A construction phase plan (CPP) is a required document for all construction sites and should be proportional to the size or duration of the project. This health & safety plan is necessary under the Construction (Design and Management) regulations 2015 (CDM).
The plan is a health and safety monitoring document which contains the arrangements, site rules and specific measures required when work involves risks as per schedule 3 of the Construction (Design & Management) CDM regulations, i.e. working near high voltage power lines.
The information recorded in the CPP should be specific to the work being completed and it should take into consideration observations from the pre-construction information plan.
Under the Construction (Design & Management) (CDM) Regulations 2015 if you are the only contractor or principal contractor, you must create a CPP. The depth of the plan will depend on the size and scale of the project.
Small projects may not require particularly detailed plan documents but there must still be evidence of coordination between the contractor and the team in considering health and safety for all involved.
The main coordinator of the Construction Phase Plan will be the contractor or the designated principal contractor, if there is more than one on-site.
However, as this is a legally required document, the responsibility for its production also falls to the client. The principal designer and designers working on the project will also be responsible for providing all the relevant information which the contractor will need to create an exhaustive CPP.
Therefore, though the principal contractor is responsible for the management of the work, there must be cooperation between the key site decision-makers for the document to be completed in full.
A CPP should contain the details below, along with any other information relevant to the specific project it is being drafted for.
Work cannot be started on a construction project until the plan is prepared so the principal contractor must have it completed before work begins. However, the document typically contains answers to problems identified in the pre-construction information plan so the contractor may need this to be completed before drawing up the CPP.
Depending on the nature of the work, some details of the project may not be certain or finalised when work is due to begin. Because of this, the plan should be a live document to be updated as and when details that were not available at the beginning of the project are clarified and assessed.
Smaller projects will likely not need to be updated but, should the plans change, or the schedule needs to be altered, the CPP should be altered if necessary.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 aims to improve the safety of those who work in construction, no matter your role.
In 2015, CDM regulations were updated and the Construction Phase Plan was made a requirement for all construction projects and not just larger-scale projects. This includes:
Schedule 3 of the CDM 2015 also requires the CPP to include specific consideration for works relating to a few safety risks, including:
Download our FREE Construction Phase Plan Template.