CDM Health And Safety File Contents (What You Should Include)

The health and safety file is an important document required by the Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations. It contains all relevant health and safety information needed to allow future construction work, and future use of the building (including cleaning and maintenance) to be carried out safely.

This CDM document is required on any project involving more than one contractor.

The CDM health and safety file is the final CDM document you will need on your construction project. It's a CDM document that needs to be completed at the end of your construction project.

But who prepares it, and what should it include?

When is a health and safety file required?

The health and safety file is needed on nearly all construction projects. Any project with more than one contractor (including domestic and residential projects) requires a health and safety file to be prepared during the project and handed over to the client on completion.

The health and safety file is created during the project, with information gathered throughout the project. It is usually produced alongside the O&M manual.

The purpose of the health and safety file is to provide the information needed to allow the future use of the building (and future construction work) to be carried out safely. It needs to include information from the project that will help when planning subsequent work like future maintenance, cleaning, refurbishment, or demolition.

Who prepares the health and safety file?

The CDM health and safety file is prepared by the principal designer (with input from the principal contractor and the rest of the project team).

While the principal designer has the ultimate responsibility for creating the health and safety file for the client, other CDM duty holders also have responsibilities for providing project information for the file. Failing to do so is a breach of the CDM regulations.

Information for the health and safety file is gathered from all CDM duty holders including the client, designers, the principal contractor and other contractors working on the project. So all CDM duty holders must know what should (and what shouldn't) be included in the file.

During the project, information should be given to the principal designer for the file.

Although the health and safety file is handed over on project completion, most of the information needed for the health and safety file is created during the project - so don't leave creating the health and safety file until the end of construction! The principal designer should agree to the structure and content of the health and safety file with the client at the start of the project so that everyone can be made aware of the information required, and it can be gathered throughout the project.

On project completion, the health and safety file will be passed to the client to keep and make available to anyone who needs it, so that health and safety requirements can be complied with on future projects.

It should usually be retained for the lifetime of the building.

What should be in a health and safety file?

The CDM regulations require certain health and safety information to be included in the file, to alert future users and those carrying out work on the structure to the health and safety risks present.

Every construction project is different, and as with other CDM documents, the health and safety file should be proportionate to the project. Larger more complex or higher-risk projects are likely to need more information included within the health and safety file, for handover to the client.

Use the CDM health and safety file template to create a report for your construction project.

Health and safety file contents

The exact information the CDM health and safety file needs to contain will depend on the size and complexity of the project, but generally, the information that it should contain includes:

Project Description

What was the purpose of the project? What was built, installed or demolished? A quick description of the project at the start of the health and safety file will help people in the future know what the health and safety file covers, and if it is relevant to them.

This section should include:

• Description of the works
• Location of the site
• Project team directory
• Subcontractor register
• Supplier register
• Key dates (e.g. start date, completion date)

Residual Hazards

Are there any residual hazards (hazards that remain on the site) that may affect people in the future use, maintenance, cleaning or demolition of the work? For example, did you leave in place any hazardous materials? Was asbestos left undisturbed? Did the ground investigation highlight any issues?

• Ground conditions
• Asbestos
• Fragile materials
• Contamination
• Other residual risks

Structural Information

Has the project changed an existing structure, or created a new structure? The client and future building users and maintainers need to know about any adjustments and limitations of the structure.

• Safe working loads
• Structural design
• Structural alterations

Hazardous Materials

It's not just old hazards that may remain on the site that future users need to be aware of. What about the materials you have installed? Future building users might not know from looking at a material that it is hazardous, but you know all about the materials you have used, and passing the information on could prevent ill health in the future. Do you need to provide health and safety information for:

• Paints
• Coatings
• Hazardous substances
• Flammable substances

Safe Operation & Maintenance

The CDM health and safety file isn't the same as the operation and maintenance manual (O&M). But you should include health and safety-specific operation and maintenance information here too.

• Safe Methods
• Safe Access
• Temporary Access
• Safe Cleaning

Safe Removal

What comes up must come down. And just as you have managed health and safety when building, the same must be done when removing and dismantling the structure and the things inside it. Installed equipment will be replaced and removed, and eventually, the building might be too.

• Decommissioning
• Dismantling Instructions
• Lifting Arrangements

Location of Services

Services are a health and safety concern on any project because they are often hidden. In walls. Under floors. In the ground. You can help reduce the risks to future building and site owners by providing this information for your project, as you know where things have been installed. Where cables have been run. Where access points are. Where shut-off valves are located.

• Cables
• Ducts
• Gas
• Electrical
• Water
• Underground Services

As Built

The final plans for the project show what has been built, where plant and equipment have been installed, and where access to voids, shafts and other serviceable parts of the building are.

• As Built Drawings
• As Installed Drawings

You can keep a record of the information received with our CDM health and safety file checklist.

What shouldn't be in a health and safety file

Your health and safety file should not be 'padded out' with irrelevant information. Information that has no impact on the future safe use of the structure or future construction works. For example, your health and safety file is not required to contain:

• The pre-construction information - although relevant information from the PCI regarding residual risks (for example the asbestos survey if the asbestos is still in place) should be included
• The construction phase plan, risk assessments, method statements or COSHH assessments from the completed project
• Details regarding the normal operation of the existing structure that have no impact on health and safety
• Construction phase accident statistics - these should be recorded by the principal contractor but have no place in the health and safety file
• It is common practice to contain information on the client, principal designer and principal contractor - but it is optional to contain details on all the designers, contractors and suppliers used throughout the project
• Contractual documents should not be contained in the health and safety file
• Information about structures that have been demolished or hazardous materials that have been removed as part of the works should not be included unless there are implications for future works
• The information contained in other documents does not need to be replicated in the health and safety file, instead, it should be cross-referenced where relevant

Some items that are not required to be included in the health and safety file by the CDM regulations may be useful to the client, for example, maintenance manuals and operation information not related to health and safety. In this case, it is good practice to include an operation and maintenance (O&M) manual, but within a separate section so that health and safety information is still easy to find and navigate, and is not lost within the file amongst all the other information.

The more organised and relevant the health and safety file is, the better it will be and more useful for helping future work be carried out safely.

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Still unsure or need help with CDM on your project? Use our free CDM duty holder guides. Just want help with your health and safety file? Get started with our CDM health and safety file template.