RAMS & CPP for New Build Projects

Multiple trades, more complexity

New builds are among the most complex construction projects. With multiple trades working on site — groundworkers, bricklayers, roofers, electricians, plumbers, plasterers — coordination and documentation become critical. Each trade brings its own hazards, and the interactions between them create additional risks.

Likely notifiable

Most new builds exceed the CDM 2015 notification thresholds (30 working days with more than 20 workers, or 500 person-days). If your project is notifiable, you must submit an F10 form to the HSE before work begins, and appoint a principal designer and principal contractor.

Principal contractor duties

The principal contractor is responsible for planning, managing, and coordinating the construction phase. This includes preparing and maintaining the Construction Phase Plan, ensuring all workers receive appropriate site inductions, managing health and safety risks, and coordinating between different contractors on site.

Subcontractor management

Each subcontractor should provide their own RAMS for their specific work activities. The principal contractor must review these, ensure they're adequate, and manage the overall coordination. The Site Book makes it easy to create and manage RAMS for each trade working on your project.

Multiple phases, multiple hazards

A new build moves through distinct phases, each with its own risk profile. The groundworks and foundations phase involves deep excavation, heavy plant, and potential contact with contaminated ground. The structural phase brings working at height, steel erection, and crane operations. The roofing phase adds falls from height and weather exposure. First fix trades work in partially completed structures with trip hazards, temporary lighting, and incomplete stairways. Second fix involves working near live services. External works bring plant movements near completed structures. Your CPP should map out these phases and identify the key hazards at each stage, with appropriate RAMS for every phase.

F10 notification for new builds

Most new builds are notifiable under CDM 2015. The thresholds — more than 30 working days with 20+ workers, or exceeding 500 person-days — are easily reached on a new build. A single house with 10 workers over 16 weeks (80 working days) comes to 800 person-days. A housing development is almost certainly notifiable from day one. The F10 must be submitted to the HSE before the construction phase begins. It can be submitted online via the HSE website. The F10 must also be displayed on site in a location visible to workers. If the project details change significantly (for example, the principal contractor changes, or the duration extends significantly), the F10 should be updated.

Subcontractor RAMS coordination

On a new build, you might have a dozen or more subcontractors, each providing their own RAMS. The principal contractor's job is not just to collect these documents but to actively review them. Do the RAMS address the specific conditions on your site? Do they account for other trades working alongside? Are the control measures practical and actually being followed? Common issues include subcontractors providing generic RAMS that don't reference your site, conflicting methods of work between trades (for example, two contractors planning to use the same access route for different purposes), and RAMS that haven't been updated since the last project. The Site Book helps by creating a central register of all RAMS on the project, flagging which trades have submitted theirs and which are outstanding.

Principal contractor duties on a new build

If there's more than one contractor on site — and on a new build, there always is — the client must appoint a principal contractor. The PC's duties are extensive: preparing and maintaining the Construction Phase Plan, ensuring all contractors comply with site rules, managing and coordinating health and safety across all phases, providing site inductions, ensuring welfare facilities are adequate (toilets, washing, rest area, drinking water, drying room), liaising with the principal designer, displaying the F10 notification, and managing the flow of health and safety information between all parties. It's a significant responsibility, and getting it right requires good documentation and systems — not just good intentions.

CDM duties on a new build

New builds are where CDM 2015 applies in its fullest form. Almost every new build will have more than one contractor, which triggers the requirement for a principal contractor (PC) and principal designer (PD) to be appointed by the client. The client themselves has significant duties: they must make suitable arrangements for managing the project, allocate sufficient time and resources, ensure the PC and PD are competent, and provide pre-construction information. The PD is responsible for planning, managing, and coordinating health and safety during the pre-construction phase — this includes preparing or contributing to the health and safety file. The PC takes over during the construction phase, responsible for the Construction Phase Plan, site inductions, coordination between contractors, welfare facilities, and ensuring all work is carried out safely. On commercial new builds, these appointments are usually formal and documented. On smaller domestic new builds (a self-build, for example), the duties still apply but the domestic client's duties pass automatically to the contractor or PC. Understanding who holds which CDM role — and documenting it clearly in the CPP — is essential on any new build.

F10 notification for new builds

The F10 notification process is straightforward but important. The F10 must be submitted to the HSE before the construction phase begins. It can be submitted online through the HSE website. The form requires: the address of the construction site, the name and address of the client, the name and address of the principal designer, the name and address of the principal contractor, the date construction is expected to start, the planned duration of the construction phase, the estimated maximum number of people at work on the construction site at any one time, the planned number of contractors on the construction site, and the name and address of any contractor already appointed. Once submitted, a copy of the F10 must be displayed on site in a location visible to workers — typically on the site notice board alongside the employer's liability insurance certificate, the health and safety law poster, and the first aid arrangements notice. If any of the notified details change significantly during the project, the F10 should be updated. This includes changes to the PC or PD, significant changes to the project duration, or major changes to the scope of work.

Phased construction — risks at each stage

A new build progresses through distinct construction phases, each with its own hazard profile. Understanding these phases helps you create RAMS that are specific to each stage rather than generic for the whole project. Site preparation and demolition: existing structures, contaminated ground, asbestos in any buildings being demolished, heavy plant movements, dust and noise. Groundworks and foundations: deep excavation (trench collapse is one of the most serious risks — a cubic metre of soil weighs 1.5 tonnes), underground services, dewatering, piling if required (noise, vibration, crane operations). Substructure (below DPC): working in and around excavations, concrete pours, damp proofing, drainage installation. Superstructure (walls, floors, roof): working at height becomes the dominant risk, scaffold erection and use, structural steelwork, crane operations for trusses and heavy components, weather exposure. First fix (electrics, plumbing, joinery): working in partially completed structures with trip hazards, temporary lighting, cutting and drilling (dust, noise), working near live services. Second fix and finishing: less high-risk but still hazards from working at height on internal stairs and landings, chemical exposure from paints, adhesives, and sealants, and the increasing presence of other trades in confined spaces. External works: plant movements near completed structures, excavation for drainage and landscaping, manual handling. Your CPP should map out these phases with a timeline and identify the key hazards at each stage.

The health and safety file

The health and safety file is a CDM 2015 requirement that is often overlooked or poorly understood. It's a record of information that will be needed for future construction work on the building — maintenance, renovation, or demolition. The principal designer is responsible for preparing the file, but in practice, contributions come from the PC and all contractors. On a new build, the file should contain: as-built drawings showing the structure, foundations, drainage, and services; details of any hazardous materials used or left in place (asbestos, lead, contaminated ground); information about the structural design that will be relevant to future alterations; details of concealed services (buried cables, hidden pipes); maintenance schedules for key building elements (roof, external cladding, mechanical systems); and any other information needed to ensure health and safety during future work on the building. The file must be handed to the client at the end of the project. On a domestic new build, this means giving the homeowner a file that they can pass to any future contractor. The file should be in a format that a non-technical person can understand and use. This is not just a CDM box-ticking exercise — a good health and safety file can prevent serious incidents when someone comes to work on the building in 10, 20, or 50 years' time.

Welfare facilities on new build sites

Welfare facilities are a legal requirement under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. On a new build, where there's no existing building to use, the PC must provide: toilets (at least one per 7 workers for men, or per 4 workers for women), washing facilities with hot and cold running water, soap, and towels or hand dryers, a heated rest area with seating, tables, and facilities for preparing hot drinks, a supply of drinking water clearly marked as such, somewhere to store and dry clothing (especially important in winter and wet weather), and changing facilities if workers need to change into work clothing. These facilities must be in place from day one of the construction phase — not "when we get round to it." On small domestic new builds, a site welfare unit (portable cabin with toilet, sink, and rest area) is typically the minimum. On larger sites, more extensive facilities will be needed. The condition and cleanliness of welfare facilities must be maintained throughout the project. Your CPP should specify what welfare facilities will be provided, where they'll be located, and who is responsible for maintaining them.