Guide
Temporary works inspections versus audits
A short comparison to help choose the right assurance service.
Inspections and audits are often used interchangeably, but they answer two different questions. An inspection asks whether the temporary works on site are in the condition they should be in. An audit asks whether the system that produced, approved and controls those temporary works is working as intended.
A project can pass one and fail the other. Well-run paperwork does not guarantee correctly installed falsework, and a tidy site does not prove that design briefs, categories and independent checks were handled properly. Where both matter, the two services are scoped and reported separately so findings are not blurred together.
How the two compare
- Inspection: physical implementation, condition and immediate site risk
- Audit: procedure, appointments, register, design control, permits and records
- Use both when site conditions and management-system performance need separate reports
- Share drawings and photographs for inspections; procedure and sample records for audits
- Ask for a combined programme if you need recurring assurance across multiple sites
Practical notes
Choose an inspection when the question is about physical condition, installation, damage, change or readiness for loading.
Choose an audit when the question is about procedure, appointments, competence, register completeness, design control, permits or record-keeping.
Commission both when a client assurance review is approaching, after recurring non-conformities, or where site performance and management-system performance need to be evidenced independently of each other.