​​Introduction:

A Health and Safety File (HSF) is legally required for projects involving more than one contractor, however STFC may choose to require a Health and Safety file for any construction projects irrespective of scale.

Only information likely to be significant for health and safety in future use, construction work, maintenance of the fabric, plant and equipment and demolition should be included.

Who does what?

All duty holders have a legal obligation to provide information for the health and safety file:​

• The Principal Designer prepares, reviews, amends or adds to the file as the project progresses, and hands over to STFC at the end of the project
• All parties must supply the information necessary for compiling or updating the file
• STFC must keep the file to assist with future construction work and
• Everyone providing information should make sure that it is accurate, and provide promptly.

Clarification issues:

• The generally agreed scope, structure and format for STFC Health and Safety Files is that promoted by CITB.
• All parties are to ensure that the information is prepared and handed over in the required form and at the right time.
• Generally, the Principal Designer compiles the file, unless they have completed their appointment prior to the end of the project in which case the duty transfers to the Principal Contractor.
• With design and build contracts, it will be more practical for the Principal Contractor to obtain the information from the Contractors. In this situation, the Principal Contractor should assemble the information and pass to the Principal Designer as the work progresses (unless they have completed their appointment).
• For traditional contracts (where the Principal Designer remains part of the Client team), it would make sense for the Principal Designer to remain in control of information gathering.

The contents of the health and safety file:

The information needs to be relevant to the health and safety of any future construction work, and the level of detail should allow the likely risks to be identified and addressed by those carrying out the work.

Consideration should be given to the following information:

• A brief description of the work carried out
• Any residual hazards which remain and how they have been dealt with
• Key structural principles e.g. bracing, pre-tensioned members, safe working loads of floors etc.
• Any hazardous materials used
• Information regarding the removal or dismantling of installed plant and equipment e.g. any special arrangements for lifting, order of removal / installation or other special instructions for dismantling etc.
• Health and safety information about equipment provided for cleaning or maintaining the structure
• The nature, location and markings of significant services
• Information and as-built drawings of the structure, its plant and equipment.

The file does not need to include things that will be of no help when planning future construction work, for example:

• The pre-construction information, or construction phase health and safety plan
• Construction phase risk assessments and safe systems of work
• Details about the normal operation of the completed structure
• Construction phase accident statistics
• Details of all the Contractors and Designers involved in the project (although it may be useful to include details of the Principal Contractor and Principal Designer)
• Contractual documents
• Information about structures, or parts of structures, that have been demolished – unless there are any implications for remaining or future structures, e.g. underground voids
• Information contained in other documents, but relevant cross-references should be included.

Including too much material may hide crucial information about risks.