Lecture 9: Temporary Works

9.1 Introduction
• Construction works are works a contractor undertakes for an employer, consisting of the
construction itself, goods, materials and services to be supplied, and the liabilities, obligations
and risks to be taken by that contractor.
• Temporary works are described in BS 5975:2019, Code of practice for temporary works
procedures and the permissible stress design of falsework, as 'providing an "engineered solution"
that is used to support or protect either an existing structure or the permanent works during
construction, or to support an item of plant or equipment, or the vertical sides or side-slopes of
an excavation during construction operations on site or to provide access. It is used to control
stability, strength, deflection, fatigue, geotechnical effects and hydraulic effects within defined
limits.' It might or might not remain in place at the completion of the works.
• Temporary works designers have the same designer duties as permanent works designers and
must be sufficiently competent in their specific field.
• The designers should avoid foreseeable risks as reasonably practicable, including risks in relation
to the removal of any temporary works once construction is complete. They should also
coordinate with permanent works designers and principal contractors to discuss the effects of any
temporary work loading and possible disturbances during the construction of the permanent
structure.
 Reference Materials:
Building Department: Code of Practice for Site Supervision 2009

Building Design and Development in Hong Kong, Chapter 10 Temp

works in building construction

Advanced Construction Technology 4th Ed., Part 9 Formwork Systems

BSI, Code of practice for temporary works procedures and the

permissible stress design of falsework
• 1 Introduction Temporary works for construction - Designing Buildings
• 2 Types of temporary works
• 2.1 Scaffolding Temporary works has a significant impact on the safety, quality,
• 2.2 Façade retention environment and profitability of a construction project. They normally
account for 15-40% of the total cost of a project. For some civil
• 2.3 Crane supports
engineering projects, the percentage of cost can be up to 60%. Effective
• 2.4 Falsework cooperation amongst contractor, temporary works designers and
• 2.5 Formwork permanent designers therefore makes economic sense.
• 2.6 Trench support
• 2.7 Timber supports
• 2.8 Trench boxes
• 2.9 Trench sheets
9.2 Temporary Works Design

• Design Philosophy
• Similar to Permanent works design, the principles include
• Safety
• Functionality, and
• Cost
• Unique characteristics
• Designer shall consider the whole lifecycle of the works, from scheme conception to final
removal, i.e., construction sequence is important.
• Gaps between design assumption and actual conditions on site should be properly
acknowledged (many accidents occurred because of the inconsistency).
• Factors of safety may be different
• E.g., temp slope / permanent slope
9.2 Temporary Works Design - Loadings

• Temporary means the works will last for a limited period of time (Not
50 years!). As a result some design factors for permanent structures
need to be adjusted when used for temp works design.
• Wind load
• Wave load
• The design strength of materials for permanent structures must take
into account long-term effects such as creep and corrosion which may
not be a problem for temp works.
• Certain code allows an increase of design strength for materials for temp
works
9.2 Temporary Works Design - Loadings

• Temporary works have to cope with a more complicated combination

of loads than permanent structures.
• Construction operation load,
• Dynamic effects of construction equipment
• Concrete pressure
• The actual loads is influenced by the construction procedures
adopted, so such procedures and site conditions must be known
before the load can be determined.
9.2 Temporary Works Design - Loadings
Additional Vertical loads:
• Impact due to placing of permanent works (e.g. free fall of wet concrete)
• Construction operations (1.5kPa minimum)
• Temp storage of materials
• Plant
Additional Lateral loads
• Differential movements
• Unsymmetical distribution of vertical loads (such as due to unbalanced concrete placement)
• Unsynchronised jacking of permanent works against falsework
• Sway of falsework
• Buckling of props
• Dynamic effects of plant and equipment
 9.2 Temporary Works Design - Removal
• It is necessary to determine the right time for removing
formwork in order to facilitate construction and avoild collapse
of or damage to permanent works
E.g, The collapse of a high rise building at Bailey
Crossroads in Fairfax County, Virginia
• Removing formwork early may cause shrinkage cracks, delayed
removal may cause damage to certain type of formwork and
make it more difficult to repair visible defects
• The right time is determined by a set of criteria including
• Minimum strength
• Minimum curing period

• Before removal, insitu concrete strength may be measured

directly or indirectly
• Direct measurement
• Cubes stored along side the concrete
• Temperature-matched cubes
• Inferring strength through maturity laws
9.3 Formwork
Formwork Cost
Economic
Essentials
of
Formwork
Patent
Formwork
 9.4 Falsework
Falsework involves a temporary structure used to support other permanent
structures until they can support themselves. There are three main types of
systems used for falsework. These include:
• Type 1 - Aluminum support legs with aluminum frames assembled into falsework systems,
such as; Ischebeck Titan, SGB GASS or PERI MultiProp.
• Type 2 - Individual aluminum or steel props, including either timber header beams or
proprietary panels, such as; PERI Multiflex or Doka Eurex Systems.
• Type 3 - Heavier steel falsework, such as; RMD Kwikform System Shoring or A-Plant Acrow
Props.

falsework collapse - YouTube

Scaffolding Collapse - Scaffold Falling Over Compilation -

YouTube
• The design philosophy behind falsework differs from that of permanent works. They are highly stressed,
usually to 90% of their capacity over short periods of time and involve reusable components. Props are rarely
tied down and rely on their self-weight and supported load for lateral stability.
• The design of the falsework must make allowances for erection tolerances and take into account that the
components are re-used many times.
• Falsework capacities are provided by the manufactures and permanent, imposed and environmental loads
must all be taken account of in their design.
• As with general construction, stability is often identified as the main cause of collapse. To ensure the lateral
stability of general falsework structures, including beam grillages, BS 5975: 2019 (BSI, 2019, Clause [IP
address hidden]) recommends that they should be designed to be able to resist, at each phase of
construction, the applied vertical loads (W) and a horizontal disturbing force FH which is the greater of:
• a) 2.5% of the applied vertical loads (i.e. 2.5%W) considered as acting at the points of contact between the
vertical loads and the supporting falsework; or
• b) the forces that can result from erection tolerances (normally taken as 1% of the applied vertical load (i.e.
1%W), refer to 19.2.4) plus the sum of other imposed loads …’.
• Workmanship and inspections play key roles in the design and installation of falsework, as attention to detail
is particularly important.
Legislation in UK
9.5 Safety Related to Temporary Works
Skyline Plaza Bailey's Crossroads in Virginia / Building Collapse -
YouTube

1 The building was built at a cycle of 7 days a

story up to 23rd floor
2 The construction was then accelerated to 5
days a floor
3 After 24th floor slab was case, the back prop
beneath the 23 floor was removed, when
the floor slab was 10 days old.
4 The top floor slab collapsed and the failure
trigged progressive collapse
5 Other trades were working on lower floors
and the tragic accident killed 14 workers and
injured 53
9.5 Safety Related to Temporary Works

Research and investigations around the world indicate that

accidents arising from failure of temp works often have their root
in management deficiencies, although technical reasons were the
direct and apparent cause.
9.5 Safety Legislation and Guidelines in Hong
Kong
• The Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59)
• The Occupational Safety & Health Ordinance (Cap 509),
• The Buildings Ordinance (Cap 123)
• And their subsidiary regulations such as the Construction Site (Safety)
Regulations (Cap 591).
• Guidance Notes on Safety at Work, Labour Department
• Code of Practice for Site Safety Regulation, Buildings Department
Temporary Work Supervision
The Supervision Plan address three important issues
underlying site safety for temporary works
 It encourages serious implementation of safety
plans by establishing a clear safety management
structure
 It requires the appointment of TCPs on sites, trying
to eliminate possibilities of design faults, improper
construction and inspection by incompetent
persons
 It specifies the class of supervision required
according to complex city and risks, hence
encouraging effective use of resources.
Construction Site (Safety) Regulations (Cap 591).
9.3 HK Steel Code on
Temporary Works
Temporary Works Management