Brick and block walls are not stable until they are stable. Stop guessing with timber props
Most of us have seen it. A fresh run of blockwork or brickwork standing there looking solid, and someone has knocked up a couple of bits of timber as a brace. It looks alright. It feels alright. Everyone carries on.
Then the weather shifts. Or the ground softens. Or the brace moves a fraction. And what looked solid turns into a wall on the floor in seconds.
Wall blowdowns are one of those risks the industry still treats like bad luck, until it happens on your job, to your mate, or to your company.
The uncomfortable truth about new walls
Brick and block walls during construction can be unstable until they are tied into returns, floors, roofs, or the final structure. They can look finished, but structurally they are still temporary.
That’s exactly why temporary works exists.
If a wall is not yet self-supporting, it needs a proper plan, proper control, and a bracing method that is actually designed for the job, not just something that looks strong from ten metres away.
If you want a quick, neutral reference point on this, HSE’s guidance on structural stability and temporary supports is a useful baseline: https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/buildings.htm (HSE)
This is not just a safety issue. It is a management issue
Wall stability sits in the middle of a few realities that every site understands:
- Someone gets hurt, and everything stops
- Materials get wasted, and the programme takes a hit
- Everyone starts looking for who signed off what
- People realise there was no clear temporary works narrative for the wall stability
And that last one matters.
Temporary works is not just for big falsework or complicated structures. If the wall needs bracing, it is temporary works. That means planning, competent oversight, and controls that stand up to scrutiny.
What the standards are trying to tell us
BS 5975 is built around a few principles that are hard to argue with:
- Temporary works must be planned and controlled
- Competent people must be appointed for the roles involved
- Loads like wind and construction loads need to be considered
- You should not treat unfinished masonry as stable if it is not yet stable
The standard is basically saying, ‘Do not wing it!’
If you want something you can point people to without getting into a standards debate, HSE has a simple page that explains the temporary works expectations and how BS 5975 is commonly used on site. https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/faq-temporary-works.htm (HSE)
And if the site is running under CDM, stability during construction is not optional. It is part of planning, managing and monitoring the work so it can be carried out safely.
Why timber props often fail
Timber bracing is common because it is available and familiar. The problem is, familiar is not the same as safe.
Here are the usual failure points everyone recognises once you say them out loud:
- The brace is not designed for compression or buckling
- Fixings into the wall are poor or inconsistent
- The base is not properly anchored, or the ground conditions are not considered
- The brace is moved, knocked, loosened, or simply left while the job moves on
- The wall is exposed to wind before it is properly tied in
The risk is not one dramatic moment. It is a chain of small weaknesses that eventually line up.
A simple way to think about it on site
Ask this one question.
If the weather turns in the next hour, do we still trust this wall to stay up?
If the answer is anything other than yes, with confidence and a method statement behind it, you are into temporary works territory.
Why I built Brick Bud
I’m Carl Harris, the inventor of Brick Bud.
I built it because I’ve seen what a wall blowdown can do. I survived one as a bricklayer, had multiple operations, had to change career, and I’m not interested in waiting for another serious injury before sites take wall stability seriously.
Brick Bud is not about selling a gadget. It’s about taking the guesswork out of wall bracing and replacing it with something consistent, repeatable, and easier to control on site.
What good looks like for bricklayers and supervisors
This is the part that matters day to day, because it’s where sites win or lose.
Good looks like:
- The wall stability risk is acknowledged early, not after it is built
- The bracing approach is agreed before the first lift goes in
- The system is consistent, not different on every plot
- The bracing is checked, not just installed
- The temporary works narrative exists, so the TWC is not trying to patch it later
For bricklayers and supervisors, it should not feel like a paperwork exercise. It should feel like a clear standard that makes the job safer and smoother.
What good looks like, for TWCs and health and safety
For TWCs, the win is clarity.
If a wall requires bracing, there should be:
- A defined approach that can be written into the temporary works file
- Clear responsibilities for installation and inspection
- A system that can be used consistently across plots and phases
- A method that does not rely on improvised materials and judgement calls
For health and safety, the win is removing a known high consequence risk that too often gets waved through as normal practice.
This is bigger than housebuilding
A lot of people first think about new build plots. The reality is wall stability risk exists anywhere you are building masonry that is not yet tied into its final structure.
That includes high-rise and complex builds. It includes rail projects. It includes anywhere where wind exposure and sequencing can create instability.
The industry often assumes the bigger the project, the safer the processes. But stability failures still happen on large sites. Sometimes the consequences are wider than just the wall itself.
The human side of wall blowdowns
This is the bit people avoid talking about because it is uncomfortable, but it matters.
Behind every incident is a person, and a family that does not get to undo it.
A practical checklist you can use this week
If you are reading this as a bricklayer, supervisor, site manager, or TWC, here are the basics I would want on every site:
- Identify any freestanding or incomplete masonry that is not yet tied in
- Agree the bracing approach before the wall goes up
- Use a consistent system, not ad hoc timber
- Anchor it properly and install it properly
- Inspect it routinely, especially after weather changes
- Document the approach so it sits within temporary works control
- Challenge any site where the answer is we have always done it this way
None of that is complicated. What is complicated is dealing with the consequences when it goes wrong.
Final thought
If a wall needs bracing, it deserves a proper bracing system and a proper plan.
Do not wait for a near miss to take it seriously.
Do not rely on timber and hope.
Sort it before the weather sorts it for you.
Author bio
Carl Harris is the inventor of Brick Bud and a construction safety innovator focused on preventing brick and blockwork wall collapses during the build stage.
Website: harrisbricksafetysystems.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carl-harris-412178107/