The short answer
An F10 notification tells HSE about a construction project. Under CDM 2015 it is needed when the work will last more than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers on site at the same time at any point, or will exceed 500 person-days. The client is responsible for it, though the principal designer or contractor often sends it on the client's behalf.
On this page
Most estates and facilities managers meet the F10 for the first time when a contractor asks whether “the client has notified”. This note sets out when a project is notifiable, who is responsible, and how it plays out on a typical commercial refurbishment.
The thresholds
Regulation 6 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 makes a project notifiable when the construction work is expected to:
- last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project; or
- exceed 500 person-days of construction work.
Either test is enough. The first catches short, busy jobs; the second catches long, steady ones.
| Project | Rough labour | Notifiable? |
|---|---|---|
| Light office refresh, one floor, 2 weeks, 8 people | about 80 person-days | No |
| Summer holiday toilet block, 6 weeks, up to 12 people | about 300 to 360 person-days | Usually no |
| Cat B fit-out, 1,000 m², 12 weeks, peaking at 30 people | well over 500 person-days | Yes |
| Phased ward refurbishment, 20 weeks, 6 to 10 people | about 600 to 1,000 person-days | Yes |
The figures are illustrations. Your principal designer or contractor should estimate the real numbers from the programme.
Who notifies, and when
The client is responsible for notification. In practice the client often asks the principal designer or principal contractor to submit it on their behalf, which HSE allows, but the duty stays with the client.
Notification should be made as soon as is practicable before the construction phase begins. Waiting until the week before the start date is a common mistake; it is better to notify once the scope and programme are settled and update the notice if details change.
The form is submitted online through HSE’s website. It asks for details of the site, the client, the principal designer and principal contractor, the planned start date and duration, and the expected number of workers and contractors.
What notification does, and does not, do
Notification lets HSE know the project exists and may prompt an inspection. It is not an approval, a licence or a check of your arrangements. A project that is not notifiable still carries every other CDM duty: suitable arrangements, written appointments where there is more than one contractor, pre-construction information, a construction phase plan, welfare and a health and safety file.
The notice must be displayed on site where workers can read it, and kept up to date.
How it applies to commercial refurbishment
Most single-floor office fit-outs, larger retail fit-outs and phased healthcare schemes cross the 500 person-day line. Small holiday packages in schools and short refreshes usually do not. Two points catch people out:
- Phased work counts as one project. If a refurbishment is phased over several months but is one project, the total labour counts, not each phase.
- Out-of-hours work still counts. Night and weekend shifts add to person-days in the same way as daytime work.
If you are not sure, ask the principal designer to estimate the person-days from the draft programme and record the answer.
Changes after notification
Projects change. If the start date moves, the duration grows, or a different principal contractor is appointed, the notice should be updated so that HSE holds accurate details. HSE’s online service lets you amend a notification you have already made. Keep the revised version on display on site.
What HSE may do
HSE inspectors use notifications to plan visits. An inspector who visits will usually look at the basics first: is there a construction phase plan, are welfare facilities in place, is the site secure, and has asbestos been dealt with properly. On a refurbishment in an occupied building, they may also ask how the work area is separated from staff, pupils or patients. None of this depends on whether the project was notified; notification simply makes a visit more likely.
Scotland and Wales
CDM 2015 applies across Great Britain, so the same thresholds and duties apply to refurbishment in Scotland and Wales as in England. Northern Ireland has its own equivalent regulations.
A short checklist for the client
- Ask your principal designer for a person-day estimate as soon as the programme is drafted.
- If notifiable, agree who will submit the F10 and confirm it has been sent before the start date.
- Check the notice is displayed in the site welfare area.
- Keep a copy with the project records and the health and safety file.
Notification is one of the smaller client duties in time, but it is a visible one. It is worth getting right alongside the pre-construction information your contractors need to price safely. For the wider picture on budgets and scope, see commercial refurbishment contractors and the office refurbishment cost plan.
If your project is taking shape, the form below sends a short brief to a contractor used to working under CDM.