Compliance & standards
What is BS EN 12811?
BS EN 12811 is the European standard for temporary works equipment, covering performance requirements and general design for scaffolds. Part 1 is BS EN 12811-1:2003.
Where TG20 is UK industry guidance, BS EN 12811 is the underlying standard. It is the reference for how scaffolds are classified and what performance they have to achieve, rather than a set of instructions for building one.
Its practical relevance to a working scaffolder is mostly indirect. It is where the classification of working platforms comes from, which is what eventually appears on a handover certificate as a duty.
It applies to access and working scaffolds — facade scaffolds, static towers, birdcages — formed from prefabricated components or from tube and couplers, and to structures that rely on an adjacent structure for stability. It explicitly does not cover rope-suspended platforms, horizontally movable platforms including mobile access towers, power-operated platforms, scaffolds used as roof-work protection, or temporary roofs.
It is a standard rather than a design. Citing it does not evidence that a particular scaffold is adequate — that remains a matter for the compliance sheet or the bespoke design.
What goes wrong on site
- Citing the standard as though it were evidence about a specific structure.
- Quoting a part number or a clause without checking the current edition.