CDM 2015: what applies to this job?

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Contractors, client type, programme, headcount and your role in - the appointments, documents and notification the regulations require, with the regulation numbers.

How the checker decides

Four questions decide most of CDM 2015. Is there more than one contractor? Then the client must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor in writing, and there must be a health and safety file. Is the client domestic? Then the client's duties pass to the contractor or principal contractor. Does the project exceed the notification thresholds in regulation 6 - more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers at any one time, or more than 500 person-days? Then an F10 goes to the HSE. And whatever the answers, there must be a construction phase plan, pre-construction information, a suitable induction, site security and welfare.

What this means for the paperwork

For a small contractor the practical list is: a construction phase plan (two pages is fine for a two-week job), RAMS for the work, a site induction record, and if you are principal contractor the appointments in writing and the site rules. The CDM for small contractors guide walks through each, and the F10 checker does the notification sums in more detail.

FAQs

Does CDM 2015 apply to small jobs?

Yes. CDM 2015 applies to all construction work in Great Britain with no lower size limit, including domestic work. The documentation should be proportionate to the risk, but the duties apply.

Do I need a construction phase plan as a sole trader?

Yes. On a single-contractor project regulation 15(5) requires the contractor to draw up a construction phase plan before the construction phase begins. For a small job it can be short, but it has to exist.

Who is the principal contractor on a domestic job?

If the domestic client makes no appointment, the contractor in control of the construction phase is treated as the principal contractor under regulation 7, and the client's duties pass to them.

When is a project notifiable?

When the construction work is expected to last more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers at once, or to exceed 500 person-days (regulation 6). The client - or the contractor/PC for a domestic client - notifies on form F10 before the construction phase begins.

Get the documents ready-made

The checker tells you which documents the regulations expect. The templates are the documents themselves - construction phase plan, pre-construction information, F10 checklist, appointment letters, site rules - as editable Word files.

General guidance only. This article explains how the rules generally work in UK construction. It is not advice for your specific site, task or project, and it is not legal advice. Your own risk assessment, method statement and arrangements must be prepared and checked by a competent person for the actual work being done.