Consultancy and Expert Witness
Temporary Works-
Latest News
| Stop Press | |
Training | |
General |
| Formwork | |
Falsework | |
Scaffolding and Towers |
HINT... Why not remember to bookmark this page for your regular return?
Update
It is with regret that I have to announce that the ICE vote in February for the introduction of Chartered Infrastructure Engineers without Civil Engineering qualificatuins was PASSED. Only 17.6% of mermbers bothered to vote, so this significant change to our future was passed by less than 12% - with NO public debate and certainly restricted discusion in the NCE. This is not in my view, and other senior Fellows, the way a professional Institution should operate.
The new ICE entrants do NOT have anything like the education and formation training necessary to become a Chartered Civil Engineer. Agreeing to incorporate these engineers as chartered members of the ICE significantly undermines the status in industry of existing Chartered Civil Engineers; especially as the ICE Trustees have conveniently not included any statement about use of "CEng" by these "engineers". My worry, as an accreditted Expert Witness, is that the courts will now no longer be assured that instructing an ICE Chartered Engineer for litigation, will actually be instructing a civil engineer with credentials and experience.
The United Kingdom, from 1st January 2022 is a FULL member of CEN and CENELEC accepting all ENs.
This means that, in perpetuity, the UK will:-
A.Have first to obtain approval from the European Commission to commence work on new standards,
B. Adopt all CEN approved EuroNorms, whether the UK voted for or against the particular standard,
C. Agree to not publish any text of a EuroNorm in any British Standard, and
D. Agree to not write any standards that conflict with a EuroNorm.
Whereas I have always supported the concept of full UK alignment with International Standards and having common design rules, as in the Core EuroCodes, I disagree that the UK has agreed to accept every EuroNorm in perpetuity; thus making our product standards the same as all the other 33 countries.
I appear isolated, am I the only person in the UK who wanted the UK to have the right of choice as to which Standards it wanted to adopt, be it acceptable EurNorms or our own British written standards and/or Codes of Practice? I voted for Brexit to give us the right to choose our future, not to become a Standards vassal state of Europe.
The significantly updated Code of Practice for Temporary Works Procedures (Part 1) and Design of Falsework ( Part 2) is delayed and now likely to be issued for PUBLIC COMMENT in late April 2022. Unfortunately the BSI administration and the BSI committee are struggling to handle the internal comments having been BSI'd by the secretariat! This is a major update and will provide valuable insight into our continuing design of falsework using permissable stress methods, as well as giving guidance on the use of the limit state approach to design.
TRAINING
BS5975:2019 ( Cl. 5.2.1) recommends that all those managing temporary works should have an understanding of :-
a) the procedures outlined in Section 2 of BS5975,
b) the procedures that you are expected to operate for your organisation,
c) management of risk associated with your managinmg the temporary works,
d) technical knowledge relevant to both your role and complexity of the work, and
e) practical knowledge relevant to the complexity of the job.
Certain projects might in addition have job-specific training requirements ( e.g. railway work, airports. )
General Updates - Temporary Works
- Temporary Works - Principles of Design and Construction - 2nd edition
The Second Edition of the
authoritative guidance for anyone involved in temporary works has been edited by Peter Pallett and Ray Filip. It not only includes the
latest procedures for temporary works from BS5975:2019 ; brings all previous chapters up-to-date; and, includes
new chapters on needling, backpropping, demolition, basement construction and the modern use of digital visualisations and computers to
enhance design.
The opening chapters on "Safety, statutory & contractural obligations" and "Management" should be made compulsory reading for anyone involved in temporary works!
The new book of 528 pages (ISBN 978 0 7277 6338 9 ) is available either in b/w as hardback (price £145) from ICE Publishing by clicking on link ICE Book Shop. or by using the link from the Book Shop pay a subscription to see the e-book in colour.
- TWf2012:01 Hoardings - a guide to good practice.
The Temporary Works Forum have updated this authoritative design guidance for Hoardings of solid construction. First published in 2012 under
Peter Pallett as convenor, the document had a periodioc review and update in August 2020 by Ray Filip and David Thomas. The document is a free
46 page download and gives guidance on the design brief, on values of loadings ( including a minimum notional horizontal load. ), together
with likely loading combinations for hoardings in the UK. Design information for permissible stress and limit state design options are included.
A method of foundation design for post-in-hole is recommended. The appendices include the design considerations for wind to current EuroCodes,
working structural properties for timber posts and rails, and the post planting depths for common hoardings.
The document concludes with a complete and detailed worked example to explain both the philosophy and the method recommended.This is a must have document for temporary works designers. Download your copy either by clicking on TWf2012_01_Hoardings_good_practice.pdf or go to the TWf website at www.twforum.org.uk.
Formwork
Formwork - a guide to good practice.
The Third Edition dated April 2012 is printed and in A4 size and in colour. Long awaited major update to the best selling Concrete Society publication. Major new sections on contractual requirements, the Law, proprietary formwork, new timber and plywood values, concrete pressure groups introduced, slip form and climbing formwork, plus new wind information for stability of forms.
Detailed Worked Examples are available in a separate booklet, including walls, single faced forms and backpropping calculations.
Some minor typographical errors have been observed - Click here to view a separate A4 page of the known errors which opens as a *.pdf file.(ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CS030, 299 pages, ISBN 978 1 904482 68 0) or click on link to Formwork Guide at the Concrete Bookshop.
- INVESTIGATIONS INTO ASPECTS OF FALSEWORK
The HSE 200 page report is available as Contract Research Report CRR 394/2001 from HSE Books as ISBN 0 7176 2232 0. It is also available for download from www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_htm/2001/crr01394.htm (2.5 Mb).The work was carried out by the University of Birmingham, led by Eur. Ing. Peter Pallett with help from Dr. M. Burrow, Professor L. Clark and Mr Ray Ward. The research investigated both the aspects of stability of falsework and measured eleven sites for accuracy of erection. The changes in management of falsework, together with more reliance on suppliers' designs has led to different criteria and checking regimes.
- “There does not appear to have been an overall improvement in verticality of erection over the last 12 years. ”
“At all levels there is a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of stability of falsework and the basic principles involved.”
