BIFIS offers guidance to help retailers and installers comply with new Construction Phase Plans

The British Institute of Fitted Interiors Specialists (BIFIS) is urging fitted interiors retailers, designers, installers and project coordinators to familiarise themselves with updated guidance and legal expectations relating to Construction Phase Plans, following renewed focus from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the planning, management and monitoring of construction work.

 Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, a Construction Phase Plan must be prepared before the construction phase begins. The plan should set out the project’s health and safety arrangements, site rules and specific measures for managing significant risks. HSE guidance makes clear that the responsibility for preparing the plan rests with the principal contractor where more than one contractor is involved, or the contractor on single-contractor projects.

For fitted interiors retailers, this is particularly important because kitchen, bedroom and bathroom projects often involve several trades working in occupied homes, retail premises or commercial environments. Activities such as electrical work, plumbing, extraction, structural alterations, work at height, cutting materials, dust control, waste handling and service isolation can all create risks that must be considered before work starts.

Recent HSE prosecutions underline the consequences of failing to plan, manage and monitor construction work properly with a number of companies given significant fines. 

BIFIS is advising retailers not to assume that health and safety responsibilities sit solely with installers once a sale has been made. Where a retailer designs, specifies, coordinates, appoints or manages installation work, it may have duties under CDM 2015 depending on the structure of the project and the contractual relationships in place.

Damian Walters, CEO of BIFIS, said: “Construction Phase Plans should not be seen as paperwork for major building sites only. In the fitted interiors sector, many installations involve multiple trades, live services, occupied homes, vulnerable customers and changing site conditions. Retailers have a vital role in making sure the right questions are asked before work starts, responsibilities are understood, and installers are supported with the information they need to work safely and professionally.

“Good compliance protects people, strengthens consumer confidence and supports the professional reputation of our sector. BIFIS will continue to encourage practical, proportionate guidance that helps retailers and installers meet their obligations without unnecessary complexity.”