Temporary Works Coordinator Duties: What You Need to Know on UK Sites
Temporary works coordinator duties are among the most safety-critical responsibilities on any UK construction project, yet the role is still poorly understood on many sites. Get it wrong and the consequences can be catastrophic — temporary works failures have caused multiple fatalities in the UK. This article explains what the role actually involves, where the legal duties come from, and what good practice looks like in practice.
What Are Temporary Works?
Temporary works are any engineered structures or systems erected to support or protect either the permanent works or the workforce during construction — and then removed. Examples include:
- Excavation support (trench boxes, sheet piling, propping)
- Falsework and formwork for concrete
- Scaffolding and access platforms
- Temporary bridges, cofferdams and crane bases
- Demolition support structures
They are temporary in name, but the risks they carry are permanent if they collapse.
Where Do the Legal Duties Come From?
There is no single statutory instrument titled "temporary works." The duties arise from several overlapping pieces of legislation and standards:
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) — places duties on designers (including temporary works designers), principal contractors and principal designers to manage and coordinate construction risk, including temporary works.
- Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3 — requires suitable and sufficient risk assessment of all significant hazards, including temporary works risks.
- Work at Height Regulations 2005 — relevant where temporary works involve access at height (falsework, scaffolding, propping at elevation).
- BS 5975:2019 — Code of practice for temporary works procedures and the permissible stress design of falsework. This British Standard is the industry benchmark. Though not statute, courts and the HSE treat it as the expected standard of competence.
Who Appoints a Temporary Works Coordinator?
BS 5975:2019 is clear: any organisation that commences, manages or undertakes temporary works should appoint a Temporary Works Coordinator (TWC) in writing. On notifiable CDM projects the principal contractor typically holds this responsibility, but subcontractors carrying out their own temporary works may need to appoint their own TWC.
The appointment should be documented — a named individual with defined authority, not just a job title assigned informally on a toolbox talk sheet.
The Core Duties of a Temporary Works Coordinator
1. Manage the Temporary Works Register
The TWC maintains a live register of all temporary works items on site. Each item is recorded from inception to removal, with design references, permit status and inspection records. Without this, nobody has an accurate picture of what is standing, what has been checked, and what can be struck.
2. Ensure Design Is Produced and Checked
All temporary works above a defined complexity threshold require a design — and that design must be independently checked before construction. The TWC ensures:
- A competent designer (in-house or external) produces drawings and calculations
- An independent check is carried out (the checker must not have produced the original design)
- Design outputs are formally approved before work starts
"We've done it this way before" is not a design.
3. Issue and Control Permits to Load and Permits to Strike
These are formal written permissions that are the TWC's primary control mechanism:
- Permit to load — authorises load to be applied to the temporary works (e.g., placing concrete onto falsework)
- Permit to strike — authorises removal of temporary works once the permanent structure can stand independently
Neither should be issued verbally or under programme pressure. Striking formwork too early has caused numerous collapses.
4. Coordinate Between Designers, Site Teams and Subcontractors
The TWC is the communication hub. Design intent must reach site operatives in a form they can act on. Changes to the permanent design must be fed back to the temporary works designer — an altered load or geometry can invalidate a previously approved scheme.
5. Arrange and Record Inspections
Before loading, during the works and at key stages, the temporary works must be inspected by a competent person against the approved design. The TWC does not necessarily carry out every inspection but ensures they happen, are recorded, and that any defects are resolved before work continues.
6. Manage Change
Scope creep kills. If site conditions change — unexpected ground, altered loads, extended duration — the TWC must trigger a design review. The original design approval does not automatically cover a changed situation.
Common Failures to Avoid
| Failure | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| No formal TWC appointment | Nobody has clear authority to stop unsafe work |
| Verbal permits to strike | No audit trail; pressure leads to early striking |
| Design not independently checked | Single-point errors go undetected |
| Register not updated | Unknown temporary works remain on site |
| Change not communicated | Approved design used for unapproved conditions |
Competence Requirements
The TWC should hold demonstrable competence — typically a relevant engineering qualification and experience of temporary works. The role cannot be given to a site manager simply because they are senior. BS 5975:2019 Annex B provides detailed guidance on the knowledge and skills expected.
Practical Takeaway
Temporary works coordinator duties are procedural and technical in equal measure. The permit system, the register and the independent check are not bureaucracy — they are the barriers between a routine construction operation and a structural collapse. Document the appointment, follow the BS 5975 framework, and treat every permit to strike as the safety-critical decision it genuinely is.
This article is educational guidance. For project-specific advice consult a chartered engineer or specialist temporary works consultant.