temporary works register, assigns design check categories, ensures designs are completed and checked before installation, authorises loading and striking/removal. Must be competent and present on site or readily available.
Temporary Works Supervisor	TWS	Supervises the installation, maintenance and removal of temporary works on site. Reports to the TWC and confirms that temporary works have been installed in accordance with the design. Carries out or arranges inspections.
Temporary Works Designer	TWD	Produces the temporary works design including calculations, drawings and specifications. Must be a competent engineer with relevant experience in the type of temporary works being designed. Provides the design brief and construction information to the TWC.
Temporary Works Design Checker	TWDC	Carries out an independent check of the temporary works design for Cat 2 and Cat 3 items. Must be a competent engineer independent of the original designer. Signs off the design check certificate confirming the design is adequate.

5. Common Mistakes

No Temporary Works Coordinator appointed

BS 5975-1:2024 requires that a Temporary Works Coordinator is appointed for every project involving temporary works. The TWC is responsible for maintaining the register, assigning design check categories, and authorising loading and removal. Without a TWC, there is no procedural control over temporary works and no single point of accountability. This was the primary failing in the Matrod Frampton prosecution.

Removing temporary works without authorisation

Temporary works must not be removed until the TWC has given formal permission, confirmed that the permanent works are capable of carrying the loads, and the removal is recorded on the temporary works register. Premature removal — particularly of propping and shoring — is one of the most common causes of structural collapse on construction sites. The procedure must be as formal as the installation procedure.

Under-categorising the design check level

Assigning a Cat 1 (self-check) to temporary works that should be Cat 2 or Cat 3 (independently checked) is a dangerous shortcut. If a design error is not caught because no independent check was carried out, the consequences can be catastrophic. The TWC must assign the category based on risk and complexity — not cost or programme pressure.

No temporary works register maintained

The temporary works register is the central record of all temporary works on a project. It records each item, its design check category, design status, installation date, inspection dates, and removal authorisation. Without a register, there is no way to track the status of temporary works across the site, and items can be overlooked, removed prematurely, or left in place indefinitely.

Treating scaffolding as outside the temporary works procedure

Scaffolding is temporary works. It must be included in the temporary works register, assigned a design check category, and managed through the BS 5975 procedure. Complex scaffolds — including cantilever scaffolds, loading bays, and scaffolds supporting temporary roofs — are typically Cat 2 or Cat 3 and require independent design checking. Treating scaffolding as a separate process outside the temporary works procedure creates a gap in the management system.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Is BS 5975 a legal requirement?▾

BS 5975 is not itself a legal requirement — it is a British Standard code of practice. However, CDM 2015 Regulations 13 and 19 require that structures (including temporary structures) are stable at all times and that all practicable steps are taken to prevent collapse. BS 5975 is the recognised standard for achieving this, and the HSE treats compliance with BS 5975 as the benchmark in any investigation or prosecution. Departing from BS 5975 without a documented and justifiable alternative is very difficult to defend.

Who can act as a Temporary Works Coordinator?▾

The TWC must be a competent person with sufficient knowledge, experience, and authority to manage the temporary works procedure. They should understand the types of temporary works on the project, be able to assign design check categories, and have the authority to stop work if temporary works are not compliant. On smaller projects, the site manager may act as TWC provided they have the requisite competence. On larger or more complex projects, a dedicated TWC with an engineering background is normally required.

What changed in the 2024 revision of BS 5975?▾

The 2024 revision split BS 5975 into two parts: Part 1 (Code of practice for temporary works procedures) and Part 2 (Guidance and commentary). The procedural requirements are now in Part 1, with supporting guidance in Part 2. The revision reinforces the role hierarchy (DI, TWC, TWS, TWD, TWDC), clarifies the design check category system, and provides updated guidance on digital temporary works registers and BIM integration. The fundamental principles are unchanged, but the structure is clearer and the expectations for each role are more explicit.

Do Acrow props need a design under BS 5975?▾

Yes, but the level of design depends on the design check category assigned by the TWC. Simple propping using Acrow props within the manufacturer safe working load tables may be Cat 0 or Cat 1, requiring only confirmation that the prop selection is correct for the load and height. Complex propping arrangements — particularly where props are carrying significant structural loads, are heavily loaded, or are used in combination with other temporary works — may be Cat 2, requiring a formal design and independent check. The TWC must make this assessment for each item.

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