INGENIEUR
Figure 4 : The safe work procedure prepared by the contractor and the PEPC must be fail-safe to ensure that workers are not at risk of injury while working with the formwork and falsework .
The temporary structures are usually designed by Professional Engineers with Practising Certificates ( PEPC ) appointed by the main contractor , and they commonly do not have a contractual relationship with the permanent structure designer — either the PEPC ( different from the temporary structure PEPC ) or the architect . The BOWECS Regulations require the design of falsework and formwork to be carried out by PEPC if :
1 . the floor to ceiling height exceeds 9.14 metres ;
2 . the formwork deck is supported by shores constructed in two or more tiers ; or
3 . the dead , live and impact loads on the formwork exceed 732.2 kgf per square metre .
The BOWECS Regulations further requires the PEPC to be responsible for the supervision of the construction and stability of the falsework and formwork he designed . The PEPC is also required to prepare a specification ( safe work procedure ) for dismantling the formwork and falsework , and dismantling works can only be carried out after his approval and in accordance with the safe work procedure .
Like other temporary structures , formwork and falsework are typically used in a short period compared to the entire duration of the project . Therefore , the accuracy of the design and installation may not be given special emphasis , as compared to the permanent structures . However , most formwork and falsework designs are based on the same principles used in permanent structures for lateral stability . Therefore , there is a significant knowledge and information gap between the permanent structure designer and the temporary structure designer .
Ideally , the designer of a permanent structure should pay attention and give due consideration to formwork and falsework so that the design of a building or its permanent structure can help the designer of a temporary structure design safe formwork and falsework or any other temporary structure . However , this situation is rare . Therefore ,
28 VOL 88 OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2021