What is a Construction Phase Plan and what goes into it?
What is a Construction Phase Plan?
The Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan (more commonly referred to as just The Construction Phase Plan) is a written document used for managing health and safety in construction projects that you’re involved in. It needs to include details of the work that is being undertaken, the project team and emergency arrangements. Each development needs its own Construction Phase Plan.
As part of the CDM Regulations (CDM 15), the Construction Phase Plan is a required document that must be prepared before work commences on site.
The Construction Phase Plan is a required document that MUST be prepared before any work commences on site.
What goes into a Construction Phase Plan?
The Construction Phase Plan must contain the health and safety management systems and arrangements for the specific project and site. It must also reference the risk assessments and method statements for the initial work activities. The contents of the plan should all be specific to the project.
Although it is a safety management document for your project, the Construction Phase Plan is not a catalogue of risk assessments and method statements for individual tasks and activities on the project, these are separate documents that will be required under the management of health and safety by all contractors involved in the project.
Some key headings you’ll be expected to cover include:
· Project description
· Project Management
· Arrangements for controlling health risks
· Arrangements for controlling safety risks
· The Health and Safety File
The Construction Phase Plan is not a catalogue of risk assessments and method statements.
How do I make sure it’s right?
The Construction Phase Plan is a live document and should continue to be developed throughout the construction phase as work progresses and develops, making note of any changes in plans or arrangements. Site arrangements will change when construction work commences and it is vital that this is covered in the plan.
While there are plenty of Construction Phase Plan templates available online, the plan itself is more than just ticking a box. Structuring your Construction Phase Plan, whilst important, comes second to ensuring that it has been efficiently developed to achieve full health and safety compliance.
It is the Principal Contractor’s job to ensure that the Construction Phase Plan is prepared and maintained throughout the project.
Who is responsible for the Construction Phase Plan?
The ultimate responsibility of ensuring that the plan is prepared falls on the contractor or Principal Contractor (if there is more than one contractor involved in the development). However, it is still the responsibility of the client to assess the Construction Phase Plan and ensure that it is suitably developed.
For more information on how to create a Construction Phase Plan, visit our Training Services or call us on 0330 0948 848 (Option 1).