What Is a CDM Health and Safety File?
The health and safety file is the document that outlives the job. Under CDM 2015 it captures the information anyone will need to work on the building safely in the future, long after the site fence has come down. It is easy to treat it as a box ticked at handover, but a good file protects the people who come back to maintain, alter or demolish the structure years later. Here is what it is, what goes in it and who has to produce it.
What the health and safety file actually is
The health and safety file is a record of information about a structure that is useful for anyone carrying out future construction work on it. It is not about the day to day running of the current job, that is the construction phase plan. The file looks forward: it tells a future contractor what they need to know to plan and carry out later work without walking into a hidden risk.
When you need one
A health and safety file is required for projects involving more than one contractor. On a single contractor domestic job you will not usually need one, but the moment a second contractor is involved the duty applies. If a file already exists for the structure, it must be reviewed, updated and added to as the new work changes things.
What goes in the file
Keep it relevant and proportionate. The file should cover the things a future project team could not reasonably work out for themselves, such as:
- A brief description of the work carried out.
- Residual hazards and how they have been dealt with, for example asbestos, contaminated land or buried services.
- Key structural principles, such as bracing or load bearing elements, that must be understood before altering the structure.
- Hazardous materials used, like specific coatings or insulation.
- Information on the removal or dismantling of installed plant and equipment.
- Health and safety information about equipment for cleaning or maintaining the structure.
- The nature, location and markings of significant services, including fire fighting services.
- As built drawings, plans and any relevant designer information.
Leave out the general paperwork that belongs to the construction phase, such as pre construction information, method statements and risk assessments for the current works. The file is only what a future team genuinely needs.
Who is responsible for it
On most projects the principal designer prepares the health and safety file and keeps it up to date during the design and construction phases. If the principal designer leaves before the end, the principal contractor takes it on. At the end of the project it is handed to the client, who must keep it available for anyone who needs it for future work.
Keep it live and hand it over properly
The file is not a one off document assembled in a panic at practical completion. Build it up as the project progresses and as designers and contractors feed information in. At handover, give it to the client in a form they can actually use and store, and make sure they understand they have to keep it and pass it on if they sell or transfer the structure.
Frequently asked questions
Is a health and safety file the same as a construction phase plan?
No. The construction phase plan covers how the current build is managed safely while work is on site. The health and safety file records information a future team needs to work on the structure safely after the project is finished. You often produce both.
Who keeps the health and safety file after handover?
The client. Once the project is complete the file is handed to the client, who must keep it available for anyone carrying out future construction work and pass it on if the structure is sold or transferred.
Do I need a health and safety file for every project?
Only where more than one contractor is involved. Single contractor projects do not normally require one, though good practice still means recording anything a future team would need to know.
The shortcut
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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.