Do I Need a Temporary Design Certificate?

What are Temporary Works and how are they regulated?

Temporary works (TW) are defined by the HSE as “the parts of a construction project that are needed to enable the permanent works to be built. Usually the TW are removed after use - eg access scaffolds, props, shoring, excavation support, falsework and formwork, etc.”

In the UK, temporary works are standardised under BS 5975; the code of practice for temporary works procedures and the permissible stress design of falsework. The most recent revision was released in June 2019, primarily to align it with the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015, but also to allow subcontractors to plan and manage their own temporary works while ensuring that the principal contractor retains overall responsibility.

Do I need a Temporary Design Certificate?

Temporary works can be very sensitive and may affect, or be affected by, work taking place nearby. For these reasons, the HSE recommends that medium to large projects hire a Temporary Works Co-ordinator (TWC) to ensure that work is allocated and carried out in a manner that does not create unacceptable risk of harm to workers or members of the public.

For most large projects, it is also advisable to hire a Temporary Works Designer (TWD) who has had specialist training in calculating the structural stability of temporary frameworks. Of course, it is not always necessary to make these calculations from scratch; where the situation is small scale and straightforward, there may be a Temporary Design Certificate for a standardised solution. Whilst this will reduce the time spent on calculations, it is always advisable for the TWD to check that the ground is suitable for the equipment involved, and that the loading calculations are valid for this particular situation and the conditions on site.

Do RVT Group offer Temporary Design Certificates?

Most of our solutions are bespoke and so it would not be practical to offer standardised Temporary Design Certificates for all products; however our Soundex Cutting Enclosure is designed to be a stand-alone solution, and for that reason we do offer a Design Check Certificate, certified by PDMA Consulting Engineers Limited. We also have wind loading calculations available for the majority of our Soundex range.

For more information about our stand alone Soundex Cutting Enclosure, click here.

If you would like to request a copy of our Design Check Certificate or wind load calculations, please phone us on 0808 178 3286.