PERI UK rolls out accredited formwork training to boost site safety

PERI UK has launched a nationally accredited formwork training programme – the only one of its kind currently available in the UK – in a move designed to raise safety standards across the construction industry’s temporary works sector.

The initiative is led by PERI UK’s field services manager Terry Hall, a former formwork carpenter and site supervisor with more than 30 years’ experience in the industry. He is calling for the formal certification of operatives using system formwork and climbing scaffold systems, in line with other high-risk construction activities such as electrics or lifting operations.

“PERI UK is the only company currently offering accredited formwork training of this kind,” Hall said. “And it’s long overdue that the industry catches up.”

Delivered by a team of PERI experts, the programme offers hands-on instruction in formwork, falsework, and scaffolding, all linked to participants’ CSCS cards to provide proof of competence on site. Courses are approved by AIM, CITB and CISRS, and can be tailored to specific site needs or contractor requirements.

Training takes place at PERI’s Brentwood headquarters, at any of its depots, or at customer sites, with course content covering equipment assembly, working at height, and safe use of modern climbing systems.

PERI says 2024 saw a 50% increase in participants, with nearly 600 operatives trained to date. Major contractors are now beginning to embed formwork training into project packages, requiring evidence of accreditation before operatives are allowed to work at height or assemble high-risk systems.

“Training improves safety, boosts productivity, and empowers the people behind the progress,” Hall said. “The tools are there. The knowledge is there. It’s time the whole industry caught up.”