Tube and steel edge protection barriers around an open excavation

Safety with SEL

From our edge protection range to our temporary works designs, safety is at the heart of everything we do at SEL, both for your workers and for your business.

Everything we hire and sell supports safe temporary works. This page sets out what that means in practice: the design service, the condition of the equipment and the safety products in the range.

Temporary Works Design by our own engineers

Our qualified civil and structural engineers produce Temporary Works Designs to BS 5975 for excavation support, falsework, formwork, propping and needling. Each design is calculated for your site: ground conditions, groundwater, surcharge loads from roads, rail and adjacent structures and the loads your works will impose. You receive clear drawings and calculations that your team can build to, inspect against and drop straight into method statements and risk assessments.

Standards and guidance in this area move regularly. Our engineers work to them every day, so a design from SEL arrives current, documented and ready to use.

Equipment tested before it reaches you

All of our equipment is regularly checked by our team, meets the relevant health and safety standards and is complete with test certificates where applicable. Rated capacities are stated on our product pages and drawings, whether trench boxes, hydraulic bracing, lifting chains or beyond.

Installation guides for our ground support systems are in the Technical Library, and our depot teams can even provide on-site demonstrations where required.

Talk to us before you commit

We provide all-in-one solutions to take the headache out of planning temporary works. The design specifies the kit, the kit arrives as specified and our engineers stay available while the works are in the ground. Your team stays in control on site, with clear drawings and calculations to build to and check against. We deliver nationwide from depots in Bristol, Cardiff and London.

We offer no-obligation site visits and consultations. An engineer will assess your specific requirements and recommend a safe, compliant, and economical approach for your project. Fill in the form below or call us on 0117 982 8236.

FAQS

What regulations apply to temporary works in the UK?
The primary legal framework governing temporary works is the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), enforced by the HSE. The accepted industry standard for managing these procedures safely is BS 5975. To help you meet these strict requirements, Site Equipment Limited provides fully documented, BS 5975-compliant temporary works designs produced by our in-house civil and structural engineers.
What are the safety regulations concerning lifting equipment?
Under the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER), all lifting accessories – such as chains, block grabs, and man cages – must undergo a thorough statutory examination at least every 6 months. To guarantee compliance and site safety, every piece of lifting equipment hired from Site Equipment Limited arrives with current, valid test certificates and clearly marked Safe Working Loads (SWL).
What safety standards apply to trench boxes and shoring?
When you dig a deep trench, the surrounding earth puts immense pressure on the excavation walls. To prevent a collapse, the equipment holding those walls back must be incredibly strong. The standard for this is BS EN 13331. It dictates exactly how strong metal trench boxes and struts must be to safely hold back soil and water pressure without buckling. Every trench box supplied by Site Equipment Limited is certified to BS EN 13331, guaranteeing reliable, tested protection for your workers.
What needs to be assessed before temporary works begin?
Before any equipment is deployed, the site must be thoroughly evaluated for ground stability, water levels, adjacent structures, and access constraints. To ensure your project starts safely, Site Equipment Limited provides no-obligation site visits. Our engineers will assess your exact requirements and recommend a compliant, economical approach before you commit to any design or hire.

We can help with your next project.

Our team is friendly, knowledgeable and ready to consult. We offer no-obligation site visits, fast delivery and competitive rates. Simply fill in the form and we'll be in touch.

You can also give us a call at any time.