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Definitions

While the COVID-19 pandemic should not affect temporary works (or the text in this section)
per se, it should not be ignored as an issue either. The UK government has issued guidance
for work on all construction sites to ensure consistency across the industry. Major client
organisations (such as Highways England) have instructed their supply chains to follow
guidance such as that provided by the Construction Leadership Council , and this has been
updated throughout the pandemic.

As the focus here is primarily the UK infrastructure sector, it seems prudent to begin with a
definition of temporary works (TW) from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). This is the
body that shapes and reviews regulation and seeks to prosecute those who act outside it. HSE
consider that TW in construction, and therefore infrastructure, as

?the parts of a project that are needed to enable the permanent works to be built. Usually
the TW are removed after use ? e.g. access scaffolds, props, shoring, excavation support,
falsework and formwork, etc. ? Sometimes the TW are incorporated into the permanent
works ? e.g. haul road foundations and crane or piling platforms may be used for
hardstanding or road foundations?.

In effect, anything that is not part of the required client end?product (and along the
construction process, the many things that are to be incorporated) qualify as temporary works.

It is also useful to note the definition of permanent works given by the HSE. This is described
as:

?The parts of a construction project that will be used and remain in position for a long time ?
e.g. 60 years. This includes buildings and structures such as bridges, roads, retaining walls,
etc. The construction of most types of permanent works will require the use of some form of
temporary works.?

While these form an excellent basis for definitions they do not really begin to indicate the
variety and complexity of temporary works, or likely explain the cost of implementation on any
given project. Moreover, the definitions do not cover the costs of a temporary works failure in
either financial terms or to the well-being of people/property in the vicinity of a TW failure.

Scope

The scope of temporary works is vast. This section seeks only to give the reader an overview
and understanding of likely uses and scenarios where TW will be important in infrastructure,
from a health and safety and cost perspective.

The scope of a TW system varies depending on the infrastructure project in question ? no 2

projects will have the same TW requirements. As a consequence, the design and engineering
teams should understand, in outline from the outset, how the final product could be
constructed. This is particularly important in infrastructure where there is greater variety in
outturn product (e.g. railway, port, water processing plant, power distribution network, etc.)
compared to the building sector, for instance.

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Complexity

As with the scope, the complexity of a TW system in infrastructure is limited only by human
ingenuity, knowledge of materials and the available technology. It is entirely possible ? if not
normal ? that the TW on a project are far more complex than the final product itself. Bridges,
for instance, act in an equilibrium state when completed but in the temporary state can require
very complex support structures while being hundreds of metres off the ground. TW on a major
infrastructure project can be in the order of 50% of total cost and more as a percentage of time
taken to complete.

It is imperative that TW are thoughtfully considered and receive adequate attention. Their
design is a skilled task and should be treated with the same respect as permanent works. The
failure of TW can be equally as serious as that in a permanent structure or system. This is
especially important when dealing with emergencies where unplanned temporary works may
become required. As a consequence of an emergency it may become necessary to implement
TW, e.g. to maintain the integrity of a rail network. These TW will likely not form part of the
process for the repair of the infrastructure but will merely ?make it safe?. This will allow time
for the design of the permanent solution and the necessary TW to construct that permanent
solution.

Further information regarding temporary works definitions and explanations can be sourced
from the temporary works forum or the HSE . In addition, a brief glossary of TW terms is
provided at the end of this section.

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