Anyone who commissions building work has safety duties of their own, set by Italian Legislative Decree 81/2008. Many clients find this out once the works are under way. Knowing the steps before the site opens protects the people who work there and the company that commissioned it.
The client has duties of its own
In law, the client is the party on whose behalf the work is carried out: a company that builds or refurbishes its own headquarters is one in every respect. Appointing a contractor transfers the execution of the works; part of the responsibility stays with the client, with penalties that include criminal ones.
The principle is simple: whoever decides timings, budget and contractors affects safety as much as those who work at height. That is why the law asks the client to deal with it from the design choices and the organisation of the works onwards.
Two coordinators, two stages
When more than one contractor is expected on site, even at different times, the client appoints two people.
- The design-stage coordinator (CSP) works alongside the designers. They draw up the Safety and Coordination Plan, which organises phases, areas and interference between activities, and the building file, which will serve those who carry out maintenance.
- The construction-stage coordinator (CSE) follows the site. They check that the plan is applied, coordinate the contractors and can suspend an activity in the face of serious and imminent danger.
For smaller private works, the law assigns both roles to the construction-stage coordinator.
Before the site opens
- Contractor checks: technical and professional suitability, social security compliance (DURC) and, since 1 October 2024, the patente a crediti (points-based site licence).
- Safety and Coordination Plan: sent to all the contractors invited to tender.
- Prior notice: sent to the local health authority and the Labour Inspectorate before the works start, where required.
When these documents are required and missing, the validity of the building permit is suspended and the works stop.
The works manager
The client can appoint a works manager (responsabile dei lavori) and entrust them with all or some of these duties. It is the most common choice for those without an in-house technical team. The appointment relieves the client of the duties entrusted. A duty to check the work of the coordinators remains in any case.
Safety starts in the design
Many site risks are decided at the drawing board: the sequence of phases, the access points, the degree of prefabrication, sharing the building with a business that keeps working. A coordinator who sits at the same table as the designers acts on these choices while changing them is still simple.
At ARCHIlabs, health and safety coordination, at both design and construction stage, is an in-house skill, alongside works supervision and project management. The client has a single point of contact for this too.
Plain-language summary: every site has specific obligations, to be assessed case by case.