Under regulation 6 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), the client must give HSE written notice of a notifiable project as soon as practicable before the construction phase begins. HSE accepts the notice only through its online F10 form.
Check whether the project is notifiable
Test the schedule you have at planning stage. For the first test both conditions must be met, and the peak counts even if it lasts one day: 21 workers on site together meets it, exactly 20 does not. The second test is the total of worker days across the whole project, so 10 workers for 51 days (510 person days) is notifiable and 10 workers for 50 days is not.
HSE's guidance is to count every day on which construction work is likely to be carried out, including weekends and holidays, even if the work that day is short.
Who must notify, and when
The duty is the client's: the person for whom the project is carried out. You can ask your principal designer or principal contractor to submit the form, but you remain the person the regulations hold responsible for the notice being given, so confirm in writing who is doing it and keep the acknowledgement.
Gather the information
Schedule 1 to the Regulations sets out what the notice must contain. Have these ready before you start the online form.
If the project has only one contractor, you do not need to appoint a principal designer or principal contractor. HSE tells you to enter the sole contractor's name in both fields and say in the project description that it is a single contractor project.
Submit the form
-
Fill in the F10 online
Enter the project, site and duty holder details. You can save the form once you have completed the required fields and made the declaration.
-
Make the client declaration and submit
The declaration confirms that you are aware of the client duties under CDM 2015.
-
Keep the serial number and a copy
HSE gives you a unique serial number when you submit. You need it, with the email address given on the form, to edit the notification later, and the confirmation screen lets you download a PDF copy.
-
Put the notice on display
Display the notice in the construction site office, where any worker engaged in the construction work can read it.
If you do not notify
Failing to notify a notifiable project breaches CDM 2015 and is an offence under section 33(1)(c) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Legal basis
Primary legislation and key regulations
Browse UK legislation (opens in a new tab) legislation.gov.uk