CDM 2015 Compliance Checklist
Use this CDM compliance checklist to carry out a CDM audit on your construction project. You can also use our CDM guides for more details on complying with your duties.
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Appointments
Principal designer appointed
If more than one contractor will be working on your project you must appoint a principal designer in writing.
Client Principal contractor appointed
If more than one contractor will be working on your project you must appoint a principal contractor in writing.
Client Principal Designer All appointments have appropriate skills, knowledge, training and experience
Any contractor or designer appointed on the project must have the necessary skills, knowledge, training and experience for the work they are carrying out.
Client Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors Client
The type of client has been identified
Check if the client is domestic, if they are, some appointments happen automatically and some client duties are transferred to contractors and designers.
Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors The client has been made aware of their CDM duties
Clients need to be made aware of their duties. Duty holders must not start work in relation to a project unless they are satisfied that the client has been made aware of their client duties under CDM.
Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors The client brief is prepared
Prepare a client brief to explain your project requirements and share expectations with other duty holders.
Client Principal Designer Pre-Construction Information
Existing information has been gathered
Identify and pull together any information about the existing structure and site needed to plan the project.
Client Principal Designer Pre-construction information has been provided
All duty holders must provide any relevant information for the inclusion in the pre-construction information.
Client Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors The pre-construction information pack has been prepared and shared
The pre-construction information, including updates and additional information as it becomes available, need to be shared with all contractors and designers that have been appointed or are being considered for appointment.
Client Principal Designer The pre-construction information has been reviewed
Review the pre-construction information you receive. This information will help you plan the work, it may impact your planning and is the basis for developing the construction phase plan.
Principal Contractor Designers Contractors Design
Designers have complied with CDM duties
Designers must comply with their duties under CDM, and the principal designer must ensure that the designers comply with their duties during the design stage.
Principal Designer Designers Foreseeable risks identified during design have been eliminated or controlled
Designers should identify, eliminate, reduce and control risks in their own design, and the overall project design. The principal designer should undertake a review of health and safety information provided from designers.
Principal Designer Designers Preparation
The pre-construction phase has been managed
The main focus of the principal designer role is to plan, manage and monitor the co-ordination of the pre-construction phase, including any preparatory work carried out for the project.
Principal Designer Time and resources have been allowed
Clients have a duty to allocate sufficient time and other resources. The principal designer must assist with estimating the period of time required to complete work or work stages during the pre-construction phase.
Client Principal Designer Notification has been submitted to the HSE where necessary
The main focus of the principal designer role is to plan, manage and monitor the co-ordination of the pre-construction phase, including any preparatory work carried out for the project.
Client Principal Designer The construction phase plan is being prepared
The principal contractor (or contractor if only one) must prepare a construction phase plan which describes how health and safety will be managed during the construction phase.
Principal Contractor Contractors Construction work has been organised and coordinated
The principal contractor must ensure all contractors and workers on site are competent, have sufficient time to plan and resource their work, and have been provided with health and safety information and given the opportunity to contribute.
Principal Contractor Contractors Construction Phase Plan
The construction phase plan has been developed
The construction phase plan is required on every construction project, and should be sufficiently developed (by the principal contractor or sole contractor) before construction work begins. It is good practice to check the construction phase plan has been produced and that there is no information missing.
Principal Contractor Contractors Principal Designer The construction phase plan has been shared
Key information on health and safety risks including relevant parts of the construction phase plan needs to be shared with contractors and communicated with workers through induction and worker engagement.
Principal Contractor Contractors Set Up
Welfare facilities provided
The principal contractor (or contractor where only one) is responsible for ensuring welfare facilities are provided and are suitable and sufficient for the size and nature of the site.
Principal Contractor Contractors The site is secure
The principal contractor and contractors must ensure that reasonable steps are taken to secure the site and prevent unauthorised access.
Principal Contractor Contractors Site inductions are provided
The principal contractor and contractors must ensure a suitable site induction is provided to each site worker before they start work on the project.
Principal Contractor Contractors Management
Management and supervision is provided
Good supervision is essential for showing leadership in health and safety. The level of supervision required should take into consideration the skills, knowledge, training, experience and likely behaviour of the workers.
Principal Contractor Contractors Contractors are engaged
It is a duty of the principal contractor to organise cooperation between contractors. You must ensure that contractors cooperate with each other so that risks to themselves and others are managed effectively.
Principal Contractor Contractors Workers are consulted
Consultation with workers is key to the successful management of health and safety on site. It should be a clear two-way process, giving an opportunity for both parties, or their safety representatives, to contribute to decision making.
Principal Contractor Contractors The construction phase is planned and managed
The principal contractor has a duty to plan, manage and coordinate matters relating to health and safety during the construction phase. Planning of the works activities and identification of health and safety risks, control measures and resources needed to reduce or eliminate them is a continual process and should be carried out throughout the construction phase.
Principal Contractor Contractors The construction phase is monitored
Contractors should monitor their work to ensure that the health and safety precautions are appropriate, remain in place and are followed on site. Through the actions of managers the principal contractor can demonstrate health and safety leadership, and comply with the duty to ensure the construction phase plan is followed on site.
Principal Contractor Contractors Communication
There is communication between the principal designer and principal contractor
Communication during the construction phase should also focus on any ongoing design work. For example, the discovery of an underground obstruction not previously identified during site investigations might impact the structural design and choice or layout of foundations.
Principal Contractor Principal Designer The health and safety file is being prepared
The principal designer is responsible for preparing the health and safety file and the principal contractor should pass on to them any relevant health and safety information required.
Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors Health and Safety File
All duty holders have contributed to the health and safety file
Information should only be provided for inclusion in the file if it is needed to ensure the health and safety of anyone carrying out any future construction, demolition, use, cleaning or maintenance work on the building or structure.
Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors The health and safety file is finalised
As information becomes available the health and safety file should be updated ready for handover on project completion. The principal designer, principal contractor, designers and contractors should continue liaising to gather the necessary handover information to finalise the health and safety file.
Principal Designer Principal Contractor Designers Contractors The health and safety file is handed over
The principal designer should ensure that the health and safety file is handed over to the client. However, if the principal designers appointment ends before the project is completed, they must hand over the file to the principal contractor, to finalise and handover to the client on completion.
Principal Designer Principal Contractor Client The health and safety file is kept and maintained
The client or owner of the building must keep a copy of the health and safety file and it should be made available to anyone who may need information from it.
Client 
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