Guide
Guide to TWC and TWS appointments
Clear language for Temporary Works Co-ordinator and Supervisor roles.
Temporary works roles are frequently confused, and the confusion tends to surface at exactly the wrong moment — during an audit, after an incident, or when a permit needs signing and nobody is certain who holds the authority to sign it.
The summaries below use the language of BS 5975 and common industry practice. The precise duties, authority limits and reporting lines for each role should always be taken from your own organisation’s temporary works procedure, which is what an auditor will assess you against.
The roles in plain language
- Temporary Works Co-ordinator (TWC): coordinates temporary works management on the project
- Temporary Works Supervisor (TWS): supports implementation, inspection and control on site
- Appointments should be recorded, competent and understood by the project team
- Design, checking and implementation responsibilities remain as defined in the procedure
- City Temporary Works can support appointment clarity, registers and workflows where scoped
Practical notes
Appointments should be in writing, role-specific, project-specific and accepted by the individual. A name on an organisation chart is not an appointment.
Competence should be evidenced, not assumed. Training certificates, relevant experience and a record of the competence assessment are what an audit will look for.
Appointing a TWC does not transfer designer or design-checker responsibilities. Those remain as defined in the procedure and in the design category arrangements.