BS 5975 is the British Standard code of practice for temporary works, and it defines the management process that follows every scaffold, prop, excavation support and formwork assembly from first design brief to final removal. Since December 2024, the standard has been published in two parts: BS 5975-1:2024 covers management procedures for controlling temporary works, while BS 5975-2:2024 addresses the design and implementation of falsework. The earlier single-document edition, BS 5975:2019, was withdrawn in December 2024.

What BS 5975 defines

According to the standard, temporary works are "those parts of the works that allow or enable the construction of protecting, support or provide access to the permanent works and might or might not remain in place at the completion of the works." In plain terms, that covers any structure or item of plant that is not self-supporting and could pose a safety hazard if it fails. Examples include scaffolding, shoring, excavation support, falsework, formwork, crane bases and hoarding.

The standard establishes a register-based management process: every item of temporary works on a project is logged in a temporary works register, receives a design brief, undergoes an independent design check at one of four categories depending on complexity, and is subject to formal permits to load and to strike. Inspections are required along the way. This process ensures that responsibility is never left vague and that nothing is loaded without proper review.

Why the 2024 split into two parts?

The British Standards Institution replaced the single BS 5975:2019 with two documents because most users only ever consulted the procedural half. BS 5975-1:2024, which carries the register, roles, design checks and permits, is now a shorter, clearer document in its own right. BS 5975-2:2024 contains the first full revision of the falsework design content since 2008.

The 2024 revision also tightened detail in several areas. The Temporary Works Coordinator and Temporary Works Supervisor roles are defined more fully, the link to the Principal Designer's duties under CDM 2015 is spelled out more clearly, and new guidance addresses environmental risks to temporary works such as flooding and soil erosion. The overall register, checks and permits process, however, remains the same shape as before.

Is BS 5975 a legal requirement?

No. BS 5975 is a code of practice, not legislation, and no UK law names it directly. The legal duty sits in the Health and Safety at Work Act and CDM 2015, which require construction risks—including temporary works—to be managed by competent people under proper arrangements. Following BS 5975 is the recognised way of demonstrating compliance. Principal contractors write it into their procedures, clients expect it, and after a failure it is the benchmark any investigation will measure the site against.

The BS 5975 roles in practice

The standard defines a chain of responsibility that runs from company level down to the ground:

  • The Designated Individual sits at company level and owns the temporary works procedures for the business.
  • The Temporary Works Coordinator runs the process on the project: keeping the register, arranging designs and checks, and issuing permits.
  • The Temporary Works Supervisor works under the coordinator on site, checking that what is built matches the design and that permits are in place before loading or striking.

On a small job one person may cover more than one duty; on a large project there may be several supervisors under one coordinator. Training for these roles is delivered through the CITB Site Safety Plus scheme, with separate courses for coordinators and supervisors.

Where BS 5975 matters on site

For anyone specifying crane mats or outrigger pads, the consequence is clear: a mat is a temporary works item and belongs in the same procedure as a prop or a falsework leg. It must be briefed, designed, checked, registered and permitted before it is loaded. A second consequence is citation: a temporary works procedure still referencing BS 5975:2019 is referencing a withdrawn document, and so is every specification and method statement that inherited the reference from it. Updated procedures should cite BS 5975-1:2024 for management and BS 5975-2:2024 where falsework design is relevant.

Incidents, temporary works failures and poor planning cause project delays and put workers at risk. At the design stage, the Principal Designer, together with the design team, should identify expected temporary works for the project. Based on that information, the Principal Contractor should create a temporary works register to monitor and manage all temporary works items required. A competent Temporary Works Coordinator should be appointed on projects where complexity or scale warrants it; on small projects with simple needs, the temporary condition can sometimes be managed through careful sequencing and method selection, minimising the need for non-permanent works.

Why outrigger mats are frequently overlooked

Outrigger mats, crane pads and similar ground-bearing supports are often designed and used with no formal protocol behind them. Yet they carry the same safety-critical function as any other temporary works item: failure means overturning, collapse or ground subsidence. The standard exists to close exactly that gap. If you are responsible for mobile crane operations, access platform deployment or concrete pump positioning, every outrigger pad should appear on the temporary works register, with a design check and permit before loading.

For health and safety professionals and temporary works engineers, CPD-accredited training is available that addresses the gap between standard requirements and current practice on outrigger mat specification. The subject is not academic: a mat loaded without a design brief, a competent check or a formal permit is a non-compliance waiting to be discovered—or worse, a failure waiting to happen.

BS 5975-1:2024 and BS 5975-2:2024 are available from the British Standards Institution. Copies must be purchased; the detailed procedural controls and design guidance are not publicly reproduced. The standards are cited by number and title as follows: BS 5975-1:2024, Temporary works: management procedures for the control of temporary works. Code of practice, and BS 5975-2:2024, Temporary works: falsework, design and implementation. Code of practice.