How to Use This Resource: Construction Phase Plan (CPP) Template — CDM 2015

Purpose and outcome

This Construction Phase Plan (CPP) template helps the Principal Contractor set out how health and safety will be managed on site before work starts. It’s not meant to be “paperwork for the file” — it’s the site’s working plan.

Good completion looks like:

• The CPP matches what’s actually happening on site (people, sequence, risks, controls).
• Key arrangements are clear: who is in charge, site rules, welfare, traffic, high-risk work controls, emergency plans.
• The team can find it quickly, understand it, and follow it.
• It is kept live and updated when things change.

Who uses it (roles and responsibilities)

When to use it (project workflow)

• Before site set-up and before construction work starts: create/issue the CPP and have welfare/emergency arrangements planned.
• At mobilisation: use the CPP to run inductions and set site rules.
• During the job: use it as the “control document” when trades overlap, methods change, or new risks appear.
• After changes: update the CPP when there are changes to programme, design, access, team, or high-risk activities.
• Close-out: use the CPP to drive handover information (as-builts, certificates, residual risks) to support the Health & Safety File.

Typical trigger points to update the CPP

• New subcontractor starts, or supervision changes.
• Sequence changes (e.g., roof works brought forward; demolition added).
• New plant/lifting operations, new traffic routes, new delivery plan.
• Discovery risk (unknown services, asbestos suspicion, poor ground, unstable structure).
• Design change / instruction / RFI response that affects buildability or risk.
• After an incident, near miss, or enforcement visit (capture lessons learned).

Before you start (what you need to have to hand)

Gather the basics first. This avoids a CPP full of gaps and guesswork.

• Pre-Construction Information (PCI) from the Client/PD (including surveys, existing services info, asbestos info where applicable).
• Drawings and any design risk notes/residual risks from the PD.
• Programme (even a simple 1–2 page plan) and key milestones.
• Contractor list (who, what trade, start date) and who supervises each.
• RAMS for the main activities (or at least draft RAMS for early works).
• Site layout plan (where welfare, access, storage, skips, fire points, muster point will go).
• Welfare arrangements confirmed for day one.
• Emergency information: address, access notes/gate codes, nearest A&E, first aid cover.
• Plant/equipment needs: deliveries, lifting, MEWPs, scaffolds, temporary electrics.
• Notifiability details: whether the project is notifiable under CDM and, if so, the F10 reference and where it is displayed.

How to complete it (step-by-step)

1. Start with document control
   • Fill in the document details and set a realistic review date (don’t leave it blank).
   • Decide where the current version will be kept on site (paper folder, site office, QR code to a read-only PDF, etc.).
   • Use the change log every time you update it (what changed and who changed it).
2. Write a simple project summary
   • Describe the job in plain terms (what you’re building/altering, main phases, main constraints).
   • Note neighbours/public interface (schools, footpaths, shared driveways, live buildings).
3. Lock in your site layout early
   • Record where the key items will be: entrance, pedestrian routes, loading, welfare, first aid, fire points, muster point, skips, storage.
   • If the layout will change by phase, say so and note how you’ll manage the change (briefing and signage).
4. Set the “who’s who” and emergency contacts
   • Name the person in charge day-to-day and ensure there is cover for breaks/absence.
   • Post emergency contacts on the noticeboard and make sure access info is clear for 999/112.
5. Agree site rules that you will actually enforce
   • Keep rules short and practical (sign-in, inductions, housekeeping, PPE, no tampering, stop if unsafe).
   • Add job-specific rules (e.g., “no works in rear garden until barriers in place” or “delivery booking slots only”).
6. Plan supervision, communication and coordination
   • Decide how you’ll run daily start-up briefs and weekly coordination (even 10 minutes is fine if consistent).
   • Set how design changes and RFIs will be communicated so the team always works to the latest info.
7. Record what PCI/design risk info you’ve received
   • List what you have, the date received, and where it’s kept on site.
   • Brief residual design risks in plain language (“what can still hurt us and how we’ll manage it”).
8. Identify the significant risks (the “big stuff”)
   • Use the significant risks table as your headline list (work at height, excavations, lifting, structural alterations, services, hot works, etc.).
   • For each, write controls you will actually do (not generic statements) and link to the relevant RAMS.
9. Set up access, traffic and plant controls
   • Define pedestrian routes, vehicle routes, reversing controls, and delivery booking-in.
   • Set exclusion zones for lifting/slewing/overhead works and explain who controls them.
10. Confirm welfare (day one)
    • Tick what’s provided and state where it is. If welfare is off-site or shared, explain the arrangement clearly.
    • Assign who checks cleanliness/stocking and how often.
11. Set PPE and health controls
    • State the minimum PPE and when it’s required (avoid “PPE as needed” — be specific).
    • Call out key health risks (dust/silica, noise, vibration, manual handling) and the control approach (e.g., wet cutting + extraction + correct RPE).
12. Inductions and competence checks
    • Use the CPP to run the induction consistently (layout, rules, emergency, high-risk work).
    • Check competence before work starts (cards/qualifications where relevant, plant training, insurance, RAMS).
13. Permits (only where they genuinely help)
    • Decide which permits apply on this job (hot works, permit to dig, isolations, confined spaces, lifting plans, temporary works controls).
    • State who issues them, where they’re kept, and how you stop work if the permit isn’t in place.
14. Emergency arrangements
    • Fire: alarm method, muster point, extinguisher locations, and end-of-day checks.
    • First aid: who the first aiders are, where kits are, how to call them.
    • Add clear access notes (e.g., What3words, gate code, best entrance).
15. Subcontractor coordination
    • List subcontractors and start dates, and identify likely clashes (overhead works, live services, shared access).
    • Set simple rules for shared kit and shared areas.
16. Inspections, monitoring and reporting
    • Set a realistic inspection schedule and who records what (walkarounds, scaffolds, excavations, fire points, welfare).
    • Agree how hazards/near misses/accidents are reported and briefed back to the team.
17. Sign-off and briefing
    • Get the responsible PC person and the site supervisor to sign once the CPP is ready to use.
    • Brief subcontractor supervisors on the parts that affect them (rules, access, high-risk controls, coordination).

Quick quality check (before you issue it)

• ✅ Does it name real people (not job titles only) and include phone numbers where needed?
• ✅ Does it clearly show where welfare, first aid and muster point are?
• ✅ Are the top 5–10 job risks covered with practical controls and linked to RAMS?
• ✅ Does it explain how you’ll control subcontractors and manage overlaps?
• ✅ Could a new supervisor pick it up and run the job safely?

Review and approval (keeping it “live”)

The CPP should be reviewed often enough that it stays accurate. For small sites, that usually means short, regular checks rather than big rewrites.

Minimum review expectations

• Before start: PC and Site Manager review and sign-off.
• First week: confirm the plan matches reality after mobilisation.
• Regular review: weekly (or at least fortnightly) on active sites.
• Immediate review: after any significant change (programme, methods, design, new trade, new plant, incident/near miss).

What “review” means in practice

• Walk the site and check the CPP still matches the layout and controls.
• Check RAMS references are current and being followed.
• Update the change log and re-brief the team on what changed.

Escalation points (don’t carry on regardless)

• If you do not have key PCI (e.g., asbestos info for a refurb, service drawings/scans for digging), pause and escalate to the Client/PD.
• If the job changes into higher-risk work (e.g., structural alterations, deeper excavations, complex lifting), bring in competent support and update CPP/RAMS before proceeding.

Recordkeeping (storage, version control, retention)

Where to keep it

• On site: keep a printed copy in the site folder/office and/or a clearly labelled electronic copy accessible to supervisors.
• Single source of truth: make it obvious which version is current (version number + issue date).
• Noticeboard: display key extracts separately (emergency contacts, site rules, F10 if applicable).

Version control (simple rules)

• Only one person “owns” edits (CPP owner) to avoid conflicting copies.
• Every change gets a new version entry with what changed and why.
• Remove old printed copies from the site folder to prevent people using outdated info.

Retention

• Keep the CPP and change log for the duration of the project and archive it afterwards with your job records.
• Also keep related evidence (inductions, briefings, inspection records, permits, incident records) in the same job file for audit/insurer needs.
• If your company has a retention policy, follow it. If not, a practical approach is to retain archived job H&S records for several years (check client contract/insurer expectations).

Common mistakes / pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

• CPP written once and forgotten
  Fix: set a review date and update it after changes. Use the change log every time.
• Too generic (“use PPE”, “be careful”)
  Fix: write job-specific controls (what, where, who, how). Link to RAMS for the detail.
• No clear supervision
  Fix: name who is in charge each day and how cover works. Without this, control slips fast.
• Welfare not ready on day one
  Fix: confirm welfare arrangements before mobilisation and record location/access.
• Subbies arrive without induction or correct RAMS
  Fix: “no induction, no work” and check RAMS/competence before they start.
• Permits listed but not used
  Fix: only include permits you will genuinely run, and state who issues/controls them.
• Changes happen on site but the CPP/RAMS don’t change
  Fix: stop, update, brief. Make “change control” part of the daily routine.
• Emergency info missing or unclear
  Fix: confirm address, best entrance, access notes, and nearest A&E. Post it up.

Worked example (quick scenario)

Job: Small refurb with a rear extension. Groundworks start week 1, steels week 3, roof works week 4. Access is through a shared driveway next to neighbours.

How the CPP is used in practice

• Before start: Site Manager completes the CPP with the planned layout (welfare, skips, storage), confirms emergency contacts, and lists key risks: service strikes, excavation collapse, work at height, structural stability during knock-through, public interface on driveway.
• Mobilisation day: Inducts the groundworks subcontractor, briefs “permit to dig” approach (CAT & Genny + marked-out services + hand dig near services), and sets traffic rules for the shared driveway.
• Change in week 2: Client requests an extra drainage run. The team pauses, updates the CPP risk table/RAMS reference for additional excavation, updates the programme, and re-briefs the groundworker.
• Week 3 steels: Adds lifting plan arrangements (delivery slot, exclusion zone, appointed person if needed). Updates the CPP change log and briefs all trades at the start-up talk.
• Close-out: Collects electrical certificates, commissioning info, and notes any residual risks (e.g., hidden lintel locations) and sends updates to the PD for the H&S File.