BlueSafe
Formwork Risk Assessment

Formwork Risk Assessment

  • • 100% Compliant with Australian WHS Acts & Regulations
  • • Fully Editable MS Word & PDF Formats Included
  • • Pre-filled Content – Ready to Deploy Immediately
  • • Customisable – Easily Add Your Logo & Site Details
  • • Includes 2 Years of Free Compliance Updates

Formwork Risk Assessment

Product Overview

Identify and control organisational risks associated with Formwork Risk Management at the planning, procurement, design and supervision stages, before work begins on site. This management-level Risk Assessment supports WHS Act due diligence obligations, strengthens organisational compliance, and helps protect your business from operational and legal liability.

Risk Categories & Hazards Covered

This document assesses risks and outlines management controls for:

  • WHS Governance & PCBU Duties: Assessment of senior management responsibilities, safety leadership, consultation arrangements, and the allocation of resources to manage formwork and falsework risks.
  • Legislative Compliance & Standards Alignment: Management of obligations under WHS legislation, Codes of Practice and applicable Australian Standards for formwork, temporary works and structural stability.
  • Design, Engineering & Temporary Works Management: Evaluation of formwork design verification, engineering sign-off, load calculations, and change-management processes for temporary works.
  • Procurement, Selection & Hire of Formwork Systems: Assessment of supplier pre-qualification, equipment specification, compatibility of components, and controls for hired and leased formwork and falsework systems.
  • Inspection, Maintenance & Asset Management: Management of inspection regimes, tagging systems, defect reporting, repair processes and lifecycle tracking of formwork equipment and components.
  • Competency, Licensing & Training Requirements: Assessment of competency standards, verification of licences, induction programs and ongoing training for formwork designers, supervisors and installers.
  • Planning, Sequencing & Trade Integration: Evaluation of construction staging, pour sequences, loading patterns, and coordination with other trades to minimise clashes and structural overloading.
  • Supervision, Monitoring & Compliance Verification: Protocols for site supervision, safety inspections, monitoring of critical controls, and escalation processes when non-conformances are identified.
  • Documentation, Procedures & Work Instructions: Management of formwork procedures, safe work instructions, design documentation, records of approvals, and version control of key documents.
  • Interface with Post-Tensioning & Structural Works: Assessment of communication pathways, hold points, engineering sign-offs and coordination between formwork, reinforcement, post-tensioning and permanent structure works.
  • Access, Egress & Working at Height on Formwork: Management of temporary stairs, platforms, edge protection, fall prevention systems and safe access/egress around erected formwork.
  • Emergency Preparedness & Structural Incident Response: Protocols for managing partial collapse, instability, extreme weather impacts and emergency response planning specific to formwork and falsework.
  • Contractor & Subcontractor Management: Assessment of pre-qualification, scope definition, interface responsibilities and performance monitoring for specialist formwork contractors.

Who is this for?

This Risk Assessment is designed for Business Owners, Construction Managers, Project Directors and Safety Managers responsible for planning, procuring and overseeing formwork and falsework operations on construction projects.

Hazards & Risks Covered

Hazard Risk Description
1. WHS Governance, Legislative Compliance and PCBU Duties
  • • Failure to clearly allocate WHS duties between PCBU, principal contractor, formwork designer, temporary works engineer, formwork contractor and labour hire providers
  • • Inadequate understanding or application of WHS Act 2011 and WHS Regulation (particularly provisions relating to construction work, high risk construction work, temporary structures and plant)
  • • Lack of documented WHS management plan covering all formwork and falsework activities including Acrow props, temporary supports, climbing bracket platforms and post-tensioning interfaces
  • • Poor integration of formwork risk controls with principal contractor site rules, traffic management plans and emergency procedures
  • • Failure to ensure consultation, cooperation and coordination between multiple PCBUs involved in formwork, post-tensioning, concrete placement and stripping operations
  • • Insufficient verification that designers have provided information about design assumptions, load paths, maximum capacities and limitations for formwork, falsework and propping systems
  • • No formal process to review incidents, near misses or design non-conformances involving temporary supports, decks, columns, stairs and round column formwork
2. Design, Engineering and Temporary Works Management
  • • Inadequate engineering design for formwork decks, falsework and temporary supports leading to structural instability or progressive collapse
  • • Lack of engineering verification for Acrow props, modular falsework frames, climbing bracket form platforms and round column formwork in site-specific configurations
  • • Design assumptions not reflecting actual site conditions, loads from post-tensioning, concrete placement methods, construction loads and sequencing for stripping operations
  • • Insufficient back-propping and temporary support consideration when stripping slabs, beams, stairs and columns
  • • Unclear or undocumented stripping procedures and sequences for complex formwork systems including climbing brackets and stair flights
  • • No system to control unauthorised changes to layout and installation of forms and props during construction
  • • Inadequate interface design between formwork/falsework and permanent structure, especially where integrated with post-tensioning ducts, anchors and stressing points
3. Procurement, Selection and Hire of Formwork and Falsework Systems
  • • Procurement of incompatible, mixed or non-engineered formwork, falsework and propping components from multiple suppliers without system compatibility checks
  • • Use of non-compliant, uncertified or counterfeit Acrow props and similar adjustable props lacking verifiable load ratings
  • • Insufficient consideration of required capacities, heights, exposure conditions and access when selecting systems for decks, columns, stairs and round column formwork
  • • Lack of documented acceptance criteria for hired formwork and falsework equipment arriving on site
  • • Procurement decisions driven solely by cost and availability rather than engineering and WHS requirements
  • • Inadequate specification of required documentation from suppliers such as load tables, inspection recommendations and instructions for safe installation and stripping
4. Inspection, Maintenance and Asset Management of Formwork Equipment
  • • Use of damaged, bent, corroded or modified props, frames, ledgers, braces and formwork panels compromising structural capacity
  • • Absence of a formal inspection and maintenance regime for reusable formwork and falsework components including Acrow props and temporary supports
  • • Untracked life cycle of critical components leading to use beyond safe service life
  • • Inadequate storage and handling practices causing degradation or undetected damage to climbing brackets, stair formwork and round column forms
  • • Failure to remove defective items from service resulting in ongoing risk across multiple projects
  • • No system to ensure hired equipment is inspected and fit-for-purpose on each project
5. Competency, Licensing and Training for Formwork and Falsework
  • • Inadequate competency of supervisors and workers involved in layout and installation of forms, placement and removal of props, and management of temporary supports
  • • Lack of specific training in engineered systems such as climbing brackets, stair formwork, round column formwork and complex falsework arrangements
  • • Supervisors unable to interpret engineering drawings, load tables, propping layouts and stripping sequences
  • • Inconsistent understanding of legal obligations, including duties relating to high risk construction work, working at height and plant use
  • • Poor knowledge of risks associated with post-tensioning works, including restrictions on formwork stripping and temporary support removal around tendons and anchors
  • • No process to verify qualifications, high risk work licences or previous experience of key formwork personnel
6. Planning, Sequencing and Integration with Other Trades
  • • Poor planning of formwork decks, columns, stairs and temporary supports leading to congestion, overloading and clashes with other trades
  • • Uncoordinated timing between formwork erection, reinforcement placement, concrete pours, post-tensioning stressing, and stripping operations
  • • Failure to plan for sufficient time to safely install, inspect and certify falsework before loading with concrete or construction materials
  • • Ad hoc changes to layout and installation of forms without re-evaluation of load paths and impacts on other activities
  • • Inadequate planning for simultaneous operations above, below or adjacent to formwork decks and climbing bracket form platforms
  • • Lack of structured planning for progressive stripping, re-shoring and relocation of props and temporary supports over multiple levels
7. Supervision, Monitoring and Verification of Compliance
  • • Insufficient on-site supervision during installation and removal of formworks and propping systems
  • • Failure to detect unsafe adjustments to props, braces and temporary supports made to gain access or fit other trades’ work
  • • Inadequate verification that formwork is built in accordance with the engineered design and manufacturer’s instructions
  • • No systematic monitoring of deflections, movement or distress signs in formwork decks, columns, stairs and falsework towers
  • • Supervisors under time pressure prioritising production over compliance with WHS controls and design requirements
  • • Lack of documented sign-off prior to loading formwork with wet concrete or commencing stripping operations
8. Documentation, Procedures and Work Instructions
  • • Absence of clear written procedures covering installation and removal of falsework, formwork stripping procedures and management of temporary supports
  • • Reliance on informal practices and undocumented ‘standard’ methods that may conflict with current engineered designs and supplier instructions
  • • Workers not having access to up-to-date drawings, propping layouts and stripping sequences at the point of work
  • • Inadequate documentation of formwork design changes, approvals, inspections and sign-offs, making it difficult to verify compliance or investigate incidents
  • • Confusing or inconsistent terminology between engineering documents, supplier manuals and site procedures
9. Interface Management with Post-Tensioning and Structural Works
  • • Lack of coordination between formwork stripping procedures and post-tensioning stressing sequences leading to premature removal of temporary supports
  • • Inadequate understanding of structural requirements for minimum concrete strength, tendon stressing stages and load transfer before stripping
  • • Uncontrolled cutting or modification of formwork or temporary supports near post-tensioning anchors, ducts or stressing areas
  • • No clear responsibility for confirming structural adequacy before removal of falsework and props
  • • Insufficient communication of no-go zones for drilling, fixing or cutting around post-tensioning tendons when formwork is in place or being stripped
10. Access, Egress and Working at Height on Formwork Systems
  • • Inadequate access to formwork decks, stair formwork and climbing bracket platforms leading to unsafe climbing on frames, props or temporary supports
  • • Insufficient planning for edge protection and fall prevention on temporary decks and around openings in formwork systems
  • • Poorly designed or ad hoc access to high falsework structures for inspection and adjustment of props and braces
  • • Obstructed emergency egress routes due to placement of formwork components, falsework towers and stored materials
  • • Lack of integrated management of working at height risks during erection, modification and stripping of formwork and falsework

Need to add specific hazards for your workplace?

Don't worry if a specific hazard isn't listed above. Once you purchase, simply log in to your Client Portal and add your own custom hazards at no extra cost. We take care of the hard work—creating the risk ratings and control measures for free—to ensure your document is compliant within minutes.

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

  • Work Health and Safety Act 2011
  • Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
  • Safe Work Australia – Managing the Risk of Falls at Workplaces Code of Practice: Guidance on preventing falls when working at height on and around formwork systems.
  • Safe Work Australia – Construction Work Code of Practice: Requirements for planning, coordinating and managing WHS risks on construction sites, including temporary works.
  • Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice: Guidance on the selection, inspection and maintenance of plant, including proprietary formwork systems.
  • AS/NZS ISO 31000:2018: Risk management — Guidelines
  • AS 3610.1 – Formwork for Concrete: Requirements for design, construction and maintenance of formwork systems.
  • AS 3610.2 – Formwork for Concrete – Falsework: Requirements for the design and use of falsework supporting formwork and concrete.
  • AS/NZS 1576 Scaffolding Series: Relevant provisions for access, working platforms and edge protection integrated with formwork systems.
  • AS/NZS 4801 / ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems — Requirements for systematic WHS governance and due diligence.
Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)
  • Comprehensive hazard identification for all activities
  • Risk rating matrix with likelihood and consequence analysis
  • Existing control measures evaluation
  • Residual risk assessment after controls
  • Hierarchy of controls recommendations
  • Action priority rankings
  • Review and monitoring requirements
  • Consultation and communication records
  • Legal compliance references
  • Sign-off and approval sections

$79.5

Safe Work Australia Aligned