The 21 things a principal contractor or HSE inspector will actually ask a builder, subbie or sole trader for. Print it, check it against your van and your paperwork, and see where you stand — free, no email required.
This checklist is drawn from the statutory duties that apply to construction work and the trades in England & Wales — including small domestic jobs, which CDM 2015 covers too. Every item lists the legal driver — and where an item reflects a recognised standard or accepted practice rather than the letter of the law, it says so. Tick what you can evidence on paper: if you can't show the document or record, an inspector treats it as not done.
Suitable and sufficient and task-specific — not a generic template with the address changed — and briefed to everyone on the job. The risk assessment is the legal duty; the method statement that turns it into "RAMS" is best practice and usually a contract condition. Management of H&S at Work Regulations 1999, reg 3
Required for every construction project, including domestic jobs — for small works it can be a single page. CDM Regulations 2015, reg 12
In date, at the level your contracts require — commonly £5m for site work. Not a legal requirement in itself, but most principal contractors and clients insist on it before you set foot on site.
Required if you employ anyone — including labour-only subcontractors you direct. Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Evidence of competence: trade qualifications, training and toolbox talks recorded. CSCS cards are the industry's usual evidence and the first thing a site induction asks for — an accepted scheme, not a legal requirement in themselves. CDM Regulations 2015, reg 8
Silica dust, cement, wood dust, solvents, expanding foams — assessed by task and product. COSHH Regulations 2002
For anyone who could disturb asbestos in pre-2000 buildings — refreshed regularly, certificates on file. Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, reg 10
Every wearer, every mask model — an FFP3 that hasn't been fit-tested doesn't count as control. COSHH 2002 / HSE INDG479
Trigger times or points for grinders, breakers and saws — HAVS claims are where this bites. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 / Noise Regulations 2005
HAVS questionnaires, hearing checks, skin checks — required once your exposure assessments say so. COSHH 2002, reg 11 / Noise Regs 2005 / Vibration Regs 2005
The legal duty is safe electrical equipment — user checks, inspection and risk-based testing, recorded. 110V or battery tools are the industry standard for cutting electrical risk on site, not a legal requirement in themselves. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Guards on, maintenance recorded — from mixers to nail guns. PUWER 1998
Pre-use checks plus recorded inspections after assembly and at suitable intervals; towers erected, altered and dismantled by a competent person to the manufacturer's instructions (PASMA is the common competence route, not a legal one). Work at Height Regulations 2005, reg 12
Gin wheels, hoists, slings and eyebolts — periodic thorough examination, reports kept. LOLER 1998
Pre-use checks plus detailed inspections at suitable intervals — 6-monthly is the HSE's benchmark guidance. Check the tag before the inspector does. Work at Height Regulations 2005, reg 12 / HSE INDG367 (guidance)
Kit in the van, stocked, with a named appointed person — even for a two-man band. Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981
Know what's reportable: over-7-day injuries, specified injuries, dangerous occurrences. RIDDOR 2013
A site emergency plan, first-response fire cover for the work, and — wherever fall-arrest kit is used — a rescue plan that doesn't just say "call 999". Work at Height Regulations 2005, reg 4 / MHSWR 1999, reg 8
Toilet, washing facilities and somewhere to rest and eat — required on every site, however small. CDM 2015, Schedule 2
Provided at no cost to workers — including casual and limb (b) workers since 2022 — and replaced when worn. PPE at Work Regulations 1992 (amended 2022)
If you take waste away from the job in your own van, you need to be a registered waste carrier. Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act 1989
Most small firms have a handful of open items on a list like this — usually the written records rather than the practice itself. AB SiteSafe writes the paperwork behind every box above: job-specific RAMS, COSHH assessments and construction phase plans that get you through site inductions first time — from £75, 48-hour turnaround, and a real consultant you can phone.
Get a free 15-minute review RAMS for site work