What Is An F10 Notification?

If you’ve been involved in the construction industry in recent years, there’s every chance you’ve heard the term F10 Notification.

That’s because, for many construction companies, filling out an F10 form is often an essential requirement — a notification outlining the scope and duration of a construction project that must be submitted to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) before a construction project can legally begin. 

There are, however, some circumstances in which submitting an F10 notification isn’t required before starting a project. So what exactly is an F10 form, when is one necessary, and what information do you need to fill one in?

Related Reading: What Are RAMS Documents in Health and Safety?

When Do You Need To Complete An F10 Notification?

On their website, the HSE states that a construction project will require F10 notification if it is expected to meet any of the criteria below. 

• The project is expected to last longer than 30 working days.
•  The project is expected to exceed 500 workdays between individual workers.
• If more than 20 workers will be working on the project at any point.

For further guidance, you can visit their webpage on managing health and safety in construction.

 An F10 Notification is Regulation 6 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations. More often known as CDM Regs, these were updated in 2015 and compiled to maintain and improve health and safety standards to protect all workers participating in on-site development during construction projects once past the scale threshold above.

For those who imagine that the F10 notification requirement applies almost exclusively to covering health and safety for those working on building sites in the construction industry, it’s well worth noting that the 2015 update of the UK CDM regulations significantly expanded the scope of what constitutes “construction work”. 

Currently, “construction work”, for which an F10 notification may be necessary, encompasses building work, engineering and civil engineering projects, and the construction of temporary structures (such as sets for TV, film, and theatre). In all these instances, if the project meets any of the three criteria set out above, then an F10 Notification will be a legal requirement beforehand.

It’s also important to remember that even if your project is not of sufficient scale to meet the F10 notification criteria when it begins, if it changes to meet any of those thresholds at any time during its course, a notification to the relevant enforcing authority must then be made at that point.

Although there is no specific time frame set out, Regulation 6 of the CDM 2015 Regulations states that notice must be given “as soon as practicable” before the construction phase of a project is scheduled to begin.

Who Is Responsible for Completing and Submitting an F10 Notification?

 In every instance, the responsibility for submitting an F10 notification lies with the client. While the client may delegate the task of completing the F10 notification to other involved parties, such as the principal contractor, the obligation of guaranteeing the timely submission of accurate information to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) before the commencement of construction remains that of the client.   

In addition, it is the client’s responsibility to ensure that the information requested in the F10 notification is accurate and to keep the F10 notification updated should any changes occur during the lifespan of the project once it has commenced. These could be alterations to the schedule or project duration or the appointment of a new principal contractor.

The client must also ensure that an up-to-date copy of the notice remains on prominent display on the construction site, in a location such as the site office, for the project’s duration.

Completing an F10 Notification

In most instances, the F10 Notification form is most easily completed with the assistance of the client and the principal contractor. But whoever completes the notice will be required to provide the Schedule 1 particulars as laid out below.

• The date of forwarding the notice.
• The construction site address (or a precise description of its location).
• The name of the local authority where the construction site is located.
• A concise description of the project, outlining the works involved.
• Contact details of the client, including name, address, telephone number, and email (if available).
• Contact details of the principal designer, including name, address, telephone number, and email (if available).
• Contact details of the principal contractor, including name, address, telephone number, and email (if available).
• The planned start date of the construction phase.
• The time allocated by the client for the construction work, under regulation 4(1).
• The anticipated duration of the construction phase.
• The maximum number of people estimated to be working on the construction site.
• The planned number of contractors working on the construction site.
• The name, address, and contact details of any contractors already engaged to work on the project.
• The name, address, and contact details of any designer already engaged to work on the project.
• A declaration (which must be signed on behalf of the client) stating that the client is aware of their duties under these regulations.

Related Reading: Risk Assessment: A Template and Guide

Although you can still apply for one by post, the easiest way to obtain an F10 notification for completion is via the HSE website, where their Notification of Construction section will allow you to create and complete the F10 Notification online. You can also edit your particulars when the required information needs updating.

If you would prefer to fill out a hard copy of the F10 notification form, then once it has been completed, you will need to send it to the address below:

F10 Scanning Centre

Health & Safety Executive

c/o Central Despatch

Redgrave Court

Merton Road

Bootle

Merseyside L20 7HS

Don’t Forget Your F10 Notification Form!

As mentioned earlier, the law requires that an F10 Notification form must be submitted before work commences on a construction site that meets any of the stipulated thresholds of scale.

It’s also important to remember that while the responsibility for completing and submitting an F10 Notification lies with the client, when there’s a failure to send a notification when required, the client is not deemed solely responsible for the lapse. 

In these circumstances, all other duty holders can also be held accountable for the lack of an F10 Notification submission, as these parties, such as designers and primary contractors, are regarded as carrying the responsibility of ensuring that the client is fully informed of their health and safety obligations. 

To comply with CDM regulations, none of these other parties should ever allow on-site work to begin unless they are certain that the client has met their legal obligations beforehand.

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