Guide
What is a construction phase plan?
The moment you take on a subcontractor, you may become the principal contractor, and a construction phase plan becomes your responsibility. Here is what that means.
The short answer
A construction phase plan sets out how health and safety will be managed on a construction project, including the site rules and the arrangements for controlling the significant risks. It is required under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. On projects with more than one contractor the principal contractor prepares it under Regulation 12. Where there is only one contractor, that contractor prepares it under Regulation 15, before the construction site is established. It must be ready before the construction phase begins.
Who has to prepare one
- More than one contractor. The principal contractor, appointed by the client, prepares the construction phase plan under Regulation 12.
- A single contractor. That contractor prepares it, or makes arrangements for it, under Regulation 15 before establishing the site.
- A sole trader taking on help. If you engage even one subcontractor, you can become the principal contractor for that project and the duty to prepare the plan falls to you.
What it contains
The plan describes how the work will be planned, managed and monitored: the site rules, the welfare arrangements, the emergency procedures, and the significant hazards specific to the project with the controls for each. It is proportionate to the size and risk of the job, so a small project needs a short, workable plan rather than an elaborate document. It also references the risk assessments and method statements for the work, which is where your RAMS feed into it.
For electrical contractors
Electrician CHAS pack · £95
The risk assessments and method statements that a construction phase plan references, written for electrical work and ready to adapt.
How it fits a CHAS application
A CHAS assessment expects a principal contractor or sole contractor on site to be able to produce a construction phase plan that is proportionate, workable and reviewed. If you take on that role, the plan is part of the evidence that you manage the construction phase safely. Even where you are a subcontractor and someone else holds the plan, you still supply your own risk assessments and method statements into it, so the documents you prepare for your own work matter either way.
Related guides
Read what RAMS means, what a method statement is, and the CHAS requirements in full.
Common questions
What is a construction phase plan?
A document required under CDM 2015 that sets out how health and safety will be managed on a construction project, including site rules, welfare, emergency procedures and the controls for the significant risks. It must be prepared before the construction phase begins.
Who prepares the construction phase plan?
On projects with more than one contractor, the principal contractor prepares it under Regulation 12 of CDM 2015. Where there is only one contractor, that contractor prepares it under Regulation 15 before establishing the site.
Does a sole trader need a construction phase plan?
If a sole trader engages even one subcontractor, they can become the principal contractor for that project and the duty to prepare a construction phase plan falls to them. The plan should be proportionate to the size and risk of the work.
What goes in a construction phase plan?
How the work is planned, managed and monitored: site rules, welfare arrangements, emergency procedures and the significant project hazards with their controls. It references the project's risk assessments and method statements and is proportionate to the job.