RAMS for Temporary Works

Temporary works are structural arrangements installed during construction to support permanent works, adjacent structures, or excavations until the permanent structure can stand unaided. Propping, shoring, formwork, falsework, trench support, facade retention, and cofferdams are all examples. Unlike permanent works, they are designed to be removed — and that removal sequence is as safety-critical as the installation.

Legal Basis

The duty to assess risk sits in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), Regulation 3, which requires every employer to make a suitable and sufficient assessment of risks to employees and others affected by their undertaking. Temporary works fall squarely within that duty; a method statement and risk assessment (RAMS) is the documented output of that process.

CDM 2015 adds the structural layer: the Principal Contractor must plan, manage, and coordinate construction work so it is carried out safely, and temporary works — as load-bearing interventions — form a core part of that obligation. The Designers duty under CDM 2015 also extends to temporary works designers.

The industry standard governing temporary works management is BS 5975:2019. It requires the appointment of a Temporary Works Coordinator (TWC), a suitably experienced and competent individual who owns the process end-to-end: design briefing, independent design check, permit-to-load (authorisation to apply load to the temporary works), and permit-to-strike (authorisation to remove or dismantle). No element of temporary works should be struck without written authorisation from the TWC. This is a non-negotiable control — premature removal is a leading cause of collapse.

Categories of Design Check

BS 5975 defines categories of design check, numbered 0 to 3:

- **Category 0** — self-check by the designer, for simple standard solutions only. - **Category 1** — an independent check by another competent person within the same organisation. - **Category 2** — an independent check by a competent person organisationally separate from the design team. - **Category 3** — a full independent check by a separate organisation, for complex or high-consequence schemes (the highest level of independence).

The TWC determines which category applies based on risk and complexity. Category 0 is rarely sufficient for anything other than very low-risk, routine standard items.

Key Hazards and Control Hierarchy

**Structural collapse** is the primary hazard. The hierarchy demands: first, eliminate the need for temporary works through design (e.g., build in a sequence that removes propping requirements); substitute with a lower-risk method where feasible; apply engineering controls — correctly designed and checked props, frames, and shoring with rated capacities, installed to the approved scheme. Administrative controls follow: TWC permit system, competence verification for installers, daily pre-load inspections, and restriction of access beneath loaded temporary works. PPE — hard hats, safety footwear, high-visibility — is the last line of defence, not a substitute for any of the above.

**Excavation support** addresses trench collapse; this is a ground-stability hazard, not a confined-space issue. Trench support must be designed or selected from a proprietary system in accordance with the design intent, installed as soil is excavated, and never removed ahead of backfill without TWC sanction.

**Working at height** during erection and striking requires collective protection first — edge protection, working platforms with toe boards — before personal fall-arrest systems are considered.

**Overhead and underground services** must be located and marked before any ground-breaking or propping near live infrastructure. Where live conductors are a factor, isolation is the primary control; operatives must never attempt DNO or high-voltage isolation — this requires the network operator.

**Asbestos** — pre-2000 buildings require a survey under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 before any disturbance work that forms part of the temporary-works scope (e.g., drilling into a pre-2000 soffit to fix a prop head).

Common Failings

The most frequently cited failures in temporary-works incidents are: no appointed TWC; design not independently checked; permit-to-load not issued before loading; permit-to-strike ignored or bypassed under programme pressure; installers not briefed on the approved scheme; and loads applied outside the design envelope (e.g., early concrete pours, plant positioning).

What a Temporary Works RAMS Must Include

A compliant temporary works RAMS should set out:

- The scope of the temporary works and the permanent works they support. - Name and competence of the TWC. - Reference to the approved design drawings and calculations, including the design category check applied. - The permit-to-load and permit-to-strike process and who holds authority. - The sequence of installation and striking with hold points. - Specific hazards relevant to the site: ground conditions, proximity to live services, adjacent structures, access constraints. - Risk controls in hierarchy order for each significant hazard. - Inspection regime — pre-load, during loading, and throughout the retention period. - Restrictions on access beneath loaded temporary works. - Competence requirements for installers and supervisors. - Emergency and escalation procedure if an anomaly is observed.