Prelims

Temporary Works Part Two

Temporary Works Part Two

Further principles of design and construction

Edited by

Ray Filip

Published by Emerald Publishing Limited, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

ICE Publishing is an imprint of Emerald Publishing Limited

Other ICE Publishing titles:

Temporary Works: Principles of design and construction, Second edition

Peter F Pallett and Ray Filip. ISBN 978-0-7277-6338-9

Structural Design of Buildings: Fundamentals in Design, Management and Sustainability

Edited by Feng Fu and David Richardson. ISBN 978-1-8354-9577-3

ICE Manual of Bridge Engineering, Third edition

Edited by Gerard Parke and Nigel Hewson. ISBN 978-0-7277-6305-1

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 978-1-8360-8525-6

© Ray Filip 2025 publishing under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing

Permission to use the ICE Publishing logo and ICE name is granted under licence to Emerald from the Institution of Civil Engineers. The Institution of Civil Engineers has not approved or endorsed any of the content herein.

All rights, including translation, reserved. Except as permitted by the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Emerald Publishing Limited, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL.

This book is published on the understanding that the author is solely responsible for the statements made and opinions expressed in it and that its publication does not necessarily imply that such statements and / or opinions are or reflect the views or opinions of the publisher. While every effort has been made to ensure that the statements made and the opinions expressed in this publication provide a safe and accurate guide, no liability or responsibility can be accepted in this respect by the author or publisher.

While every reasonable effort has been undertaken by the author and the publisher to acknowledge copyright on material reproduced, if there has been an oversight please contact the publisher and we will endeavour to correct this upon a reprint.

Cover photo: Courtesy of MACE

Commissioning Editor: Michael Fenton

Content Development Editor: Cathy Sellers

Production Editor: Benn Linfield

Typeset by KnowledgeWorks Global Ltd.

Index created by David Gaskell

This book is dedicated to the memory of Peter Pallett and Stuart Marchand, both of whom contributed so much to temporary works over the last five decades and have left us too soon.

Peter was my mentor, colleague and friend. He was Technical Manager for Rapid Metal Developments for many years, a member of the British Standards Institute technical committee responsible for BS 5975 from 1977 onwards, a founding member of Temporary Works Forum, Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and Fellow of the Concrete Society. Over the last 30 years, he trained numerous temporary works coordinators in many countries. Initially I did a temporary works training ‘double-act’ with Peter, whereby he taught ‘above-ground’ and I taught ‘below-ground’. Peter was involved in many technical publications and was a Law Society expert witness. I collaborated with Peter on many publications and co-edited part 1 of this publication. His attention to detail was second to none and he taught me so much.

Stuart was founder and Managing Director of Wentworth House Partnership, also a long standing member of the BS 5975 technical committee and a founding member of Temporary Works Forum. He was a mentor to many young engineers and contributed to numerous industry publications, including previous versions of this publication. Stuart was my friend for 20 years and over the years I jointly worked on many publications with him, benefiting from his knowledge and experience.

Peter and Stuart were both ‘go to’ people for complex engineering problems and questions.

The editor, chapter authors and whole temporary works community would like to commemorate the memory of our much-respected colleagues Peter and Stuart and thank them for their contributions. They were pioneers and made us all proud to call ourselves ‘temporary works engineers’. They are truly irreplaceable and will be missed.

Temporary works have always been, and remain very much, a key stage in the safe delivery of construction projects, whether they be a simple shallow excavation in the ground or a complex multi-location project like HS2. How much people are aware of this, or provide due regard and early consideration of it, is still up for debate amongst many professionals. Comments heard over the years, like ‘temporary works are something the contractor has to consider’, ‘our insurance dosesn’t cover temporary works’, or the long-lived ‘we’ve always done it like that in the past’, are not appropriate in a modern industry. Neither were they appropriate in the past, but they have all too often been inappropriately used.

Our industry has improved for the better. The large-scale temporary works collapses and failures of the 1960s and 1970s are now a relatively rare occurrence in the UK construction sector. The continuing development of BS 5975 has led to improvements in the way temporary works are designed, built, inspected, used and removed. That is not to say that near misses and close calls haven’t occurred, and we should all learn from them.

Those involved daily in the field of temporary works often mutter phrases such as ‘why has the permanent works designer done that?’, ‘surely the contractor knew this had to be carried out in a directed sequence?’ and ‘well, it was obvious that would happen, wasn’t it?’. It’s at those in the wider industry that the shared experience and knowledge contained within this book is aimed, as well as practising temporary works professionals. The intent and purpose of this book align very much with the objectives of the Temporary Works Forum which are as follows:

• Give authoritative guidance and, when required, professional leadership to the industry.

• Consider aspects of permanent works and interfaces between permanent works and temporary works, as are relevant.

• Consider both current practice and likely development.

• Be aware of trends and innovations in design, construction and use.

Continuing professional development should be something that we all strive for, not just for our own benefit but for the benefit of those working on projects with us, the members of the public impacted by our works during construction and those after completion. This is very much aligned with one of the principles of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act and very much with the broader principles of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (‘CDM’). This revision and update builds on the original chapters while adding further areas of knowledge and shared wisdom, not just to enhance our engineering knowledge but to share key and important issues with the wider construction community.

This publication is not just aimed at temporary works specialists, but anyone involved in the temporary works process who would like further information. It should be read in conjuction with ICE Temporary Works: Principles of Design and Construction, 2^nd edition. The definition of temporary works covers a wide scope of items and the information provided is relevant to all sectors of the construction industry (civil engineering, building, demolition, utilities etc.).

My thanks go to all those involved, directly and indirectly, in sharing valuable experience.

Robert Millard

Managing Director, De Construction Solutions; chair, Temporary Works Forum, UK

Temporary works is a wide subject which covers all aspects of the construction industry. It has developed and continues to develop with an increasing awareness of its importance. I have been involved in temporary works now for over 35 years and have seen many changes. Perhaps the most satisfying is the positive change of status of temporary works for the engineers and other professionals involved. Temporary works is now recognised as a separate specialist subject which requires a set of unique skills, perhaps above all ‘practicality’ – knowing what solution ‘will work’ effectively and safely. I have been fortunate to have worked for, collaborated with and known some outstanding engineers, from whom I have learnt so much.

The inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster highlighted many failings across the construction industry and regulatory framework. Competence of organisations and individuals was identified as a significant issue. Knowing what you are competent in and being able to prove and maintain / develop that competence are vitally important. Considering this, there is some concern amongst senior members of the temporary works community due to changes to the attributes of professionally qualified membership (Chartered Engineers), whereby ‘designers’ no longer require ‘site experience’. For example, the site experience requirement was removed by the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) a few years ago.

The IStructE criteria for the ‘Construction’ core objective are (from IStructE website):

The candidate must demonstrate that they have gained experience of:

• construction techniques, construction plant and machinery

• designing, specifying or reviewing temporary systems

• reviewing construction programmes and construction sequencing

• reviewing or producing fabrication or shop drawings

• erection methodologies

• identification and correction of potential errors

• how their observations of construction / fabrication have informed their approach to design / buildability.

ICE criteria include (from ICE website):

• Understanding and Practical Application of Engineering.

• Maintain and extend knowledge of engineering theory and practice, and how technology assists its application.

• Identify, review and select techniques, procedures and methods to undertake engineering tasks.

This would appear to be at odds with:

• requirements for continuing professional development

• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 - Part 3 - Section 9 - Duties of designers

• Management Regulations - Schedule 1 - General Principles of Prevention

• ICE attribute: for all professional grades to have an understanding and practical application of engineering and to exercise sound engineering judgement.

If a designer has not had first-hand experience of the site environment, site risks and the construction process, they are likely to lack the awareness of how to minimise their design risks and how to produce a buildable scheme. This could directly result in impractical, inappropriate, unsafe and poor value designs. A design which properly addresses design and construction risks is one that is both practical and safe and can be considered as ‘buildable’. Site is where design buildability is tested. Without site experience one of the two components of competence (experience and knowledge) is compromised. This therefore compromises the ability to produce a design that is both practical and safe.

Anyone who considers themselves to be a competent, well-rounded designer should have direct hands-on experience of site working practices and have an insight into practical issues and conditions prevalent in the construction environment. Furthermore, site experience is considered by many to be an essential attribute for a temporary works designer and needs to be maintained throughout their career.

The editor, in conjunction with Temporary Works Forum (TWf), has been carrying out research into temporary works accidents and near misses (see chapter 18) and capturing / recording senior temporary works professionals’ experience. One of the legacy questions we asked was:

The most common type of answer that was given was:

Finally, section 6 of the Bragg Report states:

Ray Filip BEng (Hons) MSc DIC CEng FICE

Managing Director, RKF Consult Ltd, UK

I would like to thank all those authors who contributed and shared their experience in the production of this book. I would also like to thank all those who contributed to my research in chapter 18 and the Temporary Works Forum legacy project (this work will continue after this book is completed and will be made publicly available).

Finally, I extend my thanks to: Chris Bennion, Godfrey Bowring, Ben White, Bill Hewlett and Ben Beaumont for their advice and help at various stages during the production of this book.

Ray Filip BEng (Hons) MSc DIC CEng FICE

Managing Director, RKF Consult Ltd, UK

Ray is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, with over 35 years of experience in temporary works. Educated at University of Surrey and Imperial College, London, he spent the first 18 years of his career working for major contractors and specialist subcontractors in the UK and Southern Africa. He was involved in various aspects of temporary works, including design, design checking, pricing, construction and inspection. In 2007 he formed his own specialist temporary works consultancy, RKF Consult Ltd. He has had the roles of Designated Individual, Temporary Works Coordinator and Temporary Works Supervisor at various points.

Ray has designed numerous items of temporary works and advised many UK and international organisations on temporary works procedures, design management and risk management. He also carries out site audits and inspections and is regularly consulted by the Health and Safety Executive on temporary works issues. He has provided a wide variety of temporary works and other technical training courses to organisations in the UK, a number of European countries and Australia.

Ray has been involved in producing technical publications for Construction Industry Research and Information Association (CIRIA), The Concrete Society, Contractors Plant-Hire Association, Deep Foundations Institute and Institution of Structural Engineers. Since 2016 he has been a member of the committee responsible for the British Standard on temporary works (BS 5975).

Adrian Bywaters BEng (Hons) CEng MICE

Adrian is a Chartered Civil Engineer with 35 years’ experience in the construction industry. He is an Operations Director for Engineering at Mace and has wide-ranging knowledge of all stages of the construction process, from tender, through delivery and to completion. He is recognised for expert knowledge, with particular respect to technical management, temporary works, safety and quality management and project assurance. He is also passionate about the mentoring and professional development of our young civil engineers.

Nick Cook

Formerly with Laing, Laing O’Rourke and Balfour Beatty (now retired), Nick has been designing and involved with temporary works in heavy civil engineering for 49 years. His work has included temporary steel structures, such as specialist lifting equipment, slipform shutters, loading and access platforms, excavation supports, façade retention, lifting and moving systems. Projects have included British Sugar silos, Sizewell B, Cardiff Principality Stadium, Second Severn and Oresund Crossings, Heathrow Terminal 5 and Crossrail, to mention a few.

Professor Colin Eddie FREng BSc (Hons) CEng FICE

Colin is an internationally recognised expert in tunnel design and construction with over 40 years of experience. He has a deep understanding of various tunnelling methods and ground improvement techniques. As the former Engineering Director at a major UK tunnelling contractor, he has contributed significantly to the sector by developing numerous innovations in tunnelling and underground space which have been credited with improving the safety, efficiency and sustainability of many recent major projects. Today he and his organisation (CECL-Global) provide expert support and advice to an international client, and he manages an active research and development programme.

Matthew Hall BA (Hons) MA PhD

Matthew is Director of Technology at Richter, heading up the development of their in-house autonomous design generation tools. He is dedicated to a career of innovation within temporary works and is driven by a mission to reduce harm on site while maintaining fully engineered and optimised solutions. Matthew spent much of his career at Costain as a temporary works designer and found his passion for driving such initiatives while on site as a temporary works supervisor. Since graduating with a PhD from Swansea University, he hopes to further innovate the developed streamlined processes with the Richter in-house tools by incorporating finite element analysis with a rapid modelling interface, creating new suites of tools targeted directly at the swift delivery of onsite temporary works design support.

Sam Hurst MEng CEng CEnv MICE

Sam has over a decade of experience as a Chartered Civil Engineer and Chartered Environmentalist. He has a proven track record in leading sustainability initiatives and implementing carbon reduction strategies on large-scale projects, particularly within the infrastructure sector. Sam’s expertise extends to temporary works design and construction, where he champions the integration of sustainable practices. He is a recognised authority in his field, contributing to writing multiple guidance notes and ‘how-to guides’ on low-carbon temporary works and construction practices. He is a Senior Sustainability Engineer.

Jan de Klerk BSc MSc CEng MIMechE

Jan started his engineering career in 2011 at TWD in the Netherlands. In 2019 he moved to the UK to help set up the UK branch of TWD and is currently the technical lead there. Over the years he gained extensive experience in designing working methods, equipment and temporary works for the installation of a wide variety of projects in the marine civils and offshore industry.

EUR ING Ronan O’Driscoll BEng (Hons) MSc CEng IntPE(UK) MICE MIMechE MIStructE LCGI DIS MNucl

Ronan is a Chartered Engineer with over 25 years of experience in construction engineering, specialising in temporary works. He is the temporary works lead on the Hinkley Point C construction project, ensuring compliance with BS 5975 standards. Ronan has worked on a variety of projects, both managing and delivering temporary works on site as well as designing temporary works and management off site. Ronan regularly shares valuable industry insights on LinkedIn. He authored Construction Engineering – A Guide to Temporary Works in Construction & BS 5975:2019, which he has shared freely to benefit the industry since December 2022.

Jeff Mahony BEng (Hons) CEng EUR ING FIEI FICE

Jeff is Head of Temporary Works for the HS2 (S1/S2) project which, when it was started, was considered the largest infrastructural project in Europe. With over 27 years of experience in major civil engineering projects throughout the UK and Ireland, his experience extends from major road and rail schemes, major pipelines, significant demolition works in the centre of London to time in the military as an engineer officer. The last 12 years of his career have been completely dedicated to the temporary works industry, most of which have been with Costain. Passionate about innovation, he has led various improvement projects in temporary works within the HS2 programme, along with intercompany reviews and improvements at Costain. He is also heavily involved with the Temporary Works Forum on a regular basis and has recently chaired a working group for the ‘Design and Construction of Granular Working Platforms for Construction Plant’.

Robert Millard BEng (Hons) MSc CEng MICE MIDE

Rob is Managing Director of De Construction Solutions and the current Chair of the Temporary Works Forum (since June 2022), having previously been a director of the board. With 26 years of experience across many sectors of construction, he has spent the last ten years providing specialist engineering support to the demolition, enabling and construction fields. In addition, through the development and delivery of temporary works courses, Rob is able to provide relevant and up-to-date learning opportunities in the field of temporary works. More recently his SKEB has been put to further service to clients, providing expert witness support involving demolition engineering, temporary works and construction practices.

Dr Henry Pairaudeau MA MEng PhD CEng MICE

Henry has over 14 years of experience in engineering design, management and research for major infrastructure and tunnelling projects. His major project contributions include the Lee Tunnel, Thames Tideway West and the UK’s Geological Disposal Facility for radioactive waste. Recently, he has completed a PhD at the University of Warwick, researching novel materials for tunnel linings.

Martin Pike MSt MEng CEng MICE

Martin is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years of experience in the construction industry. With expertise in technical engineering, prefabrication projects, and health, safety and quality management, Martin has contributed to the successful delivery of high-profile projects, including airports, data centres and residential developments. As an Associate Director at Mace UK, he has led the development of innovative construction methodologies, particularly in offsite manufacturing, ensuring value and efficiency. His practical problem-solving approach and knowledge of temporary works and concrete structures have been key to delivering successful outcomes.

Malachy Ryan BEng MSc CEng MICE

Malachy is a Chartered Civil Engineer and serves as the Strategy Director at Alan White Design in Scotland. With a wealth of experience, Malachy has held the role of ICE Supervising Civil Engineer and previously served as a Director of the Temporary Works Forum. Malachy’s expertise extends to his past involvement as a committee member of BSI B/525/9, focusing on the structural use of aluminium. He holds a master’s degree in concrete technology from the University of Dundee, further enhancing his knowledge in the field. Over the span of 15 years, Malachy has made significant contributions to the temporary works industry.

Simon R Smith CEng FICE FIStructE DipEM FFB

Simon is Managing Director of Contractors Design (CDS) Ltd, which he established in 2000. CDS has now become a well-established business offering a wide range of engineering design services in the fields of demolition, geotechnics, building refurbishment and basements, together with all facets of temporary works. Simon has over 40 years of experience in the construction industry, most of which have been acquired in the management and design of temporary works.

David Thomas MSc BSc (Eng) AKC CEng FICE CFIOSH MInstRE

David is a Chartered Civil Engineer and a Chartered Safety and Health Professional. Largely retired now, his career has included engineering and management consultancy, enforcement, contracting and promoting industry best practice. He has provided support and advice on work at height and the management of temporary works. David was a Director and Company Secretary, Temporary Works Forum from 2014 to 2023. He worked at the Health and Safety Executive (1997 to 2007) and was latterly an HM Principal Specialist Inspector of Health and Safety (Construction). He was SHE Director at William Hare Ltd (2007 to 2011), a global leader in engineered steel solutions. In 2023 he was awarded the Garth Watson Medal by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) for dedicated and valuable service in the field of temporary works and the whole of the civil engineering industry, and in 2024 was awarded the Darren Saffill Lifetime Achievement Memorial Award by the Northwest Construction Safety Group. He is the Director of Heightsayfe Ltd. He is also trustee of No Falls Foundation.

Mike Webster BEng MSc PhD DIC CEng FICE FIStructE

Mike is a chartered engineer with over 30 years of experience and the Director of MPW R&R Ltd. He specialises in CDM, construction and structural safety and provides consulting, forensic and expert witness services in those areas. He is a member of the Temporary Works Forum, the Institution of Structural Engineers’ Health and Safety Panel, Structural-Safety and CROSS (the panel for Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures). Mike has led independent evaluations of CDM 1994 and CDM 2007 and, in 2021, was appointed by HSE to lead a review of the CDM 2015 Principal Designer role. Mike frequently acts as an expert witness following collapses and other problems on construction sites (including temporary works) and has been instructed by both prosecution and defence teams.

Steve Williams BEng (Hons) CEng FIStructE FICE MPWI

Steve is a Buildings and Civils Engineering Expert for the Technical Authority in Network Rail. He has played a pivotal role in the design, execution and assurance of numerous projects for over 35 years in various sectors of the construction industry. His specialisms include the structural engineering of building and civil engineering structures, and the management of temporary works interfaces to ensure efficient design and construction in the railway sector. He leads Network Rail’s Health & Safety by Design Buildings and Civils Working Group. He is actively involved in many forums, panels and initiatives, including the Temporary Works Forum, Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK (panel expert), Institution of Structural Engineers’ Design Practice and Structural Safety Committee (panel member) and the Get It Right Initiative.

Kit Yardley

Kit has a career in the design of temporary works spanning five decades, with George Wimpey, Laing and Laing O’Rourke. He has designed a large variety of temporary works elements on projects such as National Bank of Dubai, Houses of Parliament Victoria Tower refurbishment, Sizewell B NPS, Second Severn Crossing, Cardiff Principality Stadium, A55 North Wales and Edinburgh Airport Control Tower. He is now semi-retired and but still delivers temporary works training.