Guide
Health and safety file guide
What the file is, when it is required, who prepares it and what it should contain.
Free CDM 2015 template
Free Health and Safety File Template
A practical, editable Word template for structuring a CDM 2015 Health and Safety File, including residual hazards, structural information, significant services, as-built records and handover.
Download the Word template (Word document, 235 KB, Aptoris-Health-and-Safety-File-Template.docx)
Editable .docx, 12 pages, No sign-up required
Read the Health and Safety File guide
- Editable Word template12-page .docx designed for straightforward project use.
- HSE Appendix 4 structureCore sections follow the information categories in HSE L153 Appendix 4.
- Supporting-document indexReference drawings, surveys and project records without reproducing everything inside the Word file.
- Handover recordIncludes a practical final review and record of file handover.
Preview the template
A structured Health and Safety File and an index to supporting project information, rather than a project archive.
These are real pages from the Word template. Blue guidance boxes explain each section and can be deleted before issue, and the tables are ready to fill in.
On this page
File index and supporting documents
- Give each drawing, survey or record a reference (D01, D02…)
- Record its number, revision and where it is held
- Show which section of the file it supports
- Guidance on what to reference and what to leave out
Residual hazards and relevant surveysOpen full-size page: Residual hazards and relevant surveys (opens in a new tab) 
Significant servicesOpen full-size page: Significant services (opens in a new tab) 
HandoverOpen full-size page: Handover (opens in a new tab)
Swipe to see more pages.
What the template covers
Twelve numbered sections, with a cover, file control and a short note on using the template.
- Project and file summary
- File scope / structure or area covered
- File index and supporting documents
- Residual hazards and relevant surveys
- Key structural principles
- Hazardous materials
- Removal or dismantling of plant and equipment
- Cleaning, maintenance and safe access
- Significant services
- As-built information
- Other information relevant to future work
- Practical final review
- Handover record
Supporting-document register
Reference the evidence without building a document dump
A Health and Safety File may rely on drawings, surveys, specifications and other project records. The template includes a supporting-document register so those records can be clearly referenced and located without unnecessarily reproducing every document inside the Word file.
Examples might include
Structural information
Drawings, calculations and design reports, referenced rather than reproduced.
Surveys
Asbestos and other surveys that future work may need.
Service drawings
The routes and locations of significant services.
Specialist-access information
Fall-protection, anchor and access-system information.
As-built drawings
The drawings that show what was actually built.
Relevant certificates or records
Where a specific record will help future work.
Examples only. Reference what is relevant to future construction work on your project.
Keep the file focused
The file should help someone plan future construction work safely. Including too much can hide the information that matters.
Reference where relevant
- Structural drawings and design information
- Relevant surveys
- Service-route drawings
- Specialist-access information
- Relevant as-built records
Generally leave out
- Pre-Construction Information
- Construction Phase Plan
- Generic RAMS
- Routine construction-phase records
- Contracts and correspondence
- Unrelated O&M information
Relevance varies by project. Where a specific part of another document is relevant to future construction work, reference that part. What should not go in the file. Already have a file? Use the Health & Safety File Checklist to review its content and handover arrangements.
Who is the template for?
Anyone preparing, maintaining or contributing to a Health and Safety File can use it.
Principal Designers
Prepare, review and update the file during the project.
Principal Contractors
Maintain and hand over the file where responsibility for it has passed to you.
Clients and client-side teams
Know what the file covers, and retain it for future work.
CDM advisers
Give project teams a consistent structure to work from.
Designers and project teams
Contribute residual risks, as-built information and records.
Building and asset owners
Keep usable information for buildings, structures and infrastructure assets.
Who prepares and hands over the file?
On a project involving more than one contractor, the Principal Designer prepares the file and keeps it reviewed and updated during the project. If the Principal Designer’s appointment ends before the project finishes, the file passes to the Principal Contractor to maintain and pass to the client at the end of the project. The client then retains the file and makes it available to those who need it.
How to use the template
Step 1: Define the file scope
State exactly which structure, asset, site or area the file covers.
Step 2: Record the project-specific information
Complete the sections that are relevant to future construction work.
Step 3: Reference supporting records
Use the document register to point users to drawings, surveys and other supporting information.
Step 4: Review and hand over
Complete the practical final review and record where the final file is retained.
Health and Safety File template FAQs
Is this Health and Safety File template free?
Yes. It is free to download, with no sign-up and no email address needed. Select Download the Word template and the file downloads straight away.
What format is the template?
A Microsoft Word document (.docx) of 12 A4 pages, with no macros. It contains a cover, file control and twelve numbered sections, from the project and file summary to the handover record.
Can I edit the template in Microsoft Word?
Yes. Each prompt sits in a Word content control: click it and type to replace it. Dates use date pickers and the final review uses tick boxes. You can add table rows and delete the guidance boxes before issue. Other software that opens .docx files should work, although formatting may vary.
Is there an official CDM Health and Safety File template?
No. CDM 2015 does not prescribe a format, and HSE does not publish a standard template. HSE’s guidance, L153 (opens in a new tab), lists the kinds of information to consider, and this template’s core sections follow those categories. Aptoris is independent, and the template is not produced, approved or endorsed by HSE.
When is a Health and Safety File required?
For projects involving more than one contractor, where a Principal Designer must be appointed. This is separate from the F10 notification threshold. See when a health and safety file is required.
Who prepares the Health and Safety File?
The Principal Designer prepares it and keeps it reviewed and updated during the project. If the Principal Designer’s appointment ends before the project finishes, the file passes to the Principal Contractor, who maintains it and passes it to the client; otherwise the Principal Designer passes it to the client at the end of the project. See who prepares the file.
What should a Health and Safety File contain?
Project-specific information likely to be needed for future construction work, such as residual hazards, key structural principles, hazardous materials, plant removal, cleaning and maintenance access, significant services and as-built information. See what the file should contain.
Should the Health and Safety File include the Construction Phase Plan?
No. HSE guidance says the file should not include things that will be of no help when planning future construction work, such as the construction phase plan or pre-construction information. Our Construction Phase Plan template covers the plan.
Is the Health and Safety File the same as an O&M manual?
No. Operation and maintenance information explains how the completed building and its systems are run and maintained. The Health and Safety File holds information needed for health and safety during future construction work. The two can sit alongside each other, and the template lets you cross-reference relevant O&M information rather than reproduce it.
Can the template be used for telecoms and utilities projects?
Yes, where the work is construction work under CDM 2015. The template is not sector-specific, but the file scope field suits a single site, asset or structure, and the significant services, safe access and supporting-document sections can record power and data routes, specialist access and structural information.
Related resources
Guidance and templates for the documents around the file.
- Template
Pre-Construction Information Template
An editable Word template for assembling and issuing pre-construction information, including any existing file.
- Template
Construction Phase Plan Template
An editable Word template for the plan that manages health and safety during the construction phase.
- Guide
Principal Designer duties
The Principal Designer’s duties, including preparing and updating the health and safety file.
- Guide
Principal Contractor duties
The Principal Contractor’s duties, including information for the file and handover.
- Template
Design Risk Register Template
An editable Excel register for design issues, responses and the residual information the file may need.
Build a clearer Health and Safety File
Download the editable Word template and adapt it to your project.
Download the free template (Word document, 235 KB, Aptoris-Health-and-Safety-File-Template.docx)
Editable .docx, 12 pages, No sign-up required