Formwork Code of Practice 2016 - WorkSafe Queensland

1 Formwork code of Practice 2016 Formwork code of Practice 2016 (PN11965)Page 2 of 54 This Queensland code of Practice was been approved by the Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Minister for Racing and Minister for Multicultural Affairs under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and commenced on 31 March 2016 . This code was varied by the Minister for Education and Industrial Relations on 1 July 2018. PN11965 The State of Queensland 2018 Copyright protects this document. The State of Queensland has no objection to this material being reproduced, but asserts its right to be recognised as author of the original material and the right to have the material unaltered.

2 The material presented in this publication is distributed by the Queensland Government as an information source only. The State of Queensland makes no statements, representations, or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained in this publication, and the reader should not rely on it. The Queensland Government disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including, without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages and costs you might incur as a result of the information being inaccurate or incomplete in any way, and for any reason. Formwork code of Practice 2016 (PN11965)Page 3 of 54 Contents 1 Introduction .. 6 What is Formwork ? .. 6 Who has health and safety duties in relation to Formwork activities?

3 6 What is involved in managing risks associated with Formwork activities? .. 7 Information, training, instruction and supervision .. 8 2 Design .. 10 Safe design of buildings in relation to Formwork .. 11 Build-ability .. 11 Materials traditional Formwork .. 12 Formwork systems .. 13 Safe Formwork design and certification .. 13 Modular proprietary system design .. 15 Documentation .. 15 Design variations .. 17 On site coordination and verification .. 17 3 Coordination and administration .. 18 Work program .. 18 The work environment .. 18 Entry and exit .. 19 Material storage .. 19 Rubbish storage and removal .. 20 Lighting .. 20 Safe work method statements .. 20 4 Work systems .. 21 Formwork erection traditional systems.

4 21 Foundations .. 21 False deck .. 22 Erecting frames .. 22 Installing 23 Fall protection from the Formwork deck .. 23 Laying formply on the deck .. 25 Cantilevers .. 26 Penetrations .. 27 Working areas for steel fixers and others .. 28 Formwork erection modular Formwork systems .. 29 Stripping Formwork .. 29 Safe work method statement .. 30 Certification prior to 30 Exclusion zone .. 30 Drop stripping .. 30 Crane and load handling systems .. 31 Loading materials during Formwork construction .. 31 Access for persons slinging loads .. 31 Lifting gear .. 32 Lifting Formwork materials .. 32 Formwork code of Practice 2016 (PN11965)Page 4 of 54 Lifting 33 Use of stair tread systems and ladders .. 33 5 Falling objects.

5 34 Preventing objects from falling .. 34 Perimeter containment screening .. 35 Building step-ins .. 37 37 Prior to lifting .. 38 6 Special requirements for wall and column forms .. 38 Bracing for wind loading .. 38 Access platforms .. 38 Lifting methods .. 39 7 Requirements for slip forms, jump forms, self-climbing and crane lifted vertical Formwork . 40 Access and egress .. 40 Working platforms and penetrations .. 41 Trapdoors .. 41 Trailing screens and platforms .. 42 Climbing the form .. 42 Ventilation and 43 Engineering issues .. 43 Emergency issues .. 44 Appendix 1: Dictionary .. 45 Appendix 2: Sample engineer s certification letters .. 47 Appendix 3: Construction checklist .. 49 Appendix 4: Sample structural (pre-pour) certificate.

6 51 Appendix 5: Defects commonly found in Formwork systems .. 52 Appendix 6: Perimeter screen handover checklist .. 53 Formwork code of Practice 2016 (PN11965)Page 5 of 54 Foreword This Formwork code of Practice 2016 is an approved code of Practice under section 274 of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (the WHS Act). An approved code of Practice is a practical guide to achieving the standards of health, safety and welfare required under the WHS Act and the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (the WHS Regulation). From 1 July 2018, duty holders will be required to comply with either an approved code of Practice under the WHS Act or follow another method, such as a technical or industry standard, if it provides an equivalent or higher standard of work health and safety to the standard required in the code .

7 A code of Practice applies to anyone who has a duty of care in the circumstances described in the code . In most cases, following an approved code of Practice would achieve compliance with the health and safety duties in the WHS Act, in relation to the subject matter of the code . Like regulations, codes of Practice deal with particular issues and do not cover all hazards or risks which may arise. The health and safety duties require duty holders to consider all risks associated with work, not only those for which regulations and codes of Practice exist. Codes of Practice are admissible in court proceedings under the WHS Act and WHS Regulation. Courts may regard a code of Practice as evidence of what is known about a hazard, risk or control and may rely on the code in determining what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances to which the code relates.

8 An inspector may refer to an approved code of Practice when issuing an improvement or prohibition notice. This may include issuing an improvement notice for failure to comply with a code of Practice where equivalent or higher standards of work health and safety have not been demonstrated. Scope and application This code provides practical guidance to persons conducting a business or undertaking on how to comply with their health and safety duties when carrying out construction work involving Formwork including high risk construction work. How is the code organised In providing guidance, the word should is used in this code to indicate a recommended course of action, while may is used to indicate an optional course of action. This code also includes various references to provisions of the WHS Act and WHS Regulation which set out the legal requirements.

9 These references are not exhaustive. The words must , requires or mandatory indicate that a legal requirement exists and must be complied with. Formwork code of Practice 2016 (PN11965)Page 6 of 54 1 Introduction What is Formwork ? Formwork is a temporary structure that supports part or the whole of a permanent structure until it is self-supporting. Individual components of Formwork , for example frames, are plant. Once assembled the components form the temporary structure. Some Formwork systems are designed to remain with the permanent structure. Generally work carried out to design, construct, erect, alter, maintain, dismantle or remove Formwork will be defined as construction work. Formwork means the surface used to contain and shape wet concrete until it is self-supporting.

10 This includes the forms on or within which the concrete is poured and the frames and bracing which provide stability. Although commonly referred to as part of the Formwork assembly, the joists, bearers, bracing, foundations and footings are technically referred to as falsework. For the purpose of this code , the term Formwork will be used to describe both Formwork and falsework. What is construction work? WHS Regulation section 289: Construction work means any work carried out in connection with the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting-out, commissioning, renovation, repair, maintenance, refurbishment, demolition, decommissioning or dismantling of a structure. Construction work includes: installation or testing carried out in connection with an activity referred to in the definition the removal from the workplace of any product or waste resulting from demolition the prefabrication or testing of elements at a place specifically established for the construction work, for use in construction work the assembly of prefabricated elements to form a structure, or the disassembly of prefabricated elements forming part of a structure the installation.