Give advance notice of the establishment of a construction site

If you are planning a major construction project, you must notify the relevant health and safety authority in advance of setting up your construction site.

As the building owner, you or a third party commissioned by you must give advance notice to the competent occupational health and safety authority at least 2 weeks before setting up each construction site if

• the expected duration of the work is more than 30 working days and more than 20 employees will be working on the construction site at the same time (i.e. over a period of at least one shift) or
• the scope of your construction work is expected to exceed 500 person-days (where one person-day comprises the work of one person over one shift).

Minimum details of the advance notice:

• Location of the construction site,
• Name and address of the client or building owner,
• Type of construction project,
• Name and address of the third party responsible instead of the client,
• name and address of the coordinator,
• expected start and expected duration of the work,
• expected maximum number of employees on the construction site,
• Number of employers and contractors without employees who are expected to work on the construction site,
• details of the employers and contractors without employees already selected.

The conditions are

• Visible posting of the advance notice on the construction site
• Adaptation of the notice in the event of significant changes without resubmission.

Setting up the construction site begins with the essential preparatory work at the site of the construction project that is required immediately before it is carried out, for example

• Installation of social facilities: for example toilets, break rooms or washrooms,
• Installation of supply and disposal facilities,
• delivery of building materials, machinery and equipment.

You must also give advance notice

• on the first day of the construction site at the latest,
• post it visibly and legibly on the construction site, unaffected by external influences and the weather,
• update it in the event of significant changes. It is not necessary to resubmit the notice to the competent health and safety authority.

Significant changes that require an adjustment to the advance notice are, for example

• Clients or commissioned third parties change,
• Coordinator is newly appointed or changes,
• the duration of the construction work is shortened, which means that more work has to be carried out simultaneously or in unplanned shifts
• employees of several employers or subcontractors are working on the construction site at the same time for the first time,

The number of employees working on the construction site at the same time or the number of employers or companies without employees increases significantly.

The responsible regional council

The responsible regional council

• Advance notice: for example, using the sample form "Advance notice" in Appendix A of the rules for occupational health and safety on construction sites (RAB 10)

• No legal remedy possible

There are no costs.

You are acting in breach of regulations if you intentionally or negligently fail to provide the responsible health and safety authority with the necessary advance notice, or do not do so correctly, completely or in good time.

Check whether you are required to prepare a health and safety plan (SiGe plan) and a document for subsequent work in addition to the advance notice. Check whether information is required in addition to the advance notice. You can find information on this in the "Ordinance on Safety and Health Protection on Construction Sites"