Temporary works register template

A temporary works register is a project control list: it identifies every temporary structure or arrangement that needs planning, design, checking, installation, inspection, permission to use, change control and removal. It is most useful when each item has a unique reference, a named owner, a current status and a link to the approved evidence. It is not itself a design, calculation, permit to load or certificate of safety. Copy the blank fields below into a controlled spreadsheet or project record, then adapt them to the project's temporary-works procedure.

The Health and Safety Executive's temporary works guidance says temporary works must be planned and managed. It gives examples from propping, shoring and falsework to access scaffolds, working platforms, haul roads, hoarding and site welfare units. HSE also explains that there is no single legally prescribed management form. British Standard 5975 provides one established management approach, but the right process and degree of checking depend on the work and risk. A register is a way to maintain visibility across that process; it should not be presented as a statutory form that alone discharges the duty.

Copyable register header

Use one row per *distinct temporary-works item or controlled installation*. Number revisions rather than overwriting earlier decisions. For an item covering multiple identical bays or locations, state the boundaries precisely and confirm that the design really applies to all of them. Where site conditions differ, use separate rows.

The table is deliberately a control record, not a design checklist. A competent designer defines load paths, stability, sequence, material and geotechnical assumptions as appropriate. The project procedure decides who signs each stage. A register maintained by an administrator cannot replace the engineer's assessment or the site supervisor's inspection.

Statuses that make the register useful

Use short, unambiguous statuses with a defined transition rule. For example:

1. Identified — item entered, design need and owner being scoped; no work authorised.
2. Brief in preparation — site information and intended use being assembled.
3. Design in progress — competent designer working to a controlled brief.
4. Design check open — drawings/calculations exist but required check or comment resolution is incomplete.
5. Approved for erection — design and method authorised under the project procedure; the installation still needs to be built correctly.
6. Erected, not released for use — construction is complete but inspection and authority to use/load remain open.
7. In use — the specific installation has the required acceptance and permission under stated limits, with monitoring due.
8. Suspended — condition, load, damage, weather, change or missing evidence means use stops pending competent review.
9. Removing — removal under a planned method and supervision.
10. Closed — removal/close-out recorded and evidence retained.

These are suggested management labels, not prescribed legal states. Do not create a misleading green indicator that automatically permits use. If the physical structure or load changes, a row may have to move *back* from “in use” to “suspended” or design review. Keep the person, date and evidence for each transition.

How to populate the register before work starts

Start with the construction sequence rather than waiting for the first scaffold request. Ask design, construction and logistics teams what will be needed to support excavations, pour concrete, prop permanent works, access faces, protect the public, carry plant and create temporary routes. HSE's examples include items that teams sometimes overlook, such as haul roads, working platforms and site accommodation. Include a temporary use of permanent works where the permanent structure is carrying a construction-stage load it was not yet designed or approved to carry.

For each proposed item, identify the design brief owner, relevant permanent-works information, ground or structure constraints, intended construction and removal sequence, access needs, live services, adjacent work, weather and load assumptions. A register entry saying “crane mat” is not enough if the supporting ground, crane configuration and outriggers are unknown. Likewise, “prop to wall” should identify the wall, imposed load, adjacent excavation and the stage at which the prop is required. Mark missing information openly; do not treat a blank cell as approval.

HSE's temporary works FAQ explains that coordination should cover design, equipment selection, contractor appointment, supervision, completion checking, authority to load and removal. On a larger or more complex project, a formally appointed temporary works coordinator with sufficient authority is an effective way to oversee those interfaces. HSE does not say every simple job must use that exact job title. If the project has multiple contractors, confirm who holds coordination responsibility and how one contractor can stop another from changing a temporary structure without approval.

Design, check and erection hold points

Set hold points where moving on would make a defect difficult or dangerous to correct. Typical gates include design brief accepted, design check complete, ground condition confirmed, material/equipment accepted, installation inspected, use or load authorised, a change reviewed, and removal method approved. The exact sequence depends on the item. HSE notes that in all but the simplest situations a design, including calculations, will be needed, and complex designs may require an independent check. The register should state what is required for this item, with the evidence link and authorising person.

A working platform for a crane illustrates why “design complete” is only one gate. The designer may rely on specified ground preparation, geotechnical data, platform dimensions, drainage and plant loads. If the platform is then cut by a utility trench, flooded, driven over by a heavier machine or extended without checking, the original design assumption may fail. Record the event, stop affected use, obtain competent assessment and update the design or inspection record before permission is restored. A neat register entry cannot make an unsafe platform usable.

For proprietary systems, retain manufacturer instructions and the selection rationale. HSE says those instructions must be followed. Where the application differs from standard configurations, request a suitable design. Do not infer from a catalogue that an assembly is safe for a different span, load, foundation or erection sequence.

Daily use and change control

At the start of each coordination meeting, filter the register for items due to be erected, loaded, inspected, changed or removed. Ask whether the required drawings are at the site, the current revision is understood, a competent supervisor is assigned and adjacent trades know the limits. Do not circulate only a colour-coded summary; users need access to the actual design and permission. A change in load, location, weather, excavation, impact, settlement or access route can require reassessment.

Log changes against the original ID with revision, reason, designer/checker decision and new authority to use. Never silently replace a drawing while an older permit remains on site. If a temporary prop is moved from its approved position, isolate the affected area and ask the competent temporary-works team to determine the safe response. The separate Complys temporary-prop response guide addresses that incident scenario; this page owns the blank register and routine control process.

Inspection needs to be tied to the structure and conditions. HSE says scaffolding, excavations, cofferdams and caissons must be inspected by a competent person on a regular basis. “Regular” is not a single interval for every temporary work; specific legislation, design instructions, site risk and events such as severe weather may add requirements. Record the inspection date, inspector, finding, action and release decision. An issue marked “closed” should identify who confirmed the correction, not merely who uploaded a photograph.

Example: excavation shoring row

A project plans a 2.4-metre-deep excavation beside an existing building. The register identifies TW-014 as “excavation support to east trench, grid E1–E4”. The brief links utility survey, ground investigation, foundation information, excavation sequence and plant exclusion area. The shoring designer issues drawing R2; the required design check identifies an unresolved foundation-load query. The register stays at design check open. No excavation into the affected depth is authorised merely because steelwork has arrived.

After the load query is resolved, the accepted revision and erection method are distributed to the supervisor. The support is installed and inspected. A separate authority to excavate or load is issued under the site process with stated limitations. During use, an unexpected water ingress is reported. The status changes to suspended while a competent person reviews stability and revises controls. After correction and recorded approval, the item returns to in use. Finally, removal sequence is checked against the permanent works and the close-out evidence is archived. This example is illustrative; it does not design or approve any excavation.

Handover and records

Keep the register accessible to people who make decisions, not just to document control. Subcontractors need the relevant drawings and limits before working near the structure. When the coordinator or supervisor changes, hand over open design queries, installed items, permit limits, inspection due dates, suspended works and planned removals. Give each open action one owner and date. Retain superseded revisions to reconstruct which design applied at each stage, subject to your project document-control and retention policy. This template does not prescribe a universal statutory retention period for a temporary works register.

A simple weekly assurance sample can test whether register entries match the physical site: choose one planned item, one in-use item and one recently changed or closed item. Verify references, current drawing, authorised status, inspection evidence and person in control. If field conditions differ, correct the installation or process before relying on the register. The purpose is to prevent a tidy file from masking an uncontrolled structure.

Complys connection and next step

Complys's construction page is the relevant commercial route for organising construction compliance evidence. Do not assume a dedicated live temporary-works register, automated design checking, engineering sign-off or permit-to-load workflow exists in Complys. Confirm the current implementation and any available document, action or audit features in a product demonstration before representing this template as a built-in tool. The register can be used independently as a controlled spreadsheet, with drawings and approvals held in the project's established document system. A related temporary-works risk assessment template would address task hazards; this register addresses the item lifecycle and authorisation. Verify that internal route at integration.

Copy the fields, appoint the responsible coordinator, enter the actual project items and define the approval gates before erection begins. A competent engineer and site team must decide whether each structure can be built and used. If the design, check or permission is unresolved, record suspended/not authorised and keep it out of service.

Source, claim and writer-side QA register

Owner/cannibalisation: The current .co.uk site has a specific moved-prop response guide, and completed unpublished N5-077 owns a temporary-works *risk assessment*. Neither is a blank lifecycle register. This template owns the register query only. Recheck repo route and canonical map before publication.

Links and QA: External HSE sources support the material claims. Construction is the money-page route; moved-prop guide is an incident-specific internal path. Proposed risk-assessment link requires route verification. Direct answer, copyable form, process, example, change control, competent-person boundary, metadata, product-truth boundary and CTA checked. READY means writer-side complete for independent review; engineering, route, implementation and whole-page gates remain.