What Is BS 5975? The Temporary Works Standard Explained
BS 5975 is the British Standard for managing temporary works. What it covers, the 2024 split into two parts, the TWC and TWS roles and the training that fits.
Anyone who works on a construction site of any size will run into temporary works: the scaffolds, props, excavation supports and formwork that hold everything up while the permanent structure is built. BS 5975 is the British Standard that sets out how those temporary works should be managed so they do not fail. If you have been asked to become a Temporary Works Coordinator or Supervisor, or you have seen BS 5975 named in a contract or a job advert, this article explains what the standard is, what changed in 2024 and which course fits your role.
What BS 5975 covers
BS 5975 is a code of practice. It describes a management process that follows every item of temporary works from first idea to final removal: a temporary works register listing every item on the project, a design brief, a design produced against that brief, an independent design check at one of four categories depending on complexity, formal permits to load and to strike, and inspections along the way. It also defines the roles that run that process, so responsibility is never left vague. Our full temporary works and BS 5975 guide walks through the process step by step; this article focuses on the standard itself.
BS 5975 is now two standards, not one
In December 2024 the British Standards Institution replaced BS 5975:2019 with two new documents, and the old single standard was withdrawn. BS 5975-1:2024, Management procedures for the control of temporary works, carries the procedural side: the register, the roles, the design checks and the permits. This is the part that matters day to day for site managers, coordinators and supervisors. BS 5975-2:2024, Falsework: design and implementation, carries the design rules for falsework and is the first full revision of that design content since 2008. The split was made because most people only ever used the procedural half, which is now a shorter, clearer document in its own right.
The 2024 revision also tightened the detail. 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 there is new guidance on environmental risks to temporary works such as flooding and soil erosion. The overall process, though, is the same shape as before: if you learned the BS 5975 process on a course in recent years, the register, checks and permits all still work the way you were taught.
Is BS 5975 a legal requirement?
No. BS 5975 is a code of practice, not legislation, and no law names it directly. In practice that distinction matters less than it sounds. The Health and Safety at Work Act and CDM 2015 require construction risks, including temporary works, to be managed by competent people under proper arrangements, and following BS 5975 is the recognised way of showing you have done exactly that. 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 plain English
The standard defines a chain of responsibility. 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 the ground, 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. If you are weighing up which role, and which course, applies to you, our TWC vs TWS comparison covers it decision by decision.
Which BS 5975 course do you need?
Training for the standard comes through the CITB Site Safety Plus scheme, and the right course follows the role. The 2-day Temporary Works Coordinator course is for anyone coordinating the process or managing those who do, and works through the full BS 5975 management system with a final assessment. The 1-day Temporary Works Supervisor course covers the supervisor's duties: understanding the process, supervising against the design and knowing when to stop work. Both certificates are valid for five years, and coordinators renew with the TWC refresher course rather than repeating the full course. The assessments are open book, so the skill being tested is knowing your way around the standard and the process, not memorising clauses. For current prices, our TWC course cost guide and TWS course cost guide show live dates and from-prices.
Live dates for all three courses, classroom and online, are on the course pages above, with prices per delegate and excluding VAT. If you are booking several people onto the same date, our business team can set up group bookings and invoice payment.
