Temporary works risk assessment template
A temporary works risk assessment records how a particular temporary structure or support can harm people, what design and construction information controls that risk, and who checks each stage before it is loaded, used, changed or removed. Use the worksheet below as a planning aid. It is not a temporary works design, a calculation, a design-check certificate or permission to load a structure. A competent person must fill it with the actual design, ground and loading information for the job.
Temporary works include more than scaffolds. The HSE temporary works guidance gives examples such as excavation shoring, wall and floor propping, falsework, working platforms, haul roads, hoardings and welfare units. Some works remain in the permanent project; others are removed after use. Their temporary duration does not make failure less serious. Collapse, falls, struck-by incidents and damage to adjacent structures can occur at erection, loading, use, alteration or dismantling.
This page serves the temporary-works assessment form search intent. The general RAMS overview and risk assessment software pages explain wider document management. Neither a generic risk matrix nor a software-generated draft substitutes for the engineered design and site authorisations needed here.
Before you fill in the form
Identify the specific item of temporary works and the construction sequence it supports. Obtain the design brief, drawings, calculations or supplier data, the limits of use, the checking arrangement and the current construction programme. Confirm who controls the work and who has authority to stop it. The HSE temporary works FAQ says the person organising temporary works needs to coordinate design, selection, contractors, supervision, completion checks, authority to load and removal. The title “temporary works coordinator” and a BS 5975 process are recognised approaches, especially on larger jobs, but HSE says that the title itself is not a universal legal requirement. The need to control the risk remains.
Do not start with a prefilled “low risk” conclusion. The key facts may be missing: the wall loading, ground bearing capacity, hidden services, a crane outrigger position, vibration from nearby works or a change to the permanent structure. An experienced designer may need to calculate and specify the system. HSE explains that in all but the simplest situations a design including calculations is needed, and more complex designs may need an independent check. A form cannot decide the engineering category by itself.
Fillable temporary works risk assessment
Copy this section into a controlled project document. Use “unknown — stop and resolve” wherever a critical input is unavailable; do not turn an unknown into an assumed control.
A. Scope and authority
| Field | Project answer |
|---|---|
| Project, location and temporary works item/reference | |
| Permanent works or activity supported | |
| Temporary works boundary and interface with other trades/public | |
| Planned erection, use and removal dates or stages | |
| Principal contractor/site controller and task supervisor | |
| Person coordinating temporary works and authority to stop/use/release | |
| Designer, checker and drawing/calculation revisions | |
| Design brief, supplier specification and site information references | |
| Required permits, inspections and hold points | |
| Assessor, competence, date and review trigger |
B. Design and site-input checks
| Input | Confirmed information and source | Owner/action if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Ground, slab, foundation or supporting structure capacity | ||
| Vertical, lateral, dynamic and construction loads; sequence | ||
| Weather, water, excavation and service conditions | ||
| Adjacent buildings, utilities, traffic and public access | ||
| Proprietary equipment data and installation tolerances | ||
| Interaction with permanent works and other temporary works | ||
| Inspection, maintenance and monitoring requirements | ||
| Safe method for unloading and dismantling |
C. Hazard and control record
For each stage, record the hazard, people exposed, existing safeguards, further controls, named owner, due point and evidence of completion. These are prompts, not automatically adequate controls.
| Stage and hazard | Who may be harmed and how | Project-specific design or control reference | Action owner, hold point and evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Survey and set-out: unknown support or ground conditions | |||
| Delivery and storage: unstable components or vehicle interface | |||
| Erection: partial stability, lifting, falls, falling materials | |||
| Inspection/release: incorrect assembly or deviation from design | |||
| Loading/use: excess or changed load, impact, vibration, weather | |||
| Alteration: unauthorised removal or reconfiguration | |||
| Dismantling: loss of support or premature release | |||
| Emergency: movement, failure, rescue or evacuation |
D. Hold-point and handover record
| Hold point | Required evidence | Who checks/authorises | Result/date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Design brief and site inputs accepted | Current drawings, calculations or approved standard solution with assumptions checked | ||
| Before erection | Competent crew, plant, materials and exclusion arrangements | ||
| Erection complete | Inspection against the current design and any required independent check | ||
| Before first load/use | Permit to load or equivalent written release where required by project procedure | ||
| During use/change | Inspections, monitoring, changed-condition reassessment | ||
| Before dismantling | Permanent works can carry the load; removal sequence and authorisation |
Record the issue and revision of this assessment, who was briefed, and where the current design and inspection evidence can be found. A signature should mean the person has actually reviewed the relevant information, not that the box has been ticked.
How to turn the worksheet into a safe site assessment
1. Separate the risk assessment from the design. The assessment identifies exposure and controls; the design demonstrates that the works can withstand the foreseeable loads and stay stable through the planned sequence. A risk score is not a capacity calculation. HSE says temporary structures must be designed, installed and maintained for foreseeable loads and used only for their intended purposes. If design assumptions are not known or have changed, stop and refer back to the designer.
2. Assess the temporary states. The final erected arrangement may be stable while an intermediate erection or striking stage is not. Check when restraints, props, ties or bracing are installed and removed. Identify exclusion zones and simultaneous work. Do not allow a different trade to remove a component because it obstructs its work without a controlled design review.
3. Check the support below the works. HSE notes that ground assumptions matter even when a supplier offers a standard solution. Ground may be softened, excavated or undermined; slabs may have hidden voids; a crane platform may receive loads outside the original brief. Refer to the design limits and examine conditions on site before placing the load.
4. Set an authorisation to use. The person with authority should know what constitutes completion, which inspection or independent check is needed, the permitted load and what would suspend approval. Do not conflate a visual glance with a structural sign-off. Preserve a traceable record of the drawing revision and inspection outcome.
5. Reassess change and removal. A changed pour sequence, extra stored material, altered scaffold sheeting, new excavation, impact damage or severe weather can invalidate assumptions. Mark the work out of use where appropriate, involve the designer/coordinator and document the revised release. Before removal, confirm that the permanent structure has gained the required strength and that loads have a safe alternative path.
Example: wall propping during alteration
A contractor plans to open a load-bearing wall. A generic form saying “use Acrow props and PPE” is inadequate. The assessor needs the existing structure survey, load path, opening size and the proposed propping design. The competent designer specifies the support arrangement and sequence; the supervisor checks components, installation and hold points. The area below and around the opening is controlled during installation, use and removal. If the opening widens or another beam is discovered, the team stops and returns to the design. HSE warns that proprietary props still require proper assessment of type, number, spacing and loads.
This example is deliberately incomplete: it does not provide prop spacing, load values or an approved method for a real building. Those require project engineering information.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Treating “temporary” as meaning no design or inspection is needed.
- Copying a risk score from another project instead of checking the actual support, load and sequence.
- Calling the assessor a temporary works coordinator without giving that person authority and information.
- Assuming a BS 5975 job title is itself a blanket statutory requirement. HSE describes it as one well-established management approach.
- Allowing plant, materials, wind-loading or other trades to exceed the design brief.
- Issuing a permit to load without evidence that required checks and deviations are closed.
- Removing props or falsework before the permanent structure can safely carry the load.
Where Complys can help
Use a controlled assessment record to keep the scope, hazards, action owners, revision and review point together. The risk assessment software page describes broader assessment management; the RAMS page covers construction task documents. Those are relevant next steps for organising a project-specific assessment and method statement. Neither page should be read as offering temporary-works engineering design, calculation, independent design checking or statutory approval. Verify any product claim and destination against the current implementation before publication.
Next step: fill in the project inputs, obtain the required competent design and checks, then have the site team review and brief the completed assessment before the first temporary state is created.
Source, claim and writer-side QA register — checked 5 October 2026
| Material claim | Primary source | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary works include support, access, platforms, excavation works and other engineered solutions; they must withstand foreseeable loads | HSE Temporary Works | Source describes UK construction practice; actual scheme needs design. |
| Organisation must coordinate design, erection, checks, use and removal; TWC title/BS 5975 process is not universally mandated by law | HSE TW FAQs | Do not assert every site must use the same coordinator title. |
| Proprietary/standard solutions require site assumptions and load limits to be verified | HSE TW FAQs | No sizing advice is given in this template. |
| Structural alteration needs competent survey and designed temporary support where needed | HSE Structural stability | Example is illustrative and not a method statement. |
Cannibalisation: no exact temporary-works assessment worksheet owner observed on either Complys host in the current web check. Generic RAMS/risk-assessment pages explain categories rather than providing this specialist fillable form. Exact proposed route could not be loaded by the web tool, so repository/unpublished owner confirmation is still required. Product truth: no engineering automation or approval is attributed to Complys. Jurisdiction: GB construction language; no foreign regime is imported. Links/CTA: observed .co.uk risk-assessment and RAMS pages, with implementation and canonical check before release. Writer-side QA: direct answer, usable form, design and hold-point distinction, change controls, example, primary-source claim table and specialist publication gate included. Independent whole-page and competent temporary-works review remain outstanding.