You need to provide all relevant information to your team

You need to provide key information to your construction team if they are to design and construct something that is safe to build, safe to use and safe to maintain. They will need information about what you want, how you will use it and the site and any existing structures or hazards, such as asbestos.

This will help your team to plan, budget and work around problems. This pre-construction information needs to be identified, assembled and sent out in good time. The level of detail should be proportionate to the risks involved in the project but, typically, could include:

• planned start and finish of the construction phase & the minimum time to be allowed between appointment of contractor and instruction to commence work on site
• location of existing services particularly those that are concealed - water, electricity, gas
• ground conditions, overhead lines, underground structures or water courses where this might affect the safe use of plant, for example cranes, or the safety of ground works
• information about existing structures - stability, structural form, fragile or hazardous materials
• previous structural modifications, including weakening or strengthening of the structure (particularly where demolition is involved)
• health hazards, including: asbestos, including results of surveys (particularly where demolition is involved)
• contaminated land, including results of surveys
• security of the site, including site hoarding requirements site transport arrangements or vehicle movement restrictions
• fire precautions, emergency procedures and means of escape
• smoking and parking restrictions
• any restrictions on deliveries or waste collection or storage
• adjacent land uses - e.g. schools, railway line, busy roads