Temporary works code of practice published

16 February 2017


Great Britain - The British Standards Institution (BSI) has published PAS 8811 Temporary works - major infrastructure and client procedures - code of practice.

The document gives recommendations on major infrastructure client procedures for temporary works and temporary conditions of permanent works during construction. It also covers processes, roles, responsibilities and competences, and provides example pro forma documentation.

A PAS is not a British Standard. It will be withdrawn upon publication of its content in, or as, a British Standard. The PAS process enables a code of practice to be rapidly developed in order to fulfill an immediate need in industry. A PAS can be considered for further development as a British Standard, or constitute part of the UK input into the development of a European or International Standard.

A spokesperson for BSI said, “PAS 8811 was sponsored by High Speed Two (HS2) Limited and the Temporary Works Forum (TWf), and defines major infrastructure client responsibilities with regards to temporary works. It also recommends a common set of procedures for use by UK major infrastructure clients. BSI engaged with a number of construction industry stakeholders to identify areas in which it was felt that the industry could benefit from further standardisation.

“Procedural controls for temporary works are covered in BS 5975:2008+A1:2011, Section 2 and are widely used across the industry. Whilst this standard provides the basis for contractors’ procedures for temporary works, it does not provide explicit guidance for clients. Consequently, client organisations have tended to develop individual requirements resulting in a variety of approaches, which have created confusion and complexity particularly with respect to approval and compliance, with adverse impact on administrative costs and programme.”

Ant Burd, Head of the built environment sector at BSI, said: “The aim of PAS 8811 is threefold: to establish a unified approach to client involvement in temporary works across all stages; to eliminate unnecessary procedures and conflicts in order to achieve clarity; and to minimise delays during compliance and approvals processes and other necessary procedures.”

The spokesperson added: “This PAS complements, and is intended to be used in conjunction with, BS 5975, Code of practice for temporary works procedures and the permissible stress design of falsework, expanding areas where there is limited information provided for major infrastructure client requirements.

“PAS 8811 does not cover the contractual responsibilities of clients, suppliers or contractors. Where there are relevant existing standards or industry documents, this PAS refers to these and is not intended to replicate existing material.”

BSI (British Standards Institution) is a business standards company. Formed in 1901, BSI was the world’s first National Standards Body and a founding member of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).