CDM Document Pack Template — Free PCI & Health and Safety File Generator

Fill in or download a blank CDM document pack covering pre-construction information and the health and safety file, aligned with CDM 2015 (Regulations 2, 4 and 12) and HSE L153 guidance.

Two CDM documents in one pack: a pre-construction information starter and a health and safety file structure. Fill in as much or as little as you need, or download blank for manual completion. Aligned with CDM 2015 (Regulations 2, 4 and 12) and HSE guidance L153.

PCI 1. Project and Client Details

Pre-construction information starts with the basics: what the project is and who the client is. Under CDM 2015 the client must provide this information to every designer and contractor as soon as is practicable (Regulation 4(4)).

Project name

Site address

Client name

Principal designer (if appointed)

Programme — key dates and intended use

Is the project notifiable to HSE? (more than 30 working days and more than 20 workers at once, or more than 500 person-days)

PCI 2. Client Considerations and Management

The client’s arrangements for managing the project, plus any site rules the client wants applied — for example keeping an occupied building operational during the works.

Client’s management arrangements

Client-imposed site rules

PCI 3. Existing Site Risks and Restrictions

The heart of the pre-construction information — the existing hazards and constraints a designer or contractor needs to plan the work safely. Detail is proportionate to the risk.

Boundaries, access and neighbouring occupiers

Existing services (electrical, gas, water, drainage, overhead/underground)

Existing structures — condition and stability

Asbestos survey / register (essential for buildings before 2000)

Other hazardous materials / contaminated land

Ground conditions and site history

PCI 4. Significant Design and Construction Hazards

Known significant hazards — a fragile roof, a confined space, a structure with a required dismantling sequence — and the principal design assumptions for managing them.

Significant design and construction hazards

Existing health and safety file (relevant parts, if any)

H&S File 1. Preparation and Ownership

On multi-contractor projects the principal designer prepares the health and safety file during the pre-construction phase (CDM 2015 Regulation 12(5)). It records information needed for future work on the structure.

Who is preparing the health and safety file?

Description of the work carried out

H&S File 2. Residual Hazards and Key Information

The forward-looking content — what the next team working on the structure will need to know. Keep it lean: project-management paperwork (PCI, the construction phase plan, RAMS) stays out.

Residual / significant hazards in the completed structure

Key structural principles and safe working loads

Hazardous materials used and their locations

Significant services information (especially concealed)

Safe maintenance and cleaning information

As-built drawings and equipment manuals

H&S File 3. Handover and Retention

At project completion the file is handed to the client, who must keep it available for inspection (Reg 4(5)(b)) and pass it to any new owner if the structure changes hands (Reg 4(7)).

Date file handed to client

Who will retain the file?

Current version / revision

CDM 2015 runs on three documents: pre-construction information at the start, the construction phase plan during the build, and the health and safety file at the end. This pack gives you a starting structure for two of them — the pre-construction information the client must provide (Regulation 4(4)) and the health and safety file the principal designer prepares (Regulation 12(5)) — aligned with CDM 2015 and HSE guidance L153. Fill in the fields for your project and produce a downloadable PDF.

What this template does

Two documents in one pack. The pre-construction information section covers project and client details, the client's management arrangements, existing site risks and restrictions (including the all-important asbestos position), and significant design and construction hazards. The health and safety file section covers preparation and ownership, residual hazards and key structural information, and handover and retention. Each section has guidance text explaining what CDM 2015 and HSE L153 expect. Fill in as much as you need, or download blank for manual completion.

Who is responsible for each document

Pre-construction information is a client duty: the client must provide it to every designer and contractor — including those only being considered for appointment — as soon as is practicable (Regulation 4(4)). The health and safety file is prepared by the principal designer during the pre-construction phase (Regulation 12(5)); if the principal designer's appointment ends early, it passes to the principal contractor (Regulation 12(8)). At completion the file goes to the client, who keeps it available for inspection (Regulation 4(5)(b)).

Keep it proportionate

CDM 2015 does not prescribe a fixed template for either document — the content is proportionate to the project. A domestic loft conversion needs far less than a city-centre refurbishment. The test is whether a competent designer or contractor would have what they need to plan the work safely. Use this pack as a starting structure, then add the project-specific detail your job requires.

This tool is for guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Requirements vary by project scope and applicable regulations.

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