Guides / Basics

What are temporary works?

Temporary works are the things that hold a job up while it is being built, and that come away again afterwards. Think of the props under a concrete slab, the support in a trench, the scaffold round a building, or the frame holding up a wall while work goes on beneath it.

They are not part of the finished building, but if they fail, people get hurt and the permanent works can be damaged. That is why they need someone to plan them, check them and keep track of them.

The simple version

• Someone designs it.
• Someone else checks the design.
• It is built to that design.
• It is inspected and signed off before anyone loads it.
• It is inspected while in use.
• It is only taken down when someone with authority says so.

The rest of these guides explain each of those steps in plain English.