Construction phase plan builder

What a construction phase plan is — and when you need one

A construction phase plan (CPP) is the document that sets out how a building project will be managed safely: who is in charge, the site arrangements (welfare, first aid, security), and how the project's significant risks are controlled. Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) a written plan must be in place before construction work starts on every project — regardless of size, duration or whether the client is a homeowner or a business. There is no "too small" exemption.

Who prepares it depends on how many contractors are involved. On a single-contractor project the contractor draws up the plan (the duty reaches sole contractors through regulation 15, which applies the plan requirement of regulation 12 to single- contractor work). Where more than one contractor is involved, the client must appoint a principal contractor, who is responsible for preparing the plan and keeping it current throughout the build.

Proportionality — pages, not binders

The plan must be proportionate to the project's risks. A loft conversion or a domestic extension does not need the same plan as a multi-storey commercial fit-out. For a small or domestic job, a few clear pages covering the real hazards of this site is exactly right — padding it out with generic boilerplate makes it less useful, not more compliant. This builder only prints the sections you fill in, so the plan stays as short as the job allows.

The same idea HSE's CDM Wizard had — now in the browser

HSE used to publish a free CDM Wizard app that walked small contractors through a basic construction phase plan. CITB hosted a similar wizard. This tool is the same idea, web-native: a guided form that produces a printable plan you can keep on site, without downloading an app. It does the structure for you — you supply the site-specific detail.

How the CPP relates to your RAMS

The construction phase plan is the project-level document — it covers the whole job and the site. Your risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) sit underneath it, covering how each specific task is done safely. The CPP sets the site rules and the management arrangements; the RAMS show the safe system of work for each activity. A good plan references the RAMS for the high-risk tasks rather than repeating them.

Working out your duties and whether it's notifiable

Not sure who holds which CDM duty, or whether the project needs an F10 notification to HSE? Use the CDM duty checker to work out the duty-holders and notifiability for your project, then come back here to build the plan.

Get it reviewed

A plan that has every heading filled in is not automatically a good plan. Structure is not the same as adequacy: the controls have to match the real hazards of the work, the people and the site. Have the finished plan checked by a competent person before work starts, and update it whenever the work, the people or the risks change.

More on CDM duties and construction phase plans: HSE's CDM 2015 pages (hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015) and the CITB CDM wizard (citb.co.uk).