UK construction site compliance checklist
By CertKeep Team · Reviewed
Use this starting checklist before mobilising a small subcontractor’s crew. Assign each outstanding item to someone who can confirm it before work begins.
Start with the right jurisdiction
England, Scotland and Wales use CDM 2015. Northern Ireland has separate CDM Regulations (NI) 2016. Small and domestic projects can still have duties; do not assume an exemption because the job is short. Check the HSE contractor guidance or HSENI’s CDM 2016 guidance for the project location.
Before the crew starts
| Check | What to confirm | Keep available |
|---|---|---|
| Roles and coordination | Identify the client, contractor and any principal contractor or designer. Agree who coordinates your activities. | Named project contacts and responsibilities. |
| Work planning | Review the risks, controls and parts of the construction phase plan relevant to your work. For a single-contractor project, arrange the plan before site setup. | Current plan and task instructions. |
| Skills and training | Check that the people assigned have suitable skills, knowledge, training and experience, with supervision where needed. | Relevant qualifications, training evidence and supervision arrangements. |
| Cards and site requirements | Confirm the principal contractor’s entry requirements and check the applicable card scheme’s current records. | Verified card details and actions for expired or missing records. |
| Induction and instructions | Confirm a suitable site induction and clear information about the tasks and risks. | Induction arrangements and briefing records. |
| Safe access and welfare | Check access controls and suitable welfare from the start of work. Raise gaps before starting. | Site arrangements and the person resolving any gaps. |
| Task-specific hazards | Resolve requirements for the actual work, such as height, asbestos, dust or equipment. Use the relevant regulator and project guidance. | Risk controls, relevant inspections and specialist advice where needed. |
Duty summary: HSE, Contractors: roles and responsibilities and HSENI, CDM (NI) 2016. “Keep available” is a practical record-keeping suggestion, not a universal statutory document list.
When the scope changes after work starts
Site compliance records and commercial records do different jobs. If extra work or a change is instructed after mobilisation, capture what was requested and the labour, plant and materials used while the detail is still fresh. CertKeep’s free digital daywork sheet can create that contemporaneous record, while the free variation register keeps quoted, submitted and agreed values visible. When the change reaches valuation, the free payment application tracker keeps applied, certified, retention, paid and follow-up figures together, while the saved Pro payment workflow can link the application back to its supporting variations and dayworks. These tools do not decide whether the change is contractually payable, calculate contractual or statutory payment dates, or replace any notice or application required by the contract.
Use the training register for its part of the job
CertKeep helps organise training references and renewal dates. It does not prepare risk assessments, verify competence, produce a construction phase plan or approve a site for work. Keep those responsibilities with the appropriate people.
Review the register before each new project and after a renewal. For unresolved dates, give the next action a person and a deadline. Use the official card-checking guide when a card needs verification, or the training certificate register guide to structure the renewal routine. If expiry dates are the main problem, see the certificate expiry tracker.
Keep the next renewal in view.
CertKeep gives you a private certificate register with date filters, CSV export and calendar downloads. Start with 10 records free.
The demo needs no sign-in. Your own saved register needs an account and is not public.