Construction Safety Requirements

Construction is one of the most dangerous industries in the UK. Falls from height, being struck by vehicles, and structural collapse account for most fatalities. The regulations reflect this - CDM 2015 places specific duties on everyone involved in construction projects.

This guide explains what applies to you, whether you're a client commissioning work, a contractor doing the work, or somewhere in between.

CDM 2015: The basics

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 apply to virtually all construction work in Great Britain - from major developments to domestic extensions.

What counts as construction work?

Included	Not Included
Building and civil engineering	General maintenance of fixed plant
Alteration, conversion, fitting out	Surveys and inspections (alone)
Renovation, repair, upkeep	Cleaning (unless part of construction)
Redecoration and external cleaning (scaffolding)	Mineral extraction
Demolition	Manufacturing off-site
Dismantling structures
Site preparation and clearance
Installation of services (electrics, plumbing, HVAC)

Note:

If it involves physical construction, alteration, or demolition of a structure, CDM almost certainly applies. The definition is deliberately broad.

CDM duty holders

CDM creates specific roles with specific duties:

Role	Who	Key Duties
Client	Person commissioning work	Make suitable arrangements, provide pre-construction info, appoint duty holders
Principal Designer	Designer in control of pre-construction phase	Plan, manage, coordinate design health and safety
Principal Contractor	Contractor in control of construction phase	Plan, manage, coordinate construction health and safety
Designer	Anyone who prepares designs	Eliminate hazards, reduce risks, provide information
Contractor	Anyone doing construction work	Plan and manage own work safely, cooperate with others

When appointments are needed

Project Type	Principal Designer?	Principal Contractor?
Single contractor, domestic client	No	No
Single contractor, commercial client	No	No
Multiple contractors, any client	Yes	Yes

Important:

"Multiple contractors" means more than one contractor working on the project at any time - even if not simultaneously. A groundworker followed by a builder followed by an electrician = multiple contractors.

Client duties

If you're commissioning construction work, you're a CDM client - even as a homeowner.

Commercial clients

Commercial clients (businesses, landlords, organisations) have full CDM duties:

Before work starts:

Make suitable arrangements for managing the project
Ensure sufficient time and resources are allocated
Provide pre-construction information to designers and contractors
Appoint principal designer and principal contractor (if multiple contractors)
Ensure a construction phase plan is in place before work begins

During construction:

Ensure welfare facilities are provided
Ensure principal designer and contractor carry out their duties
Take reasonable steps to ensure arrangements are maintained

At completion:

Ensure health and safety file is prepared and handed over

Domestic clients

Homeowners and residential occupiers commissioning work on their own home are "domestic clients" with reduced duties. Your duties automatically transfer to:

The principal contractor (if appointed), or
The contractor in control of the work, or
The principal designer (by written agreement)

Note:

Domestic clients don't escape CDM entirely - the duties still exist, they just sit with others. You still shouldn't obstruct safety measures or create hazards.

Principal contractor duties

If you're appointed principal contractor, you're responsible for the construction phase.

Key responsibilities

Planning:

Prepare the construction phase plan before work starts
Plan, manage, monitor construction work
Organise cooperation between contractors

Site management:

Ensure suitable site inductions
Prevent unauthorised access
Ensure welfare facilities provided and maintained
Arrange consultations and engagement with workers

Coordination:

Liaise with principal designer on design matters
Ensure contractors cooperate with each other
Ensure safe working where activities overlap

Information:

Provide relevant parts of construction phase plan to contractors
Ensure contractors provide information for health and safety file
Pass information to principal designer for the file

Construction phase plan

The construction phase plan is a practical document setting out how health and safety will be managed. It must be in place before construction begins.

Minimum content:

Description of project
Management arrangements (who's responsible for what)
Arrangements for controlling significant risks
Site rules
Welfare arrangements

Common sections:

Section	Content
Site set-up	Access, traffic routes, storage, welfare facilities
Risk management	Key risks and controls (height, excavations, services)
Emergency procedures	First aid, fire, rescue, incident reporting
Permits	Confined space, hot work, excavation permits
Inductions and training	What workers must complete before starting
Monitoring	Inspections, audits, safety tours

Contractor duties

All contractors - from large firms to sole traders - have CDM duties.

Planning your work

Plan work to avoid risks where possible
Don't start work unless reasonable steps have been taken to prevent risk
Provide relevant information to principal contractor
Follow the construction phase plan

On site

Cooperate with principal contractor and other contractors
Follow site rules
Report hazards and safety concerns
Comply with directions from principal contractor

Workers

Ensure workers are competent (or supervised if developing competence)
Provide appropriate supervision
Provide necessary information and instruction

Contractor vs Principal Contractor

Contractor

•Responsible for own work and workers
•Follow site rules and construction phase plan
•Cooperate with others
•Provide information when requested
•Report hazards

Principal Contractor

•Responsible for whole site
•Create and enforce site rules
•Coordinate all contractors
•Produce construction phase plan
•Manage site access and security

Bottom line: On a multi-contractor project, one contractor takes the PC role. On single-contractor jobs, you're just 'the contractor'.

Working at height

Falls from height are the biggest killer in construction. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 apply to all work where someone could fall and be injured.

Hierarchy of control

You must follow this hierarchy - in order:

Avoid working at height if possible
Prevent falls using guardrails, scaffolds, MEWPs
Mitigate falls using nets, airbags, harnesses (last resort)

Harnesses and fall arrest are last resort - they don't prevent falls, they limit injury. If someone falls on a harness, that's a failure of the hierarchy.

Common situations

Work	Typical Control
Roof work (long duration)	Scaffold with edge protection
Roof work (short duration)	Scaffold, MEWP, or roof ladder with safety harness
Gutter cleaning	Tower scaffold, MEWP, or ladder (short duration, low risk)
Work above 2m inside	Podium steps, tower scaffold
Fragile roofs	Crawling boards, nets, harness system

Ladders

Ladders are only acceptable for:

Low-risk, short-duration work (typically under 30 minutes)
Where more suitable equipment isn't reasonably practicable
Where three points of contact can be maintained while working

Ladder checklist:

Correct angle (1 in 4 / 75 degrees)
Secured or footed
Extends 1m above landing point
Sound condition, no damage
On firm, level base

Scaffolding

Scaffolds must be:

Designed for the loads they'll carry
Erected by competent persons
Inspected before first use, after substantial modification, after weather that could affect stability, and at least every 7 days
Inspections recorded and kept on site

Asbestos in construction

Asbestos is still present in most buildings built before 2000. Anyone doing construction work needs basic asbestos awareness.

Duty to manage

If you're doing work on a building, ask the client/building owner for the asbestos register and management plan. They have a duty to provide this information.

Before disturbing materials

Before breaking into any surface in a pre-2000 building:

Check the asbestos register
If not surveyed, assume it may contain asbestos
Get it tested or get a refurbishment and demolition survey

Materials commonly containing asbestos:

Insulating board (wall linings, ceiling tiles, fire protection)
Cement products (roof sheets, gutters, flue pipes)
Textured coatings (Artex-type finishes)
Floor tiles and adhesives
Pipe insulation and lagging

If you find asbestos

Stop work immediately
Keep people away from the area
Don't disturb it further
Report to the principal contractor / client
Get professional advice on removal or management

Warning:

Unlicensed asbestos work (lower risk materials) can be done by trained workers. Licensed work (high-risk materials) requires licensed contractors. Get this wrong and you face prosecution.

Silica dust

Silica dust from cutting, grinding, or drilling concrete, brick, stone, or morite is a serious health hazard causing silicosis and lung cancer.

Control measures

Hierarchy:

Eliminate - Can you avoid cutting? Use different materials?
Substitute - Can you use a less dusty method?
Engineering controls - Water suppression, on-tool extraction, enclosure
RPE - Respiratory protective equipment (last resort)

Minimum standards:

Water suppression when cutting with power tools
On-tool extraction for drilling and grinding
Suitable RPE as backup (FFP3 disposable or P3 half-mask)
No dry sweeping - use vacuum with H-class filter

Notification to HSE

Some construction projects must be notified to HSE before work starts.

Notification triggers

Projects must be notified if they will:

Last more than 30 working days AND have more than 20 workers at any one time, OR
Exceed 500 person days of construction work

Example:

4 workers for 50 days = 200 person days (no notification)
10 workers for 60 days = 600 person days (notify HSE)

How to notify

Use HSE's online F10 notification form
Submit before construction phase begins
Display the notification on site

Site welfare

Welfare facilities must be provided on construction sites. This is usually the principal contractor's responsibility but applies to all sites.

Minimum requirements

Facility	Requirement
Toilets	Adequate number, clean, with hand washing
Washing	Running water, soap, towels or dryers
Drinking water	Readily accessible, clearly marked
Rest area	Shelter from weather, seating, facility to heat food
Changing/drying	If workers need to change or dry clothing
First aid	Equipment and trained person as identified by assessment

For small, short-duration jobs, using client facilities or nearby public facilities may be acceptable if agreed in advance.

Common compliance gaps

Based on HSE enforcement, these are frequent failures:

Planning failures

No construction phase plan (or inadequate plan)
Principal contractor not appointed on multi-contractor projects
Starting work before arrangements are in place
Inadequate pre-construction information from client

Site management failures

Poor housekeeping (trip hazards, materials storage)
Inadequate traffic management
Unauthorised site access
No site inductions

Working at height failures

No edge protection on scaffolds
Ladders used inappropriately
Workers not trained in equipment use
Incomplete scaffold inspections

Health failures

No dust controls when cutting
No asbestos checks before work
No welfare facilities
No health surveillance where needed

Frequently asked questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. CDM 2015 applies to all construction work regardless of size. However, smaller single-contractor projects have simpler requirements - no need for principal designer or principal contractor appointments, and the construction phase plan can be simpler. The core duties to plan work safely and provide information still apply.

If you're the only contractor on the job, you don't need a formal construction phase plan document. However, you still need to plan your work safely and you should have method statements or risk assessments for higher-risk activities. If there are other contractors involved at any point, a construction phase plan is required.

The client must appoint the principal contractor in writing before the construction phase begins. For domestic clients (homeowners), this duty transfers to the contractor in control of the work. If you're a contractor and no PC has been formally appointed on a multi-contractor domestic job, you may have inadvertently inherited the PC duties.

Yes, if you have the skills, knowledge, and experience for both roles. This is common on smaller design-and-build projects. You'd need design competence (typically architectural or engineering background) plus construction management competence.

The construction phase plan is an overarching document covering how the whole project will be managed safely - site rules, coordination arrangements, emergency procedures. Risk assessments are detailed assessments of specific activities or hazards. The construction phase plan should reference key risk assessments but doesn't replace them.

Ladders are acceptable for low-risk, short-duration work (typically under 30 minutes) where more suitable equipment isn't reasonably practicable. The work must allow three points of contact to be maintained. For anything more than very light, brief work at height, scaffolding, tower scaffolds, or MEWPs are usually required.

For any building likely to contain asbestos (generally pre-2000 construction), you should check the asbestos register before disturbing any materials. The client or building owner has a legal duty to provide this information. If no survey exists and you'll be breaking into surfaces, assume asbestos may be present until tested.

There's no single mandatory qualification, but you need to be competent for the work you're doing. Most sites require CSCS cards as evidence of competence. Specific training is required for work at height, asbestos awareness (if working in older buildings), plant operation, and other high-risk activities. Many clients require SSSTS or SMSTS for supervisors and managers.

Domestic clients have their duties automatically transferred to contractors, so direct prosecution is rare. However, a homeowner could still be liable under general health and safety law if they create hazards, obstruct safety measures, or direct contractors to work unsafely. More commonly, the contractor would be held responsible.

There's no specific retention period in CDM, but good practice is to keep project records (construction phase plan, risk assessments, inspection records) for at least the duration of any limitation period for claims - typically 6 years, or longer for personal injury claims. The health and safety file should be kept for the life of the building.

Getting professional help

CDM compliance is manageable for most contractors, but professional input is valuable for:

Complex projects - Multiple phases, multiple contractors, significant risks
Principal contractor role - If you're new to the PC role or the project is complex
Client duties - Commercial clients unsure of their obligations
Health and safety file - Compiling technical information for handover

Unsure about your CDM duties or how to manage a complex project? A construction safety specialist can review your arrangements and ensure you're meeting your obligations.

Speak to a professional