CDM Welfare Facilities: What Sites Must Provide
Welfare is the one part of CDM 2015 that everyone on site notices immediately. If the toilet is filthy or there is nowhere warm to eat, morale drops and so does the standard of the work. The regulations set out clear minimums, and they apply from the first day anyone is on site. Here is what you have to provide, who is responsible for it, and how to keep it adequate as the job grows.
What CDM 2015 requires
Schedule 2 of CDM 2015 sets out the welfare facilities that must be available for anyone working on a construction site. The duty is not optional and it is not something you get to once the job is under way. Suitable and sufficient welfare has to be in place before work starts and maintained throughout the project, in proportion to the number of people and the nature of the work.
Toilets and washing facilities
You must provide enough toilets, and where reasonably practicable they should be flushing and connected to a drainage system. Where that is not possible, they should have an adequate reserve of water or be of the chemical type. Washing facilities have to be next to both the toilets and any changing areas, with clean hot and cold or warm running water, soap and a way to dry hands. Separate facilities, or a way to secure privacy, are needed where men and women work together.
Drinking water and eating arrangements
A supply of wholesome drinking water must be readily accessible, clearly marked and with cups provided unless it is a drinking fountain. Workers also need somewhere to take breaks and eat, sheltered from the weather, with tables, seating and a means of heating food and boiling water. On a cold or wet site these rest areas are what keep people warm, fed and fit to work safely.
Changing rooms and rest areas
Where workers have to wear special clothing, or cannot reasonably be expected to change elsewhere, changing rooms with somewhere to dry wet clothing must be provided. Rest facilities should include arrangements for anyone who is pregnant or a nursing mother to rest lying down. Keep these spaces clean and secure, and think about how they scale as headcount rises through the busiest phases.
Who is responsible
On a project with more than one contractor the principal contractor makes sure suitable welfare is provided and maintained. On a single contractor job that duty sits with the contractor. Clients also have a part to play, as they must make sure welfare arrangements are in place before the construction phase begins. Everyone on site is entitled to use the facilities, not just directly employed workers.
Keep welfare adequate as the site changes
A welfare setup that suited two people in week one will not suit twenty in week ten. Review it as the workforce grows and as the site layout changes, and keep cleaning and servicing on a regular schedule rather than waiting for complaints. Good welfare is cheap insurance: it protects health, keeps the workforce onside and shows an inspector you take your duties seriously.
Frequently asked questions
When do welfare facilities have to be available?
Before work starts. CDM 2015 requires suitable and sufficient welfare to be in place from the first day anyone is on site and maintained throughout the construction phase, not added later once the job is running.
Who has to provide welfare on a construction site?
The principal contractor where more than one contractor is involved, or the contractor on a single contractor project. The client must also make sure welfare arrangements are in place before the construction phase begins.
Do small or short duration jobs still need welfare?
Yes. The facilities must be proportionate to the work, so a short domestic job needs less than a large site, but toilets, washing, drinking water and somewhere to take a break still have to be provided.
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This article is general guidance for UK construction and is not legal advice. For requirements specific to your work, check current HSE guidance and your own duty holder obligations under CDM 2015.