Who designs and certifies temporary propping and shoring in Sydney?

In Sydney, temporary propping and shoring is designed and certified by a qualified structural engineer — ideally a NSW-based structural engineer on the National Engineering Register (NER). The engineer prepares load-rated design drawings and calculations to the relevant Australian Standards, then issues a signed certificate (and inspection sign-off) the builder gives to the principal contractor and council.

What "design and certify" actually means

Temporary works — propping, back-propping, falsework, formwork support, façade retention, needling, underpinning and excavation shoring — are engineered structures, even though they come down at the end of the job. Under the Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW) they must be designed by a competent person before they are erected, and the design must show the assembly can safely carry every load it will see.

For Metric Engineering, the deliverable is two things working together:

The design — drawings, a methodology and structural calculations that size the props, beams, walers, rakers, soldiers or needle beams for the actual loads on your site.

The certification — a signed, dated certificate from the engineer stating the temporary works comply with the nominated standards and are fit for purpose, usually backed by a site inspection before loading and a sign-off to remove.

The engineer who certifies must be competent in structural engineering. In NSW that means a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng), National Engineering Register (NER) listee, or — where the work touches a regulated building under the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (Class 2, 3 and 9c residential apartment buildings) — a registered professional engineer (structural) with NSW Fair Trading.

The Australian Standards that apply

Temporary propping and shoring is designed to the same loading and material codes as permanent structures, plus the temporary-works codes:

• AS/NZS 1170 (Parts 0, 1, 2, 4) — structural design actions: dead, live, wind and earthquake loads. This sets the loads the props and shoring must resist.

• AS 4100 — steel structures (steel props, beams, soldiers, walers, strongbacks).

• AS 3600 — concrete structures, including the loads transferred during pours and the back-propping of suspended slabs.

• AS 3610 (and AS 3610.1) — formwork for concrete, covering formwork and falsework design, loads and tolerances.

• AS 3850 — prefabricated concrete (tilt-up and precast), including temporary bracing of panels.

• AS 5100 — bridge design, where temporary works support bridge or large civil structures.

• AS 1576 — scaffolding, where access scaffold and shoring overlap.

Geotechnical input (soil parameters, surcharge, water) feeds shoring and excavation support design; for deep or retained excavations a geotechnical engineer's report is typically required.

The NSW regulatory context

• WHS Regulation 2017 (NSW) classifies much of this work as High Risk Construction Work (HRCW) — including work involving a risk of a person falling, structural alteration or repair requiring temporary support to prevent collapse, demolition, and excavation. A site-specific Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) must be prepared before the work starts and given to the principal contractor.

• Excavation more than 1.5 m deep (and trenches, shafts and tunnels) triggers the SafeWork NSW Code of Practice: Excavation work — battering, benching or an engineered shoring system is required to prevent collapse.

• The SafeWork NSW Code of Practice: Formwork governs formwork and falsework design and erection.

• The National Construction Code (NCC) sets the performance framework for the permanent building; the engineer makes sure temporary loads imposed on permanent elements (e.g. back-propped slabs) stay within their capacity.

• For regulated buildings under the DBP Act 2020, designs that affect a building element must be prepared by a registered design practitioner and lodged with compliance declarations.

Local councils across Greater Sydney commonly ask for engineer-certified temporary works — propping, shoring, hoarding and façade retention — as a condition of a Construction Certificate, a road-occupancy or hoarding permit, or a demolition approval.

Who is competent to sign it off

A builder, formwork sub or shoring contractor can install temporary works, but the design and certification must come from a structural engineer, not the installer. Look for: a Sydney/NSW-based engineer; NER registration; professional indemnity insurance; and, for apartment and mixed-use work, NSW DBP registration. Metric Engineering provides the design, the calculations, the SWMS-supporting documentation and the certificate, plus the pre-load inspection — so the package satisfies the principal contractor, the certifier and council.

Reviewed by Youssef Emad, MIEAust 5372671, Registered Professional Engineer (NSW) PRE0002581, RPEQ 37639, Metric Engineering. NSW-based structural and civil engineering — design and certification.