What is the Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH)?
The Specification for the Reinstatement of Openings in Highways (SROH) is the UK Department for Transport’s technical code defining how openings in highways must be reinstated to be safe and durable. NRSWA Operative training (Units 3 to 9) is built on SROH. Every reinstatement on a UK highway is inspected against the SROH standard, and non-compliant reinstatements must be dug up and redone.
Key facts
- SROH is published by the UK Department for Transport under powers in the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.
- It defines the materials, layering, compaction and finish required for compliant highway reinstatement.
- NRSWA Operative training Units 3 to 9 map onto specific SROH chapters.
- Highway authority inspectors inspect against SROH; non-compliant reinstatements are defective and must be redone.
- The code is reviewed and reissued periodically — cardholders pick up changes at the 5-year renewal.
Why SROH exists
UK highways are public infrastructure with a design life measured in decades. Every time the highway is opened (for a utility connection, a service repair, a fibre installation), the surface is cut, the structure is disturbed, and the long-term durability of that section of road or footway depends entirely on how the opening is closed back up. SROH exists to set the technical standard for that closing process. The code is the technical reference book that says: this material at this depth, compacted to this density, finished to this tolerance. Get it right and the reinstatement performs for the design life of the surrounding highway. Get it wrong and the reinstatement fails (settles, cracks, ponds water, lifts) and the highway authority has the legal right to require the contractor to dig it up and redo it at their own cost.
Who publishes and updates SROH
SROH is published by the UK Department for Transport under powers granted by the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The current version is the standard reference for England and Wales (Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own equivalent documents). The code is periodically reviewed and reissued; changes typically reflect new materials reaching the market, new compaction equipment, lessons learned from defects analysis, and updates to allied standards (BS, HSE guidance, National Highways requirements). Cardholders pick up SROH changes at the 5-year retest because the SQA assessment standards reference the current SROH version.
How SROH maps to NRSWA units
NRSWA Operative Units 3 to 9 are built directly on SROH chapters:
| NRSWA unit | SROH content |
|---|---|
| Unit 3 Excavation in the Highway | Trench dimensions, edge protection, working in proximity to services, opening dimensions consistent with the planned reinstatement. |
| Unit 4 Reinstatement and Compaction of Backfill Materials | Backfill material acceptance, layer depths, compaction equipment, compaction passes, achieving target density. |
| Unit 5 Sub-Base and Roadbase in Non-Bituminous Materials | Granular sub-base and roadbase, layer depths, compaction, interface with the backfill below and the surface above. |
| Unit 6 Reinstatement in Bituminous Materials | Hot-lay bituminous binder and surface courses, laying temperatures, compaction, joint sealing, surface tolerances. |
| Unit 7 Reinstatement of Concrete Slabs | Unreinforced and reinforced concrete carriageway slabs, mix design, curing, joint detailing. |
| Unit 8 Modular Surfaces and Concrete Footways | Block paving, setts, flags, concrete footway reinstatement, bedding, jointing, levels. |
| Unit 9 Cold-Lay Bituminous Materials | Cold-lay material acceptance, when cold-lay is permitted as a permanent reinstatement versus interim only. |
The exam content for each unit comes from the current edition of SROH. An operative passing Unit 6 in 2026 is being assessed against the version of SROH current in 2026; the same operative renewing in 2031 will be assessed against the version current in 2031.
The two reinstatement compliance windows
SROH and the supporting NRSWA framework split reinstatement compliance into two windows:
- Interim reinstatement. A short-term make-good (often cold-lay bituminous from Unit 9) put down within the works notice period to reopen the highway to traffic. Subject to dimensional and surface tolerances under SROH but not the long-term performance criteria.
- Permanent reinstatement. The long-life make-good required to bring the section of highway back to specification. Must match the surrounding highway in material, depth and performance, and is subject to the full SROH performance criteria.
The two-window arrangement gives utility and civils contractors the operational flexibility to reopen the highway quickly while still requiring a fully compliant permanent reinstatement within the statutory timeframe.
How highway authorities inspect
Highway authority inspectors (the council’s street works officers in most areas) inspect a percentage of completed reinstatements against SROH. The inspections are scored on dimensional accuracy, material compliance, compaction (sometimes core-tested), surface tolerance, and joint quality. Reinstatements scored as defective must be redone at the contractor’s cost. Contractors with consistent defect rates can be subjected to higher inspection frequencies or enforcement action under the Act. SROH knowledge is therefore not just an academic concern for the operatives doing the work; it is a direct commercial lever.
Why SROH is the heart of NRSWA Operative training
An operative can pass Unit 1 (Cat & Genny) and Unit 2 (SLG) with no SROH knowledge at all — those units are about service location and traffic management, not reinstatement. The moment the operative starts work on Units 3 to 9, however, every assessment criterion comes back to SROH. The training is structured around the relevant SROH chapters, and the practical assessment requires the operative to perform reinstatement to the SROH-defined tolerances. The full NRSWA Streetworks for Operatives course covers SROH as part of the unit content.
Related questions
- What units does NRSWA training cover?
- What is NRSWA?
- NRSWA Operative vs Supervisor?
- What is the NRSWA Monitoring / SLG course?
- How long is the NRSWA card valid for?
Quick answers to related questions
Who publishes SROH?
The UK Department for Transport, under powers in the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. The current SROH edition is the technical reference for highway reinstatement in England and Wales.
Which NRSWA units cover SROH?
Units 3 to 9 on the Operative side, and their S-equivalents on the Supervisor side. Unit 11 (Monitoring Reinstatements) is the Supervisor-only unit specifically focused on inspecting completed reinstatements against SROH.
What happens if a reinstatement fails an SROH inspection?
The contractor must dig it up and redo it at their own cost. Repeated SROH failures by a contractor can trigger higher inspection rates and enforcement action by the highway authority.
Last updated: 2026-05-21. Reviewed by the MPTT NRSWA training team, SQA-registered instructors and assessors.
Train Operatives to the Current SROH Standard
Midland Plant Training & Testing delivers NRSWA Operative training built on the current SROH edition, with reinstatement Units 3 to 9 covered against the live technical code. SQA-registered instructors, practical assessment on real material types. Centre-based or on-site for group bookings across England.
