Dashpivot article – When is a construction phase plan required
When is a Construction Phase Plan required?
In the realm of construction, safety, compliance, and organised planning are not just best practices but essential requirements.
Among the various documents that play a crucial role in ensuring these aspects, the Construction Phase Plan (CPP) stands out as a fundamental requirement for most construction projects.
This article explores the scenarios when a Construction Phase Plan is required, underscoring its importance in the construction industry, and what happens if you don't complete one and you should have.
If you want to read more about the other aspects of Construction Phase Plans, read here.
When is a Construction Phase Plan Required?
Regulatory Requirement
In many jurisdictions, the Construction Phase Plan is a legal requirement for construction projects, especially those of a certain size or complexity. This requirement is often stipulated in health and safety regulations, such as the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) in the United Kingdom.
The threshold for when a CPP is required can vary based on the project's scale, the number of workers involved, or the project's duration. For example, in the UK, any construction project lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously, or exceeding 500 person-days, requires a CPP.
Risk Management
Regardless of legal stipulations, a Construction Phase Plan is crucial for any project with significant health and safety risks. High-risk environments, such as those involving heavy machinery, hazardous materials, or high-altitude work, necessitate a well-structured CPP.
The plan becomes a vital tool for identifying, assessing, and managing risks, ensuring the safety of workers and the public.
Complex or Large-scale Projects
Complex projects involving multiple contractors, intricate designs, or challenging environments typically require a CPP. The plan helps coordinate various aspects of the project, from resource allocation to scheduling and safety management.
For large-scale projects, the Construction Phase Plan serves as a central document that aligns the efforts of different teams, ensuring consistency in safety practices and operational procedures.
Projects with Significant Environmental Impact
Construction projects that pose a potential threat to the environment, such as those in sensitive ecological areas, typically require a CPP. The plan outlines measures to mitigate environmental impact, manage waste, and ensure sustainable practices.
Client Requirement
Even in cases where a Construction Phase Plan might not be legally required, clients or stakeholders may insist on one as part of their contractual conditions. This ensures that the contractor is committed to safety and efficient project management.
Implications of not having a Construction Phase Plan when it's required
If you're asking the question when is a Construction Phase Plan required, the obvious follow up question becomes, well, what happens if I just don't do it?
The absence of a Construction Phase Plan in a construction project can lead to significant implications, primarily in the realms of safety, legal compliance, and overall project management.
Without a CPP, a construction project lacks a structured approach to identifying and mitigating potential hazards, significantly increasing the risk of accidents and injuries on site.
This heightened safety risk not only endangers workers but also exposes the project to potential litigation and reputational damage, especially if an incident occurs that could have been prevented with proper planning.
Legal and Financial Risks
Legally, the failure to implement a CPP can result in non-compliance with health and safety regulations, which vary by region but are stringent in many jurisdictions.
Such non-compliance can lead to legal repercussions, including fines, sanctions, or even a halt in construction activities until compliance is achieved.
This not only disrupts the project timeline but also incurs additional costs.
Safety Risks
The absence of a Construction Phase Plan heightens the risk of safety incidents on the construction site.
Without a CPP, there is often a lack of clear guidance on risk management, safety protocols, and emergency procedures, which are essential for protecting workers and the public.
This oversight can lead to an increased likelihood of accidents, potentially resulting in injuries or even fatalities.
Project Delays and Cost Overruns
A CPP is crucial for efficient project management. It coordinates various aspects of the construction process, from resource allocation and scheduling to quality control and stakeholder communication.
In its absence, projects often face operational inefficiencies, leading to delays, cost overruns, and subpar quality of work. The lack of a clear plan can also result in poor communication and coordination among team members and stakeholders, further hampering the project's progress and success.
When a construction phase plan is required, you can follow the example below to help you and your team stay safe and compliant.
Use this digital Construction Phase Plan template when you require a CPP
Digitise your Construction Phase Plan documentation
Enable your team to record Construction Phase Plans when required with this Construction Phase Plan template, standardised with all of the fields and sections to capture thorough CPPs.
If your project, team or organisation has any specific needs to capture, you can customise the CPP with the drag and drop form builder, adding in text fields, tables, check boxes, required fields and more.
Attach your other safety documents to your Construction Phase Plans, such as Risk Registers, Risk Assessments, Method Statements and more.
Share completed Construction Phase Plans as perfectly formatted PDFs or CSVs to your team internally to keep them well informed of their safety and compliance requirements, or to external third parties in case of an audit.
Manage your Construction Phase Plan processes digitally to improve safety outcomes
Construction Phase Plans are a lot more involved than a simple report you fill out once, then file away and never see again.
Your team should have access to CPPs, should know if it's been updated, if their roles, responsibilities, working practices and more have changed, so they can be working as safely and compliantly as possible as per your plans.
This digital construction phase plan app can help manage that system to give your team confidence that they always have access to the latest version of the Construction Phase Plan.
Automated workflows make it easy to request, record, update and sign off on Construction Phase Plans, with notifications to relevant team members when they need to review the CPP.
Keep track of important dates, licences, expiry dates and contractors using Lists, with automated notifications if a licence is overdue or expiry is upcoming.
Near Miss Reporting template
Keep site safer by making your near miss reporting procedure safe and streamlined.
Site diary template
Complete and organise your daily diaries more efficiently.
Risk Register template
A general risk register template you can use for documenting any type of project risk.
Sitemate builds best in class tools for built world companies.
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