Why Temporary Works Designers Should Join Relevant DfS Reviews
Where a temporary works design — formwork, falsework, shoring, access scaffolding — creates or controls material risk, the designer responsible for it should attend the relevant DfS review directly, rather than being represented secondhand through the main Contractor.
Direct answer
Temporary works are usually engineered separately from the permanent structure, often by a specialist engaged by the Contractor. A main contractor's site team can describe a temporary works scheme in general terms, but cannot always answer detailed design questions about bracing, sequencing or load paths the way the designer who produced the calculations can.
Why secondhand representation falls short
- Design-specific questions about bracing, tie-backs and load paths need the actual designer to answer accurately
- Sequencing and method decisions often shift the risk profile in ways only the temporary works designer has fully modelled
- Residual risks specific to the temporary works are easier to record correctly when the person who identified them is in the room
Formwork as a case in point
Proprietary table formwork illustrates this well: risk concentrates during erection, lifting and repositioning — not in the finished, braced state — and depends on manufacturer-specific limits such as height-to-breadth ratio. A DfS review that only hears a general description of "formwork will be used" misses the risk detail that a direct conversation with the temporary works designer would surface.
See our full page on temporary works and formwork design safety →, including MOM's factor-of-safety guidance for proprietary table formwork.
Official references
- CircularMOM, Proprietary Table Formwork Safety circular — official source →
- GuidanceWSH Council, Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines — Design for Safety — official source →