Construction Phase Plan Template (Free)

Every construction project in the UK that falls under CDM 2015 needs a construction phase plan before work starts on site. This guide gives you a practical template structure, explains what each section should contain, and helps you produce a plan that is proportionate to your project rather than a generic document that sits in a drawer.

What Is a Construction Phase Plan?

A construction phase plan (CPP) is the document that sets out how health and safety will be managed during the construction phase of a project. Think of it as the master safety plan for the entire build. While individual method statements cover specific tasks, the CPP provides the overarching framework that ties everything together.

The CPP should be a practical working document, not a theoretical exercise. It needs to reflect the actual risks on your specific project and the real arrangements you have in place to manage them. A good test is this: could a new site manager pick up this document and understand how safety is being managed on this project? If the answer is no, the plan needs work.

Legal Requirements Under CDM 2015

Regulation 12 of CDM 2015 states that the principal contractor must prepare a construction phase plan before the construction phase begins. The plan must set out the health and safety arrangements and site rules for the project, taking account of the information provided by the principal designer in the pre-construction information pack.

The plan is required for:

• All projects with more than one contractor
• All notifiable projects (lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers at any one time, or exceeding 500 person-days)

On single-contractor projects, that contractor assumes the role of principal contractor and must still prepare an appropriate plan, though it can be simpler and proportionate to the scale of work.

Schedule 3 of CDM 2015 lists what the construction phase plan must address. It is not an exhaustive list, but it gives you the minimum requirements.

Template Structure: Section by Section

1. Project Description

Start with the basic facts about the project:

• Project name and address
• Client name and contact details
• Principal designer name and contact
• Principal contractor name and contact
• HSE notification number (if notifiable)
• Brief description of the works
• Planned start and completion dates
• Estimated peak number of workers on site

2. Management Structure

Set out who is responsible for what. Include:

• Name of the site manager and their H&S responsibilities
• Name of the H&S adviser (if appointed)
• Names of supervisors and their areas of responsibility
• How subcontractors will be managed and coordinated
• Reporting lines for safety concerns
• Who has authority to stop work

Include an organisational chart if it helps make the structure clear. On a large project this can be essential; on a small refurb it might be overkill.

3. Arrangements for Managing Significant Risks

This is the most important section. Identify the significant risks specific to your project and describe how they will be managed. Do not list every conceivable risk. Focus on the ones that could cause serious harm on this particular project.

For each significant risk, describe:

• What the risk is
• Which phase or activity it relates to
• What control measures will be in place
• Who is responsible for implementing the controls
• How compliance will be monitored

Common significant risks on construction projects include:

• Working at height - falls from scaffolding, roofs, ladders, or through fragile surfaces
• Excavations - collapse of trench walls, striking underground services
• Structural instability - during demolition, temporary works, or alterations
• Lifting operations - crane failures, load drops, struck-by incidents
• Asbestos - unexpected discovery during refurbishment works
• Traffic management - vehicle-pedestrian conflicts on site
• Fire - hot works, flammable materials, temporary heating

4. Site Rules

Set out the rules that everyone on site must follow:

• Minimum PPE requirements
• Site working hours
• Induction requirements (everyone must complete a site induction)
• Permit-to-work procedures for high-risk activities
• Drug and alcohol policy
• Housekeeping standards
• Smoking and vaping restrictions
• Visitor procedures
• Disciplinary procedure for safety breaches

5. Emergency Procedures

Detail what happens when things go wrong:

• Fire alarm locations and evacuation routes
• Muster point location
• First aid arrangements and first aider names
• Nearest A&E department (with address and distance)
• Procedure for reporting accidents, incidents, and near misses
• RIDDOR reporting responsibilities
• Spill containment procedures
• Severe weather procedures

6. Welfare Arrangements

CDM 2015 Schedule 2 sets out the minimum welfare requirements. Your plan should confirm:

• Location of toilets (number relative to workforce)
• Washing facilities with hot and cold water
• Drinking water supply
• Changing rooms and lockers
• Rest area with seating, heating, and facility for warming food
• Drying room for wet clothing

7. Health Management

Beyond immediate safety, address occupational health:

• Noise exposure monitoring and hearing protection zones
• Dust control measures (particularly silica dust)
• COSHH assessments for hazardous substances
• Manual handling arrangements
• Hand-arm vibration exposure management
• Mental health and wellbeing support

8. Waste Management

Outline how construction waste will be managed, segregated, and disposed of. Include waste carrier details and any site waste management plan requirements.

9. Monitoring and Review

Describe how you will check that the plan is being followed:

• Frequency of safety inspections (daily walks, weekly formal inspections)
• Audit schedule
• How non-conformances will be recorded and tracked
• When the plan will be reviewed (at each phase change, minimum monthly)
• Who has authority to update the plan

Tips for Writing a Good Plan

After years of reviewing construction phase plans, here is what separates the good ones from the useless ones:

• Be proportionate - a two-storey house extension does not need the same level of detail as a 40-storey tower. Scale the plan to the project.
• Be specific - do not write "appropriate measures will be taken." Write what those measures actually are.
• Use the pre-construction information - the principal designer should have provided information about known risks, site constraints, and design decisions. Your plan should demonstrably respond to this information.
• Make it readable - use clear headings, bullet points, and plain English. Avoid safety jargon that obscures meaning.
• Include appendices wisely - site layout drawings, emergency contact lists, and induction content can sit in appendices rather than cluttering the main document.

Common Mistakes

• Generic content - if your plan could apply to any project in the country, it is not site-specific enough. The HSE will see through this immediately.
• Writing it and forgetting it - a CPP written at tender stage and never updated is worse than useless because it gives a false impression that safety is being managed.
• Too long - a 200-page CPP for a simple refurbishment project suggests the author was padding rather than thinking. No one will read it.
• Missing risk assessments - the CPP should reference the project risk assessments and individual task RAMS, showing how they all fit together.
• No management buy-in - if the site manager and project manager have not contributed to the plan, it will not reflect reality.

Keeping the Plan Live Throughout the Project

A construction phase plan is only as good as its last review. Here is how to keep it relevant:

1. Review at every phase change - when you move from groundworks to superstructure, the risks change. The plan should change with them.
2. Update after incidents - any accident, near miss, or enforcement action should trigger a review of the relevant sections.
3. Incorporate lessons learned - if a method statement was inadequate for a particular task, feed that learning back into the CPP.
4. Monthly formal review - schedule a monthly review of the plan with the site management team. Record the review and any changes made.
5. Communicate changes - if the plan changes, make sure the relevant people know. A plan update that no one is aware of has zero practical value.

Consider using a digital document management system to maintain version control. When you have multiple people contributing to and updating the plan, it is essential to know which version is current. Paper-based plans quickly become outdated and confused.

Who Should See the Plan?

The construction phase plan should be accessible to:

• The client (or their representative)
• The principal designer
• All contractors and subcontractors working on site
• The HSE (if they visit or request it)
• Workers on site (at least the parts relevant to their work)

Keep a current copy in the site office. Better yet, keep it in a digital system where authorised people can access the latest version at any time.

Final Thoughts

The construction phase plan is not bureaucracy for its own sake. When done properly, it forces you to think through the significant risks on your project and put proper arrangements in place before anyone sets foot on site. Use the template structure above as your starting point, but always tailor it to your specific project. A proportionate, site-specific plan that is actively used will serve you far better than a generic heavyweight document that nobody reads.