When do you need an F10?
Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, some projects must be notified to the Health and Safety Executive before work starts. The notice is called an F10. Here is when it applies, who sends it and what happens next.
When a project is notifiable
A project must be notified if the construction work is scheduled to:
- last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working at the same time at any point, or
- exceed 500 person days (for example, 50 people working for 10 days).
It is the expected length and size of the work that counts. Every day on which construction work is likely to be carried out is counted, weekends and holidays included, even if the work that day is short.
Who sends it
The client is responsible for notifying HSE. On domestic jobs, where the client is a homeowner having work done on their own home, the client duties pass to the contractor, or to the principal contractor where there is more than one contractor, unless the client has agreed in writing that the principal designer will take them on.
In practice, on most domestic jobs that are big enough to need one, the builder sends the F10.
When and how
Send it as soon as practicable before the construction phase begins, using the online F10 form on the HSE website. It asks for the address of the site, the client, the principal designer and principal contractor, the planned dates and the number of people expected on site.
If something important changes, such as a new principal contractor, send an update.
On site
A copy of the notice must be displayed in the site office, where workers can read it, and kept up to date.
Notification is separate from the construction phase plan, which every project needs whether or not it is notifiable.