Compliance & standards
What is BS EN 74?
BS EN 74 is the European standard for couplers, spigot pins and base plates used in falsework and scaffolds. Part 1 covers couplers for tubes; Part 3 covers plain base plates and spigot pins.
A tube-and-fitting scaffold is only as good as its fittings. The standard is what allows a design to assume a known performance from a coupler, which is the component doing the work at every connection in the structure.
Part 1 covers right angle, swivel, sleeve and parallel couplers, setting out materials, design requirements, strength classes and the test procedures behind them. Part 3 does the same for plain base plates and loose spigots used with 48.3mm tube.
It is also why couplers are tightened to a specified torque rather than to feel. The assumed performance depends on the fitting being installed as intended.
The corresponding standard for the tube itself is BS EN 39.
What goes wrong on site
- Worn or damaged fittings left in service because they still close.
- Couplers tightened by feel rather than to the specified torque.
- Mixing fittings of unknown origin into a designed structure.