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	Stop Press		General
	Formwork		Falsework
Scaffolding and Towers

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• A Guide to the Safe Use of Formwork and Falsework
  
  Published in May 2008, this full colour A4 booklet reviews the most commonly used types of formwork and falsework and gives guidance on their safe use. It focuses on the hazards of working at height and discusses systems that can both minimise and control the consequent risks.
  The guide will be of interest to many in the construction industry, setting out the criteria for safe systems of work with formwork and falsework, from client concept, delivery, storage, use, handling, and subsequent dismantling.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CSG/005, 54 pages, ISBN 978 1 904482 41 3) or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.

• BeamPal analysis program Version 1.03
  This popular simple and easy to use, beam analysis program works on Win98, Windows XP, and can also run on Windows Vista. The latest version has the facility to "hold down" or allow "lift off" of beams at support(s). See on-screen displays of bending moment, deflection and/or shear force ; print them off onto A4 paper ; save ; point and drag supports and loads etc.. Click here to find out more about BeamPal.

• TG20:08 Scaffolding Guidance
  I am pleased to announce that the long awaited update to TG20:05 is nearing completion. I understand from " informed sources " that the full scale testing at BRE, to verify the mathematical assumptions, have shown better than expected results. It may be that NASC will use the results to enhance some of the safe height tables for Basic Unclad scaffolds. Publication is now expected in late Autumn of 2008!
  This Guide introduces a simple and effective concept of scaffold designation using three numbers, e.g. 3-5-2. The first number is the Service load class, (i.e. Class 3 for 2.0 kN/m2 ), Second number is number of 225mm boards between the standards, and the third number represents the number of scaffold boards cantilivering on the inside of the scaffold as either 0, 1 or 2. This will facilitate ease of procurement and provide users of scaffolds a quick understanding of what it was designed for.

  ( Since April 2005 all scaffolders erecting scaffolds with two boards on the inside of the scaffold have by LAW to complete calculations. Such scaffolds were not covered either in the withdrawn BS5973, nor in TG20:05. The standard configuration and solutions for two boards inside completed by NASC, are in this long awaited update ! )
  

• BSI and CEN Documents
  Peter's update on information about relevant British and European Standards for Temporary Works is listed on a separate web page.
  Click to access.

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• The CDM Regulations 2007
  The Approved Code of Practice is available from HSE Books. The new regulations are included. 122 pages on ISBN 978 0 7176 6223 4.
  (ORDER: Telephone direct to HSE Books : +44 (0) 1787 881165 or from the web Bookfinder at www.hsebooks.com quoting Reference L 144)

  The 50 page Industry Guidance for Designers was published in May 2007 (Ref CDM07/4 ) and is only available as a *.pdf file from Construction Skills.

• C654 Tower Crane Stability
  Safety of tower cranes and the design of their foundations is an important temporary works operation. This new CIRIA 90 page book is intended to promote the safe design of foundations for, and use of, tower cranes through an improved understanding of temporary works design and health and safety issues. Order from the CIRIA bookshop C654: ISBN 0 86017 654 1

• HSG150 Health and Safety in Construction
  The Health and Safey Executive issued in May 2006 a new edition of HSG 150 to take into account the recent changes in legislation (particularly the Work at Height Regulations 2005 ). ISBN 0 7176 6182 2.

  (ORDER: Telephone direct to HSE Books : +44 (0) 1787 881165 or from the web Bookfinder at www.hsebooks.com quoting Reference HSG 150.)

• FRICTION in Temporary Works
  Published in the June 2002 edition of CONCRETE magazine is the article summarising the recent research work on friction. It replaces the previous article in March 2000.
  The friction resistance using “wet” timber and plywood has shown that the values previously published for DRY timber and plywood are acceptable lower bound values. Surprisingly, wet and saturated timber and plywood gave higher values than when dry - believed caused by the individual timber fibres compressing when wet and making a "rougher surface".
  This Research was carried out at The University of Birmingham, and was funded by the HSE Technology Division (TD2), and carried out by Dr Nick Gorst.

  (NOTE: This data will be incorporated into BS 5975:2008 Code of practice on Falsework.)

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• Formwork - a guide to good practice
  The Second Edition was reprinted in March 1997 to bring it up to date with the references, and a few minor editorial corrections.
  Stocks. Now only available as a Black and White reprint.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CS030, 232 pages, ISBN 0 946691 52 5) or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.

• CS140 - GUIDE TO FLAT SLAB FORMWORK and FALSEWORK
  Now available - published A4 by the CONCRETE SOCIETY - June 2003 at £60.00. The Flat Slab Guide is prepared by a CONSTRUCT working party under chairmanship of Peter Pallett under an initial PiT proposal with The University of Birmingham. It introduces some very informative and innovative methods for striking flat slabs and, very importantly, introduces detailed guidance, with examples, on backpropping of multi-storey buildings based on BRE Report BR 394. The Excel spreadsheet included with the Guide will quickly become the essential tool for PWD's and TWC's in planning backpropping operations.
  

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CS140, 144 pages, ISBN 0 946691 90 8 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.))

• BR495 - Formwork for modern, efficient concrete construction
  The Building Research Establishment have just published a 24 page summary guidance booklet on the latest techniques available for forming concrete buildings. Covering frame buildings, tables forms, columns, panel systems, jump forms and slip forms, this well illustrated booklet gives gidanmce on the process efficiancy, safety and sustainability features of various systems.

  (ORDER: Telephone direct to IHS BRE Press : +44 (0) 1923 664000 or from the web at www.brepress.com quoting Reference BR 495 or ISBN 978-1-86081-975-9 )

• Designers's Guide to use of Expamet Hy-Rib
  Hy-Rib is now even more important in construction, by eliminating the need for scabbling joints, hence reducing "white finger". The third edition is now available as a direct *.pdf download ( 1.65 Mb ) from this site by clicking on
  "Hy-Rib Guide 3rd Edition ".
  It includes the updated properties of one type of Hy-Rib and also it's use with Self Compacting Concrete on a 400mm stop end. Surprisingly, the concrete did not flow through!

• Hy-Rib Permanent Formwork Hy-Frame
  Expamet Building Products, the manufacturers of expanded metal permanent formwork, have now developed a modular re-useable support system for Hy-Rib stop ends. Designed with patented rubber sealing strips to effectively seal around the horizontal rebar, the system suits the different rib widths of Hy-Rib. They are also now able to supply Hy-Rib in stainless steel. For a Hy-Frame brochure either email Expamet or view their web site www.hy-rib.com

• Fabric Formwork
  The RIBA have published a book showing the architectural and structural use of fluid responsive formwork with essays and articles. ISBN 978 1 85946 284 3. It is available from the Concrete Bookshop.

• Qi Training DVD's
  The very successful training videos on "Good Formwork Practice" and on "Curing & Protecting Concrete & Striking Formwork" are now available on DVD. Contact Qi Training on telephone : +44 (0) 1793 771 748

• Concrete Groups for formwork pressure
  Users of CIRIA report R108 need the relevant concrete group for determination of the pressure of concrete on formwork. Peter Pallett's article in CONCRETE magazine June 2004 (page 16) relates the new cement type designations to the Concrete Group.

• National Structural Concrete Specification for Building Construction
  The Third edition of this very successful CONSTRUCT document was published in May 2004. Promoted by consultants and contractors alike, it has rapidly become the "spec" for building in concrete. Now published by the Concrete Society Ref: CS 152 the document includes a CD ROM of the specification in *.pdf format.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CS152, 176 pages, ISBN 1 904482 09 0 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.)

• CS144 - CHECKLIST for the assembly, Use and Striking of Formwork
  This handy, pocket sized checklist, prepared by a Concrete Society working party was published in April 2003. The checklist, similar in style to the successfull "Falsework checklist" is produced for supervisors and is suitable for use in both building and civil engineering. It will quickly become an important reference document for the site team, and in particular for the supervisory staff.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CS144, 28 pages, ISBN 0 946691 99 1 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.)

• ACI Formwork for concrete
  The American Concrete Institute re-published in September 2005 the 7th Edition of their publication on Formwork. Edited by M.K. Hurd, it includes new material on single sided walls and new pressure formulae with coefficients for different types of concrete used in America. (Order Ref: SP47TH ).

• PERMANENT FORMWORK IN CONSTRUCTION - CIRIA Report C558
  The joint Concrete Society / CIRIA working party document is published. Under the authorship of Bob Wrigley, this very informative 174 page report gives authoritative guidance on the use of Permanent Formwork in both building and civil engineering. It should be a "must" for all PWD's and users of this type of formwork.

  Available from CIRIA as Report C558 ISBN 0 86017 558 8. (£90 Non-members)

• CONTROLLED PERMEABILITY FORMWORK (Report C511)
  The joint CIRIA/Concrete Society 102 page authoritative guidance report written by Eur Ing Bill Price was published in July 2000. Contact CIRIA direct for your copies. ISBN 0 86017 511 1

• PLAIN FORMED CONCRETE FINISHES
  The Concrete Society Technical Report No 52 is published. It illustrates twenty two different sites, with three colour photographs from each site of a plain concrete finish. Details of how the finish was achieved, the specification used etc. together with the concrete mix details, type of form face etc., are all included. It includes the CONSTRUCT reference panels. At long last, the industry has authoritative guidance on the subject.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref. TR52, 45 pages, ISBN 0 946691 70 3 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.)

• BEST PRACTICE GUIDE - EARLY AGE STRENGTH ASSESSMENT
  Published in April 2000 this guide is on early age strength assessment. It is important to those wishing to strike slabs early in fast track construction. It advocates the use of the LOK test on four readings to obtain a result based on the correlation curves to give a insitu strength assessment.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref. BCA 97.503 4 pages, ISBN 0 7210 1554 9 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.)

• Self-compacting Concrete
  The Concrete Society Technical Review TR62 was published in June 2005. It provides a basic understanding of applications, properties, design and practical considerations of use of SCC. Written in response to industry requests. Concrete pressure covered in two paragraphs, recommending, in absence of any data, use full hydrostatic head. ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CCIP-001, 80 pages, ISBN 0 904482 19 8 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.

  Concrete pressure using SCC. The article by Yannick Vanhove of work carried out in France on concreting TWO 12m high columns with Self Compacting Concrete is summarised in an article in the June 2002 edition of CONCRETE magazine. They pumped one column from the bottom upwards, and the other more conventionally by skip from the top. The report introduces a modified Janssen formulae allowing for the friction of the face contact maerial and the type of release agent used. The results showed that, compared to full fluid pressure head, there was a reduction in SCC pressure of about 30% for the poured concrete by skip, and about 20% for the bottom pumped SCC concrete. [Two errors in Table 2 are corrected in an Errata in the July/August edition of CONCRETE ]
  The reference to this paper is given in the Chronological references.

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• CS123 - CHECKLIST for Erecting and Dismantling Falsework
  This checklist, prepared by a Concrete Society working party is produced for supervisors and is in a handy, pocket sized edition. Suitable for both building and civil engineering, it has quickly become an important reference document for the site team, and in particular for the supervisory staff.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref: CS123, 24 pages, ISBN 0 946691 72 X or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.

• BEST PRACTICE GUIDE - EARLY STRIKING AND IMPROVED BACKPROPPING
  Published in March 2001 this four page guide is a simple introduction to Guide to Flat Slab Formwork and Falsework published in June 2003. It is of importance to those wishing to understand backpropping and early striking of slabs.

  (ORDER FROM: The Concrete Bookshop Ref. BCA 97.505 4 pages, ISBN 0 7210 1556 5 or order by email to the Concrete Bookshop.)

• C579 and C589 Masonry façade retention - best practice guide and site handbook
  Published in September 2003 by CIRIA, these major new references for all those involved in façade retentions include detailed design information and practical guidance. The CIRIA committee, under the chairmanship of David Thomas (HSE), must be congratulated for bringing together the differing design approaches previously used in the industry into one unified design approach. An on-site best practice handbook ( C589 ) in convenient A5 size is also available.
  
  C579 is ISBN 0 86017 5789 0 and C589 (A5 handbook) is ISBN 086017 589 8
  (Available direct from CIRIA Publications (Tel: +44 (0) 20 7549 3300) or email to CIRIA or from the web at www.ciria.org.uk quoting C579 or C589.)

• CIS56 - HSE Safe erection, use and dismantling of falsework
  Published in June 2003 this A4 open-out four page HSE information sheet is part of the Construction Information Sheet series. It details the legal responsibilities of the management of falsework through planning, design and use. It also gives information on erection etc..
  

  (ORDER: Free issue by mail order or telephone to HSE Books Tel : +44 (0) 1787 881165 or from the web Bookfinder at www.hsebooks.com quoting Reference CIS 56)

• 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.”

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• TG20:05 Guide to good practice for scaffolding with tubes and fittings
  . Published in January 2005, it is the text and diagrams of the earlier BS 5973 updated to BS EN 12811-1. It includes new descriptive figures and flow charts, PLUS fourteen tables of safe heights pre-calculated for unclad putlog scaffolds and for unclad, debris-netted and sheeted independent tied scaffolds. All designed to the revised service class loadings and to a simplified version of BS 6399-2 wind code.

  Prepared under contract by Slender Structures Ltd., the two authors are Dr. M.H.R. Godley and Eur Ing P.F. Pallett. Currently being expanded to include further information on two boards inside etc..

  (Order Ref. TG20:05 ISBN 0 9549515 0 6 from NASC either by email nasc.org.uk or telephone +44 (0) 20 7397 8120 or fax +44 (0) 20 7397 8121)

• Work at Height Regulations Question and Answer Brief - Question 24 Scaffolding
  The Health and Safety Executive revised their website Question 24 in January 2006. The revised and corrected text is:

  • Question 24. What about scaffolding? Do I have to design scaffolding? What is a generally recognised standard configuration?

  • Answer. Most scaffolds can be erected following a generally recognised standard configuration. Such as those given in the National Access and Scaffolding Confederation (NASC) guide TG 20:05, or used in accordance with the manufacturers guidance for system scaffolds.

    Where scaffolds due to their complexity or size cannot be erected to these established configurations they should be designed generally in accordance to the principles given in BS EN 12811 or based on fundamental engineering principles. In these cases a note of the design should be available. Competent scaffolders should always erect tube and fitting, or system scaffolds, and a safe system of work should be followed, i.e. as described in NASC's guidance note SG4:05.

  ( end of Q24 Answer ) See the full brief at HSE Q & A Brief as pdf file.

• SG4:05 Preventing Falls in Scaffolding and Falsework
  The National Access & Scaffolding Confederation's extensive guidance was published in August 2005. This A4 book with a foreword by the HSE significantly updates the earlier SG4:00. This 46 page guide now gives clear guidance for both scaffolders and falsework erectors in how to prevent falls in the industry. It also stimulates product designers for substantial innovation in equipment design. Also see the pocket sized version SG4:You.

  Order Ref. SG4:05 ISBN 0 9549515 1 4 from NASC either by email to the NASC or telephone +44 (0) 20 7397 8120 or fax +44 (0) 20 7397 8121

• SG4:You User Guide to SG4:05
  NOW AVAILABLE This pocket sized 52 page booklet by the National Access & Scaffolding Confederation gives practical guidance to all site staff for preventing falls from both scaffolding and falsework. Easily read with detailed illustrations - this is a booklet that will rapidly become essential for site inductions. Published in March 2006 with a foreward by the HSE.

  Order Ref SG4:You ISBN 0-9549515-2-2 from NASC either by email to the NASC or telephone +44 (0) 20 7397 8120 or fax +44 (0) 20 7397 8121

• SG28:06 Scaffold for Timber Frame Housing
  The NASC guidance note "Safe System of Work for Scaffolding associated with Timber Frame Building Construction" is now available. Prepared after detailed consultation with the industry, it gives guidance on use of tube and fitting scaffolds in this work. (16 pages)
  (Order Ref. SG24:06 from NASC either by email nasc.org.uk or telephone +44 (0) 20 7397 8120 or fax +44 (0) 20 7397 8121)

• TG4:04 Anchorage Systems for Scaffolding
  Published in August 2004 by the NASC in conjunction with the Construction Fixings Association, this 8 page guide gives detailed information on types of fixings, selection, safe loads, plus recommended testing methods and regimes. It is to be read with TG20:05

  (Order Ref. TG04:04 from NASC either by email nasc.org.uk or telephone +44 (0) 20 7397 8120 or fax +44 (0) 20 7397 8121)

• PASMA Prefabricated Access Suppliers' & Manufacturers' Association.
  The Operator's Code of Practice for prefabricated access towers manufactured in aluminium alloy or fibreglass, 12th revision was published in December 2005. This edition brings the code in line with BS EN 1004:2004. Although costing only £5.00 this A5 colour booklet represents excellent value. Available from PASMA member companies only.

  (Further infomation contact PASMA on telephone +44 (0) 845 230 4041 or fax +44 (0) 845 230 4042 )

• CE 509 A Guide to Practical Scaffolding
  This booklet used by many scaffolders has been updated in July 2005 to include the recomendations from BS EN 12811-1 and has introduced the tie spacings stated TG20:05. It is now 146 pages. ISBN 0 902029 91 6. Order direct from CITB Publications.

• CITB SCAFFOLDING BOOKLETS
  The CITB booklets on Construction Site Safety for Scaffolding were updated AGAIN in January 2007 in Volume 1 as Ref: GE 700/ C5 for Tube and Fitting Scaffolds and Ref: GE 700 / C4 for System Scaffolds and Mobile Towers. It is noted that they have now included the recomendations from BS EN 12811-1 and introduced the tie spacings stated in TG20:05.

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