Health and safety file
A document prepared during a construction project that records information about the structure useful for future maintenance, alteration or demolition work. Prepared under CDM 2015 in GB and equivalent construction regulations in Ireland.
Also known as
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“health and safety file”Exact equivalentRegulation 12(5) and schedule 1 of CDM 2015 (SI 2015/51) require the principal designer to prepare and update a health and safety file for every project. The file contains information about the structure that could give rise to risks during future construction, maintenance and demolition. The client keeps the file and makes it available to anyone who needs it for future work.
Irish HSA
“safety file”Close equivalentThe Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 require the project supervisor for the design process (PSDP) to prepare a safety file containing information about the structure. The client must keep the file and make it available to future contractors. The purpose is equivalent to the GB health and safety file.
US OSHA
“health and safety file”No equivalentNo equivalent in this jurisdiction.
Practitioner note: Handed to the client at completion and kept for the life of the structure. Missing files surface years later during refurbishment, when the information matters most.