Safety, Installation and Removal of Formwork
BY JUAN RODRIGUEZ
Updated February 01, 2019
Formwork used in the construction industry must be designed, fabricated, erected, supported, braced
and maintained so that it can support all vertical and horizontal loads that will be exerted. Here are
the safety precautions to follow when dealing with formwork.
Equipment
Drawings or design plans should include all revisions for the jack layout, shoring equipment
details, working decks, scaffolds, and all other related accessories. Once all those details are
designed, shoring equipment must be inspected prior to erection to determine that the
equipment meets the requirements specified in the formwork drawings. Do not use shoring
equipment that is potentially damaged or shows signs of damage. All formwork shoring
equipment must be inspected immediately prior to, during and immediately after concrete
placement.
Inspect all components thoroughly and if you find weakened equipment, reinforce it
immediately. It is extremely important to check that all base plates, shore heads, extension
devices, and screws are firm and secured with the foundation and the form.
Concrete
Formwork used and designed for cast-in-place concrete requires special considerations. Due
to the significant weight that concrete adds to formwork and shoring equipment, it is important
to check that eccentric loads are located over members that have been designed for such
loading. If single-post shores are used one on top of another (tiered), then additional shoring
requirements must be met. The shores must be:
Designed by a qualified designer and the erected shoring must be inspected by an
engineer qualified in structural design;
Vertically aligned;
Spliced to prevent misalignment; and
Adequately braced in two mutually perpendicular directions at the splicing level.
Adjustment of single-post shores to raise formwork must not be made after the placement of
concrete. Reshoring must be erected, as the original forms and shores are removed,
whenever the concrete is required to support loads in excess of its capacity.
Cast-in-Place Concrete
Formwork used on cast-in-place operations needs to be carefully planned, designed and
inspected. Here is a list of guidelines and requirements for cast-in-place formwork:
The form structure must be maintained within all design tolerances specified for
plumbness during the jacking operation.
The predetermined safe rate of lift must not be exceeded.
All vertical slip forms must be provided with scaffolds or work platforms where
employees must work or pass.
Reinforcing steel for walls, piers, columns and similar vertical structures must be
adequately supported to prevent overturning and collapse.
Employers must take measures to prevent unrolled wire mesh from recoiling. These
measures may include, but are not limited to, securing each end of the roll or turning
over the role.
Safety Guidelines
When it's time to remove formwork, follow these recommendations:
Do not remove forms and shores (except those that are used for slabs on grade and
slip forms) until the worker determines that the concrete has gained sufficient strength
to support its weight and superimposed loads.
Verify concrete strength information against construction drawings, specifications, and
testing results. Testing must follow the American Society for Testing and Materials
(ASTM) standard test method designed to determine the concrete compressive
strength, and results must indicate that the concrete has gained sufficient strength to
support its weight and superimposed loads.
Read all your contract technical information covering the procedures on how and when
to remove the formwork.
The SYSTEM FORMWORKS INSTALLATION NC II Qualification consists of competencies that a person
must achieve that will enable him to assemble and dismantle scaffolds/ shoring and braces,
perform installation and stripping of system formworks (includes combinations of metal and other materials-
e.g. engineered plastic ...
This section introduces formwork components.
Click the links below to find out more:
Beam Formwork
Column Formwork
Wall Formwork
General Beam Form
General Wall Form
General Clamp
General Clip
General Tie
General Tie and Clips
Clamp properties
Option Description
Clamp Name Define the component that you want to use as clamp by selecting it
from the Applications & components catalog.
Attribute File Select an attribute file for the component.
Plywood panel and support properties
Option Description
Plywood Profile Thickness, width and height for the plywood
panels.
Side Profile Thickness, width and height for the side supports.
Option Description
Pos_No Prefix and a start number for the part position
number.
Option Description
Material Material grade.
Name Name that is shown in drawings and reports.
Class Part class number.
Column formwork properties
Option Description
Panel Name, prefix and start number for the column
formwork cast unit.
Part
1 Plywood panel
2 Support
3 Clamp
Selection order
1. Select the panel.
The wall
formwork is created automatically.
Part identification key
Part
1 Stud
Part
2 Walers
3 Plywood panel
4 Tie and clip
5 Frame
Wall Formwork: Panel tab
Use the Panel tab to control the properties of studs, frame and plywood panels in Wall Formwork. Define the
dimensions of wall
form, studs and frame.
Dimensions
Description
1 Distance to first stud from the form edge.
2 Spacing between studs.
3 Width of edge lap.
4 Height of wall form.
5 Length of wall form.
Frame, stud and plywood panel properties
Option Description
Edge Profile Thickness, width and height for the frames.
Stud Profile Thickness, width and height for the studs.
Plywood Profile Thickness, width and height for the plywood
panels.
Option Description
Pos_No Prefix and a start number for the part position
number.
Material Material grade.
Name Name that is shown in drawings and reports.
Class Part class number.