BS 5975:2019

BS 5975 gives recommendations for temporary structures on building sites, with practical guidelines on design, specification, construction and the use and dismantling of falsework. It should be noted that the changes in this revision affect Sections 1 and 2 only, and that Section 3 remains unchanged.

Who is this standard for?

Formwork and falsework clients

Principal contractors and sub-contractors

Designers of permanent works and/or temporary works

Suppliers of temporary works equipment

Professional bodies for construction management

Specialist consulting engineers

Construction companies

Energy and infrastructure services

Consultancy practices

Training providers

Government agencies

Health and safety advisors

Local authorities, councils and building control officers

Educators in universities and colleges

Why should you use this standard?

BS 5975 gives recommendations and guidance on the procedural controls to be applied to all aspects of temporary works. It also includes guidance on design, specification, construction, use and dismantling of falsework and guidance on permissible stress design of falsework. This guidance also applies to the design of what is termed “class A” falsework in BS EN 12812, the design of which is specifically excluded from BS EN 12812.

Section 1 of BS 5975 gives recommendations in relation to training and education.

Section 2 gives recommendations for the procedures required to ensure that temporary works are conceived, designed, specified, constructed, used and dismantled in a safe and controlled manner suitable for all construction projects.

The Standard recognizes that more complex projects require more control measures and that additional client-specific procedures might be required on major infrastructure projects. Section 2 includes clauses on the roles of clients, permanent works designers and construction management organizations.

Section 3 covers the design of temporary works and in particular the design of falsework and relevant formwork. It also covers:

Materials including material factors

Loads and load factors

Design of falsework, including both proprietary equipment and traditional scaffolding solutions

Wind loading (reference to temporary and permanent stability) and reference to other British Standards for the design of structural steelwork, reinforced concrete and excavation support.

The structural design element in this standard is additional information necessary for the structural design of falsework. It can be used in conjunction with existing structural standards.

What’s changed since the last update?

This edition revises Sections 1 and 2 of the 2011 version. The principal changes are:

Details about the procedures which clients, permanent works designers and temporary works designers should adopt have been added.

The standard has been updated to take account of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM), particularly in respect of the interface between the design of permanent works and the design of temporary works.

Terms and definitions have been updated.

The principal contractor’s temporary works co-ordinator (PC's TWC) retains overall responsibility for the temporary works on the site, but where another contractor manages their own temporary works within that site, they have their own procedures and appoint their own TWC.