A health and safety file must be produced in accordance with the 2015 Construction (Design & Management) Regulations.
The health & safety file is a repository of details for the client, or end user, about a building or structure that focuses on health and safety.
Its contents will inform those in charge of the building of the main health and safety risks that must be addressed during any maintenance, repair, cleaning, demolition, and construction work.
By lowering the cost of future work, the CDM health and safety file can offer the client significant advantages.
In accordance with the CDM Regulations, it is a crucial component of the pre-construction data that the client must offer for upcoming projects. Therefore, after any pertinent work, surveys, etc., the file should be kept current.
Only projects involving multiple contractors are required to have a CDM health and safety file.
It must include pertinent information about the project that will be taken into account when building work is done on the structure after the current project is finished.
Only the data necessary for planning and carrying out future work safely and without health risks should be included.
The file must be created by the principal designer, who must also review, update, and revise it as the project moves forward.
The finished file must be given to the client to keep if the principal designer's appointment lasts until the project is finished.
The file must be turned over to the principal contractor in the event that the principal designer's appointment expires before the project is finished.
After that, it is the principal contractor's responsibility to review, amend, and revise it before delivering it to the client.
The file is an important document required by the CDM regulations. All CDM duty holders are required to provide information for the file, and it's critical that everyone is aware of what should be included.
Here's a summary of the contents:
Clients: The client is responsible for providing any pertinent data that will be included in the health and safety file.
Upon receiving the final health and safety file from the principal designer/principal contractor, the client is required to make it available for inspection upon request at the end of the project.
Designers: Before a project is finished, all designers must give the principal designer information about foreseeable health and safety risks as well as risks that still exist that are relevant to future cleaning, maintenance, construction, and demolition work.
Principal Designer: As the project moves forward, the principal designer is responsible for preparing, reviewing, amending, or adding to the file. At the project's conclusion, the principal designer must provide the client with the finalised document.
Principal Contractor: The principal contractor is in charge of making sure that pertinent health and safety data is compiled from designated sub-contractors and prepared for inclusion in the file.
In the event that the principal designer leaves the project before it is finished, the principal contractor is in charge of finishing the file and delivering it to the client or end user.
Contractors: Contractors are in charge of making sure that any information required by the principal contractor is released as soon as possible and added to the file.
Lisa Carr - Project Manager
Can we Help?
If you'd like help organising and compiling the health and safety file for your project or if you can't afford the time to do it yourself please get in touch here CDM Health & Safety
Give us a call 01538 711777
Or Email hello@hc-services.uk
Meet our team? https://hc-services.uk/about-hcs/
