Last edited 06 Jan 2021

Design and Check Certificates

1 Introduction
2 History
3 Procedures
4 Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
5 External resources

[edit] Introduction

Design and check certificates are documents submitted by developers and designers of highway structures in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. These documents are referred to as structure design certificates in Scotland. Design and check certificates are not to be confused with scaffold design checks required under BS 5975:2008, the British Standard that covers scaffolding and defines the requirements of each checking category.

[edit] History

The introduction of design and check certificates came about in the 1970s after a number of structural failures occurred in bridges around the world. From that point on, the UK Government required nearly all road-related structures to pass an independent technical approval (TA) certification process prior to construction.

[edit] Procedures

TA is required for all proposed structures within the road boundary (6m of a road) or that support a public road. The type of approval is dependent on the complexity of the project.

There are four categories for proposals - 0, 1, 2, 3. Category 0 is the least significant (for simple things such as roadside masts) and Category 3 is the most complex (for large projects such as bridge structures).

Different categories require different procedures for design and check certificates.

Category 0 and 1 structures require a combined design and check certificate. (Note that Category 0 certificates include the Technical Approval Authority [TAA] reference number and the date of agreement of the approval in principle.)

Category 2 and 3 structures require separate design and check certificates.

Upon completion of the project, the design and check certificates are signed to declare satisfactory completion of work. They are then sent to the TAA through the appropriate Roads and Service Divisional Office.