Compliance Management for House Builders
From CDM regulations to NHBC standards, manage residential construction compliance with digital tools built for developers.
The Challenge
House builders face intense scrutiny from CDM regulations, NHBC warranty requirements, and HSE enforcement - all while managing dozens of subcontractors across multiple active sites. Paper-based systems scattered across site cabins mean critical documentation goes missing, subcontractor certifications expire unnoticed, and when an inspector arrives or an incident occurs, you discover gaps that could have been prevented. The pressure to maintain build programmes often conflicts with thorough compliance documentation.
How Assistant Manager Solves House Building Compliance
Each module is designed to address the specific challenges house building businesses face every day.
Checklist Management
House building sites need plot-specific checklists that track compliance through each build stage, with different requirements for foundations, superstructure, first fix, second fix, and handover - all linked to NHBC key stage inspections
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Site supervisors rush through daily safety inspections to keep the programme on track, missing hazards that accumulate until something goes wrong
HSE investigation following an accident reveals weeks of incomplete or falsified inspection records - prosecutions follow for both company and individuals
- NHBC stage inspections and build quality checks are completed inconsistently across different site managers, with some plots missing critical sign-offs
Warranty claims are disputed because stage inspection evidence is incomplete, costing thousands in remedial works that should have been the subcontractor's responsibility
The Solution
How Checklist Management Helps
Digital checklists with GPS location verification, timestamped photo evidence, and mandatory completion before work proceeds to next stage
Every inspection is genuinely completed on site with photographic proof, stage sign-offs cannot be missed or backdated, and you have instant access to complete compliance history for any plot
Use Cases:
- • Daily site safety inspections with photo evidence of hazard controls
- • NHBC key stage inspection checklists with mandatory photo documentation
- • Scaffold inspection and handover verification
- • Excavation safety checks before work commences
- • Welfare facility daily compliance checks
- • Subcontractor work area inspections
- • Plot handover snagging and completion checklists
Feature Screenshot
Checklist Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Site supervisors rush through daily safety inspections to keep the programme on track, missing hazards that accumulate until something goes wrong
Real Scenario
"A worker falls through an unprotected floor opening. HSE requests the last month of site inspection records. The paper forms show the same tick marks every day with identical handwriting - clearly completed in batches rather than during actual inspections."
Example 2: NHBC stage inspections and build quality checks are completed inconsistently across different site managers, with some plots missing critical sign-offs
Real Scenario
"A homeowner reports water ingress 18 months after completion. You need to prove the damp proof course was inspected and signed off at the correct build stage. The paper records for that plot are missing - the site manager who did the inspection left the company months ago."
Employee Scheduling
House building requires coordination of multiple trades across different sites at different build stages, with CSCS requirements varying by trade and specific competencies needed for tasks like scaffolding, excavation, and confined space work
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Site managers schedule whoever is available without checking CSCS card validity, training status, or competence for the specific work
Workers are found on site with expired CSCS cards or performing tasks they are not trained for - triggering immediate HSE enforcement and site shutdowns
- Labour allocation across multiple sites is done on gut feel, leading to some sites being overstaffed while others fall behind programme
Programme delays cascade through the build schedule, pushing back completions and triggering penalty clauses with housing associations or land contracts
The Solution
How Employee Scheduling Helps
Scheduling system integrated with competence records that prevents allocation of unqualified workers and provides visibility of labour deployment across all sites
Every worker on site has verified, current qualifications for their role, labour is optimally distributed across developments, and site managers cannot schedule people for work they are not competent to perform
Use Cases:
- • Trade allocation across multiple active developments
- • CSCS card expiry checking before shift allocation
- • Scaffolder competency verification for scaffold work
- • Banksman and slinger scheduling for crane operations
- • First aider coverage requirements per site
- • Subcontractor gang scheduling and capacity planning
- • Weather-dependent work rescheduling
Feature Screenshot
Employee Scheduling
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Site managers schedule whoever is available without checking CSCS card validity, training status, or competence for the specific work
Real Scenario
"During a routine HSE visit, an inspector checks CSCS cards for workers on a scaffold. Two have expired cards, one has a labourer card but is operating as a scaffolder. The site is shut down pending investigation, delaying the programme by two weeks."
Example 2: Labour allocation across multiple sites is done on gut feel, leading to some sites being overstaffed while others fall behind programme
Real Scenario
"Your flagship development falls three weeks behind because skilled trades were allocated to a smaller site that the regional manager personally oversees. By the time you notice, the delay has impacted reserved plots and buyers are threatening to withdraw."
Time & Attendance
House building sites have constantly changing populations of directly employed staff, subcontractors, and visitors, often across multiple phases of a development with different site compounds - accurate headcount is essential for emergency response
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Site sign-in sheets are unreliable - subcontractors sign in entire gangs at once, people leave without signing out, and sheets go missing
In an emergency evacuation, you cannot account for everyone on site. After an incident, you cannot prove who was present and for how long
- Working time compliance is impossible to monitor when you do not know actual hours worked by directly employed staff or labour-only subcontractors
Fatigued workers have accidents, and investigation reveals systematic working time breaches that compound the original incident with additional prosecutions
The Solution
How Time & Attendance Helps
Digital site access control with individual clock-in/out, real-time headcount visibility, automatic working time alerts, and fire evacuation roll-call functionality
You know exactly who is on each site at any moment, can account for everyone in emergencies, and working time breaches are flagged before they become dangerous
Use Cases:
- • Individual site clock-in with CSCS card verification
- • Real-time site headcount dashboard across all developments
- • Fire evacuation muster and roll-call
- • Subcontractor hours tracking for payment verification
- • Working Time Regulations compliance monitoring
- • Visitor sign-in and host notification
- • Site access restriction by time and date
Feature Screenshot
Time & Attendance
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Site sign-in sheets are unreliable - subcontractors sign in entire gangs at once, people leave without signing out, and sheets go missing
Real Scenario
"A fire breaks out in a partially completed property. The muster shows 47 people signed in but only 38 at the assembly point. Twenty minutes of searching reveals the 9 'missing' workers had left hours ago but never signed out. Meanwhile, the fire service cannot confirm the building is clear."
Example 2: Working time compliance is impossible to monitor when you do not know actual hours worked by directly employed staff or labour-only subcontractors
Real Scenario
"A groundworker is injured in a trench collapse at 4pm. Investigation reveals he started at 5am, had been working 12-hour days for 14 consecutive days, and nobody was tracking his hours because he was paid day-rate as a subcontractor."
Training & Development
House building requires a matrix of training - CSCS cards by trade category, site-specific inductions, task-specific training (scaffolding, excavations, confined spaces), and ongoing refresher training - all needing coordination across a transient subcontractor workforce
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Subcontractors arrive with CSCS cards but have never received site-specific induction covering your rules, emergency procedures, and site hazards
Workers unfamiliar with site-specific risks cause accidents or violate CDM requirements that make you liable as principal contractor
- Training records are scattered across different subcontractors, training providers, and paper certificates - nobody has visibility of actual competency across the workforce
Expired certifications go unnoticed, workers perform tasks they are not qualified for, and when incidents occur, you cannot demonstrate the workforce was competent
The Solution
How Training & Development Helps
Digital training platform with site-specific induction modules, external certification tracking with expiry alerts, and competency verification linked to site access
Every person on site has completed your induction, all external certifications are tracked with advance renewal alerts, and workers cannot access site if mandatory training is incomplete or expired
Use Cases:
- • Site-specific safety induction with knowledge verification
- • CSCS card tracking with 60-day expiry warnings
- • Scaffolder CISRS certification management
- • CPCS plant operator card verification
- • Asbestos awareness training for all site workers
- • First aid and fire warden qualification tracking
- • Supervisor SSSTS/SMSTS certification management
Feature Screenshot
Training & Development
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Subcontractors arrive with CSCS cards but have never received site-specific induction covering your rules, emergency procedures, and site hazards
Real Scenario
"A subcontractor electrician drills through a live temporary supply cable, causing serious burns. He had a valid CSCS card but had never received your site induction explaining the temporary electrical arrangements. As principal contractor, you are prosecuted for failing to provide adequate information."
Example 2: Training records are scattered across different subcontractors, training providers, and paper certificates - nobody has visibility of actual competency across the workforce
Real Scenario
"Your approved scaffolding subcontractor sends a trainee to erect a complex scaffold. He has an advanced scaffolder card, but it expired six months ago and he never completed his reassessment. The scaffold fails, injuring two workers below. You had no system to verify his certification was current."
HR Management
House builders work with a complex mix of directly employed staff, labour-only subcontractors, and specialist trade contractors - each requiring different documentation and ongoing verification to maintain principal contractor compliance
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Subcontractor documentation is checked once at onboarding but nobody verifies that insurance, competencies, and certifications remain valid throughout the project
Subcontractors with lapsed insurance or expired qualifications continue working, creating liability gaps that only surface after incidents
- Right to work checks and employment documentation are inconsistently managed across multiple sites with different site managers
Home Office enforcement action finds workers without valid right to work documentation, resulting in substantial fines and reputational damage with housing association clients
The Solution
How HR Management Helps
Centralised HR records for directly employed staff and subcontractors with automatic document expiry tracking, right to work verification, and insurance monitoring
Every worker and subcontractor on your sites has verified, current documentation with automatic alerts before anything expires, and you have a complete audit trail of due diligence
Use Cases:
- • Subcontractor insurance expiry tracking and verification
- • Right to work documentation with automatic checks
- • CSCS and competency card central registry
- • Subcontractor pre-qualification and approval workflow
- • Employee contract and terms management
- • Occupational health surveillance scheduling
- • DBS check management for customer-facing roles
Feature Screenshot
HR Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Subcontractor documentation is checked once at onboarding but nobody verifies that insurance, competencies, and certifications remain valid throughout the project
Real Scenario
"A groundworks subcontractor causes damage to a neighbouring property during excavation. Their public liability insurance lapsed three months ago - the renewal reminder went to an old email address. You are now jointly liable for a claim exceeding £100,000."
Example 2: Right to work checks and employment documentation are inconsistently managed across multiple sites with different site managers
Real Scenario
"Immigration enforcement visits your largest development. Three workers from a labour agency cannot produce valid documentation. The agency blames your site manager for not checking; your manager says the agency assured him everyone was legal. Neither has documentation. The fine is £60,000."
Risk Assessment
House building involves evolving risks as sites progress through phases - ground works, foundations, superstructure, roofing, fit-out - with different trades introducing different hazards that require dynamic risk assessment rather than static documents
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Generic risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) are copied from project to project without being updated for site-specific conditions and hazards
RAMS do not reflect actual site conditions, workers follow procedures inappropriate for the situation, and incidents occur that proper assessment would have prevented
- Subcontractor RAMS are accepted without proper review because site managers lack time and expertise to assess them critically
Poor quality subcontractor RAMS create gaps in your construction phase plan, and as principal contractor, you share liability for their inadequate planning
The Solution
How Risk Assessment Helps
AI-assisted risk assessment creation with site-specific hazard prompts, subcontractor RAMS review workflow with quality checks, and automatic review triggers when conditions change
Every risk assessment reflects actual site conditions, subcontractor RAMS receive proper scrutiny before approval, and assessments are automatically flagged for review when relevant changes occur
Use Cases:
- • Phase-specific site risk assessments updated as build progresses
- • Excavation assessments with ground condition analysis
- • Working at height assessments for each roof type
- • Lifting operation risk assessments for crane lifts
- • Subcontractor RAMS review and approval workflow
- • Temporary works risk assessments
- • Young worker and new starter specific assessments
Feature Screenshot
Risk Assessment
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Generic risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) are copied from project to project without being updated for site-specific conditions and hazards
Real Scenario
"An excavation collapses, trapping a groundworker. The RAMS specify shoring requirements but were copied from a previous site with different ground conditions. This site has a high water table making the standard shoring inadequate - but nobody assessed the actual ground."
Example 2: Subcontractor RAMS are accepted without proper review because site managers lack time and expertise to assess them critically
Real Scenario
"A roofing subcontractor submits a 40-page RAMS document. The site manager approves it to keep the programme on track. Two weeks later, a roofer falls through a fragile roof light. The RAMS mentioned fragile materials but specified no controls. You approved it."
Incident Reporting
House building sites are high-risk environments where near-misses and minor incidents are valuable early warnings - capturing them across multiple sites allows identification of common hazards and systemic issues before serious harm occurs
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Near misses and minor incidents go unreported because workers fear blame or paperwork burden, until a serious incident reveals systematic hazards that were never addressed
Trends that could have predicted serious incidents are invisible, and investigation reveals multiple warnings that were never escalated or acted upon
- RIDDOR reporting requirements are not understood by site staff, leading to reportable incidents going unreported or being reported late
HSE discovers unreported RIDDOR incidents during investigation of other matters, adding failure to report charges to existing prosecutions
The Solution
How Incident Reporting Helps
Mobile incident reporting with automatic RIDDOR determination, near-miss capture with trend analysis, investigation workflow to root cause, and corrective action tracking to completion
Every incident and near-miss is captured immediately, RIDDOR requirements are automatically identified and prompted, and patterns across sites are visible to prevent serious incidents
Use Cases:
- • Site accident and near-miss mobile reporting
- • Automatic RIDDOR assessment and reporting reminders
- • Investigation workflow with root cause analysis
- • Corrective action assignment and completion tracking
- • Cross-site incident trend analysis
- • Subcontractor incident performance tracking
- • Client and NHBC incident notification management
Feature Screenshot
Incident Reporting
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Near misses and minor incidents go unreported because workers fear blame or paperwork burden, until a serious incident reveals systematic hazards that were never addressed
Real Scenario
"A scaffold collapse seriously injures a bricklayer. Post-incident review finds five workers had reported 'scaffold feeling unstable' to their foremen over previous weeks. None were formally reported. Site management had no idea there was a pattern of concerns."
Example 2: RIDDOR reporting requirements are not understood by site staff, leading to reportable incidents going unreported or being reported late
Real Scenario
"A worker breaks his arm and is off work for three weeks. The site manager treats it as a normal accident book entry. Six months later, HSE investigates an unrelated incident and finds 12 unreported RIDDOR incidents in the past year. Each is a separate offence."
COSHH Management
House building involves numerous hazardous substances - adhesives, sealants, paints, cleaning chemicals, fuels, treated timber preservatives - used by different subcontractors often without coordination or central awareness
The Problems
Why This Matters for House Building
- Subcontractors bring hazardous substances onto site without prior approval, and nobody knows what chemicals are being used in which plots
Incompatible substances are stored together, workers are exposed without appropriate PPE, and in an emergency, responders do not know what hazards are present
- COSHH assessments exist in subcontractor files but are not communicated to workers actually handling the substances on site
Workers suffer chemical burns, respiratory problems, or sensitisation because they did not know the precautions required for substances they were using
The Solution
How COSHH Management Helps
Digital COSHH register with pre-approval workflow for new substances, automatic safety data sheet retrieval, and mobile access to handling requirements at point of use
Every hazardous substance on site is approved, registered, and has accessible safety information, workers can check handling requirements on their phones, and emergency responders have immediate access to chemical inventories
Use Cases:
- • Site COSHH register with all approved substances
- • Subcontractor substance pre-approval workflow
- • Automatic Safety Data Sheet retrieval and storage
- • Mobile access to handling and PPE requirements
- • Chemical storage compatibility checking
- • Exposure monitoring record keeping
- • Emergency response chemical information
Feature Screenshot
COSHH Management
Real-World Examples
Example 1: Subcontractors bring hazardous substances onto site without prior approval, and nobody knows what chemicals are being used in which plots
Real Scenario
"A fire in a plot under construction produces toxic fumes. Fire service asks what chemicals are stored on site. Nobody knows - various subcontractors have their own materials. Two firefighters are hospitalised. Investigation reveals no COSHH register existed."
Example 2: COSHH assessments exist in subcontractor files but are not communicated to workers actually handling the substances on site
Real Scenario
"A painter develops occupational asthma from two-pack paints. The COSHH assessment specifies RPE requirements, but it was filed in the contractor's head office. The worker on site was just given a dust mask by his supervisor."
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