Construction site welfare requirements: before the first shift

Who is responsible for construction welfare?

In Great Britain, CDM 2015 requires suitable welfare arrangements. Commercial clients must ensure arrangements are made; the principal contractor coordinates the construction phase on projects involving more than one contractor. Contractors must also meet their duties for workers under their control. Confirm the provider and the day-to-day owner in the construction phase plan.

A useful handover asks four questions: what is provided, who can use it, when it is available and who fixes a problem. A hire confirmation alone answers very little about whether the facilities will be usable on Monday morning.

What facilities should you plan?

• Toilets: enough suitable facilities, with privacy, lighting, ventilation and appropriate cleaning and servicing.
• Washing: suitable basins, hot and cold or warm running water, cleaning materials and a way to dry. Workers need to wash hands, face and forearms properly.
• Drinking water: a suitable accessible supply, clearly identified where necessary.
• Rest: somewhere suitable to sit, eat and take breaks, with arrangements for preparing hot drinks and food where required.
• Changing and drying: suitable provision where the work requires it, including safe storage for clothing.

Use Schedule 2 of CDM 2015 and the HSE welfare guidance to check the detail. Task conditions matter: work with contaminating substances may need different washing and changing arrangements from a clean internal installation.

Small sites, domestic work and changing headcounts

A short programme or small workforce does not make welfare optional. Existing facilities may form part of the solution if they are suitable and their use is agreed. Check opening hours, access, cleanliness and whether workers can use them without entering an occupied area in contaminated workwear.

For chemical toilets, the HSE cites a recommendation of one unit for seven people working a 40-hour week. That is guidance, not a universal legal formula. Usage, working hours and servicing frequency affect what is adequate.

Consider a refurbishment with four workers initially and several trades arriving the following week. Record the planned peak, not just today’s number. Review provision when shifts, the compound layout or access arrangements change.

A pre-start welfare checklist

1. Match the workforce: confirm expected numbers, shifts and any particular access needs.
2. Locate the facilities: show the route on the site plan and check it is safe throughout the work.
3. Prove availability: confirm access before the first shift, including early starts and weekends.
4. Check operation: test the water, lighting, heating and locking arrangements.
5. Assign maintenance: identify the person who checks cleanliness, supplies, water and defects.
6. Plan servicing: ensure the servicing vehicle can reach the unit as the site develops.
7. Brief the team: explain location, use and how to report problems.

Keep a short record of defects, the person dealing with them and the action taken. Repeatedly finding the same empty water tank is a management issue even if the inspection sheet is always completed.

For help checking mobilisation arrangements, see construction phase plan support and the principal contractor duties guide.

Official sources

• HSE: construction welfare
• HSE: toilets and washing
• CDM 2015 Schedule 2: minimum welfare facilities

General guidance only. Check the current official sources and your project conditions. Unless stated otherwise, legislation discussed is for Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate rules. Remote advice supports, but does not replace, competent site management or specialist assessment.