Construction Health & Safety News, Advice and Information from PP Construction Safety

Simple as possible proportionate plans required on ALL construction projects

From 6th April 2015 a Construction Phase Plan (CPP) is required on ALL construction projects and must be drawn up during the pre-construction phase BEFORE setting up the construction site.

The Principal Contractor is required to draw up the plan on multiple contractor projects and the contractor is responsible for drawing up the CPP on single contractor projects.

The HSE Legal Guidance explains that the CPP must record the arrangements for managing the significant health and safety risks associated with the construction phase of a project.

Information in the CPP should be proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project and the risks involved and must contain:

• Arrangements and rules –  setting out the health and safety arrangements and site rules taking account, where necessary, of the industrial activities taking place on the construction site;
• Higher risk activities – include specific measures concerning work which falls within one or more of the categories set out in Schedule 3 (where applicable)

The CPP is the basis for communicating these arrangements to all those involved in the construction phase so it should be easy to understand and be as simple as possible.

Those responsible for drawing up the CPP must ensure it is appropriately reviewed, updated and revised throughout the project so it continues to be sufficient to ensure that construction work is carried out without risks to health or safety.

Written ‘template’ or smart device ‘app’?

The legislation does not specify the format for drawing up and communicating / sharing the CPP.

Duty holders might use:

• Construction Phase Plan Template (based on HSE L153) suitable for the scope and nature of their project;
• HSE ‘Busy Builder’ Template which is designed to help ‘busy builders’ plan and organise jobs, and work together with others to make sure that the work is carried out without risks to health and safety; or
• Smart Device Application of the type developed by the CITB.

or any other effective means of complying with the legal requirement.

The HSE Legal Guidance helpfully explains what is NOT required stating that:

“The plan should not include documents that get in the way of a clear understanding of what is needed to manage the construction phase, such as generic risk assessments, records of how decisions were reached or detailed safety method statements.”

CDM 2015 Information and Templates

See CDM 2015 Survey Results for the findings of our CDM 2015 Five Minute Online Survey.

We have published a great deal of further information and templates designed to support Clients, Designers, Principal Designers/Contractors and Contractors in meeting their duties under CDM Regulations 2015.

This article was posted on 24th February 2015