12 (5) of the CDM Regulations 2015 relates to the Principal Designers duty to prepare a health and safety file
that is appropriate to the characteristics of the project. This statement can be open to interpretation and when we are compiling Health and Safety Files we often face two particular problems.

The first one is that the trade contractors submit mountains of un-necessary paperwork for inclusion in the Health and Safety File. For example it is not unusual for us to receive an Electrical O&M manual containing a
photocopied multi-page sales brochure from the trade contractor. Somewhere in the brochure there will be a
picture of the cabling that was installed, or the wall plate for a double socket outlet used during the works.

Perversely the second problem is the complaints that we have from trade contractors about the amount of time they spend compiling their O&M manuals! The short answer is to only include health and safety documentation that is necessary to help ensure the safety of persons working on the property in the future.

It is not just services contractors who are guilty of including too much un-necessary documentation. COSHH
sheets for standard paints, grouts, adhesives, plaster etc. do not need to be in the Health and Safety File.

Going back to 12 (5) it clearly states that the Health and Safety File “must contain information relating to the
project which is likely to be needed during any subsequent project to ensure the health and safety of any person”

Please get in touch if you need further guidance on what information should be included in the all-important
Health and Safety File.