Yes, AI can draft a construction phase plan for a small job, and it saves the blank-page hour. But the principal contractor, or the single contractor in control, must confirm the content under CDM 2015: who holds the client duties, the real site hazards, welfare, inductions, access control and review. The plan is yours, whoever typed it.
Most AI drafts fail in the same way. They read well and carry the right headings, yet they describe a generic building site instead of your job. They name no supervisor, say nothing about what the client has told you about asbestos or services, and skip the CDM duties that sit outside the risk list. That last group is where a plan stops being a document and starts being evidence.
The main example below is a rooftop solar installation, but the method is the same for a kitchen, loft or shopfront: start from the Health and Safety Executive's guidance, use AI for the wording and structure, and verify every line against the site and the regulations before work begins.
What CDM 2015 actually asks of a small job
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require a construction phase plan for every construction project. HSE's sheet for small builders (CIS80) says the plan does not need to be complicated, and that a simple plan before the work starts is usually enough. It is built around three headings: plan, working together and organise.
The duties differ by who the client is and how many contractors are on site. In short:
| Situation | Who holds the client duties | Who prepares the plan |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic client, one contractor | The contractor, on top of their own duties | The contractor, before setting up the site |
| Domestic client, more than one contractor | Normally the principal contractor; or the principal designer if a written agreement says so | The principal contractor |
| Commercial client, one contractor | The client, in full | The contractor; the client makes sure it exists |
| Commercial client, more than one contractor | The client, in full | The principal contractor, who also reviews and revises it |
The row an AI draft most often gets wrong is the first one. If you ask a model to "write a construction phase plan" it assumes a large site with a client, a principal designer and a safety officer. On a domestic job with a single contractor, the contractor carries the client duties too. HSE says that in practice this should involve little more than what the contractor normally does in managing health and safety risks, but the plan has to say who is doing it.
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Buy nowThe worked example: a rooftop solar job for a domestic client
Say a solar installer is fitting 12 panels on a pitched roof of a semi-detached house. The job takes four working days on the roof, the installer uses two employees, a scaffolder is subcontracted for the first and last day, and an electrician from the installer's own team connects the system. A domestic client owns the house. (Illustrative job.)
Because the scaffolder is a second contractor, this is a project with more than one contractor. The installer is the principal contractor, even though nobody wrote "principal contractor" in the quote. This matters for three reasons: the installer takes on the client duties, the installer must prepare and maintain the plan, and the scaffolder must comply with the parts of it that relate to their work.
A project with more than one contractor also needs a principal designer. HSE's guidance says that where a domestic client appoints none, the role falls to the designer in control of the pre-construction phase. Here that is the installer, who designed the array, the fixings and the electrical layout. So the installer most likely holds both roles, and the plan should say so rather than leaving the principal designer line blank.
Give the model that structure in the brief. A first draft without it will say "the client will appoint a principal contractor", which is wrong for this job.
A prompt that produces a usable first draft
Draft a construction phase plan under CDM 2015 for a small domestic project. I am the principal contractor. The draft will be edited and checked by me before work starts.
Job facts (use only these, write [TO CONFIRM] for anything missing):
- Work: install 12 solar panels on a pitched tiled roof, plus inverter in the loft and battery on the garage wall
- Client: domestic client at [address]; client has appointed neither a principal designer nor a principal contractor
- We designed the system and control the work on site, so we act as principal designer and principal contractor [TO CONFIRM]
- Our team: 1 supervisor, 2 installers, 1 electrician (employees); 1 scaffolding subcontractor on days 1 and 4
- Dates: start [date], 4 working days on the roof, 6 days in total
- Access: front of house only; two parking bays; side gate to rear garden
- Services: isolation point for electricity at [location]; asbestos information from client: [TO CONFIRM]
- Welfare: [TO CONFIRM]
Structure the plan under: 1 Description of the project; 2 Management of the work (roles, communication, inductions, supervision, monitoring); 3 Controls for significant site risks (falls from height, electrical, manual handling, asbestos, public and client protection); 4 Welfare and emergency arrangements; 5 Review and changes.
For each risk, give the control as one sentence a site worker can follow. After the plan, list every statement that depends on a fact I have not confirmed.The final instruction produces the checklist you need. The model has to separate what you told it from what it inferred, which makes the review faster than reading a polished document cold.
What a typical draft gives back, and where it is wrong
A short extract of the kind of draft you might receive (illustrative):
2. Management of the work
The client will appoint a principal designer and principal contractor before work begins. The principal contractor will hold weekly health and safety meetings. All workers will have a site induction.
3. Significant risks
Falls from height: Scaffolding will be erected by a competent person. Workers will wear harnesses at all times.
Electrical: All electrical work will be carried out by qualified electricians. Power will be isolated.Four things need fixing. First, the appointment sentence is wrong for a domestic client with one installer in charge; the installer is the principal contractor, takes on the client duties and, as the designer in control before work starts, acts as principal designer too. Second, "weekly health and safety meetings" is meaningless for a six-day job: replace it with a daily briefing at the start of each shift, naming who runs it. Third, "harnesses at all times" is a control that may be wrong. HSE's guidance for small builders points to edge protection such as guardrails, midrails and toeboards, and secured ladders in good condition. A harness is not the first choice and the model has no idea whether anchor points exist. Fourth, "power will be isolated" needs a location and a person: who isolates, where the isolation point is, and how it is locked off.
The CDM duties that AI drafts miss
These are the items I would check first, because a model asked only for a risk register will not volunteer them.
Who holds the client duties
State it in the plan. For the solar job: "The principal contractor has taken on the client duties for this domestic project." Where a principal designer has agreed in writing to take them instead, name that agreement. If no one is named, a reviewer cannot tell who was meant to make the arrangements.
Information from the client about the site
The plan should record what the client told you: the location of services and isolation points, access restrictions, and any asbestos known to be present. On a roof, that includes whether the roof or the soffit is asbestos cement, which was widely used on older properties. If you do not know, say you will not start until you have been told or a survey has been done. HSE's small-builder sheet says that if you suspect asbestos, do not start work until a demolition or refurbishment survey has been done, and everyone on site must be told the result.
Welfare from the first day
Principal contractors and contractors must provide suitable welfare facilities from the start of the work and maintain them throughout. AI often writes "welfare facilities will be provided" without saying where. Name the toilet, the hand-washing and the rest area: "client has agreed use of the ground-floor WC; hot water for hand-washing available in the kitchen; rest in the van." If the client says no, you need a plan B, such as a portable unit.
Site inductions and who gives them
All workers need a site-specific induction. For a four-person crew, that is a ten-minute walk round the site before starting, covering the hazards, the isolation point, the exclusion zone and where first aid is kept. The plan should say who gives it, when, and where it is recorded. A signature sheet on the first morning is enough for a small crew.
Preventing unauthorised access
The contractor must take steps to stop unauthorised access before work starts. At a domestic property, that includes keeping children and pets out of the drive and garden, closing the side gate, putting a barrier or cones round the scaffold base, and keeping tools and panels out of sight overnight. A generic plan says "site will be secured". A good one says how.
Working together and changes
If the plan or materials change, or work is delayed, the plan must say how you will tell others. A line such as "scaffolder and electrician receive a text from the supervisor by 7:30 each morning; any change to the programme is confirmed the day before" is enough. The principal contractor must also review and revise the plan as work goes on, so include a short change log with dates and initials.
Notification thresholds
A project is notifiable to HSE where the work lasts longer than 30 working days with more than 20 workers on site at the same time, or exceeds 500 person days. A six-day solar job is nowhere near that, but AI sometimes adds "notify HSE" to every plan, which confuses the reader. State the job is not notifiable and why. For a larger job, the sheet itself says the simple format is unlikely to be enough.
Health and safety file
On projects with more than one contractor the principal designer prepares a health and safety file, and the client makes sure it is handed on. On a small domestic job, the practical version is a short folder: as-built photos, the electrical certificate, panel and inverter data sheets and the isolation point. Say who compiles it: on the solar job, the installer in its principal designer role. AI usually omits it because it is not a risk item.
Further examples: three jobs, three different traps
A kitchen refit with one contractor
A one-man kitchen fitter works for a domestic client with no other contractor. A first draft names a "principal contractor" and a "principal designer". The fix is to delete both and say the contractor holds the client duties as well as their own. The plan stays short: a single page covering dates, the isolation points for gas and electricity, dust control, and welfare in the house.
A shopfront renovation for a commercial client
A commercial client runs a shop and has commissioned a new front. The client duties apply in full. A draft written for a domestic job omits pre-construction information from the client, and says nothing about the shop continuing to trade. The reviewer adds how customers will be kept clear of the work area, where deliveries to the shop will go and who the client's contact is on site.
A loft conversion with an architect
A domestic client has employed an architect and three trades. If the architect has agreed in writing to be principal designer and take the client duties, the plan names them. If not, the client duties pass to the principal contractor. AI cannot know which applies, so ask the client directly and record it in the plan as a one-line statement with the date.
A filled-in risk table for the solar job
Here is how the risk section looks once a person who has seen the site has edited it. Compare it with the generic lines in the draft above. The detail is what makes it usable. (Illustrative content.)
| Hazard | Control on this job | Who checks, and when |
|---|---|---|
| Fall from the roof edge | Scaffold with guardrails, midrails and toeboards on the front and gable elevations; no roof work before the scaffold is signed off | Supervisor, before first ascent each day |
| Fall through fragile roof lights | Roof lights covered or fenced; location marked on the roof plan in the briefing | Supervisor, day one briefing |
| Live electrical supply | Main switch isolated and locked off at the consumer unit by the electrician; tag with name and date | Electrician, before any DC or AC connection |
| Dropped tools and panels | Exclusion zone marked with cones below the working area; panels lifted by hoist, not carried up ladders | Installers; supervisor reviews at lunch |
| Manual handling of panels | Two-person lift for each panel; flat route from van to garden agreed on day one | Supervisor |
| Possible asbestos cement on garage or soffit | No drilling or cutting of any asbestos cement material; client confirms in writing before day one, otherwise survey first | Principal contractor, before the start date |
| Client, family and passers-by | Drive barrier, side gate closed, tools in the van overnight, client told of the zone each morning | Supervisor, start and end of day |
Using a second AI pass as a reviewer, not an author
After you have edited the plan, ask a different assistant, or a fresh chat, to review it. Give it the plan without the first conversation, and ask a narrow question: "List every statement in this plan that is vague, unverifiable or missing an owner or a date." Models are usually better as critics of a finished text than as authors of a first one, because the critic has no stake in the draft. Treat the output as a prompt for your own check rather than a pass or fail. You will often find two or three items worth fixing, such as an emergency contact with no number or a control that says "as required".
Do not ask the second assistant whether the plan "complies with CDM 2015". It will answer yes, politely, whatever the plan says. The questions that produce a useful answer are specific: who is named as principal contractor, where is welfare, what happens if the scaffold is late. Keep the review about gaps, not approval.
A review checklist for the person who signs
Print this, tick it against the draft, and keep the ticked copy with the job file.
- The project is described correctly: address (by reference, not in a shared chat), work, dates and the number of contractors.
- The client is identified as domestic or commercial, and the client duties are assigned to the right person.
- If more than one contractor is on site, both a principal contractor and a principal designer are named. On a domestic job where the client appointed neither, that means the contractor in control of the work and the designer in control of the pre-construction phase.
- Information from the client about asbestos, services and access is recorded, with the date it was received.
- Each significant risk has a control that a worker could follow, a named person and a check.
- Welfare is specific: where, what and who has agreed.
- Induction, daily briefing and supervision are named, with who and when.
- Emergency arrangements are specific: nearest first aid kit, who is first aider, nearest accident and emergency, and a meeting point.
- Subcontractors have the plan, or the relevant parts of it, before they start.
- The plan has a change log, a review date and the signature of the person in control.
The job hazard analysis tutorial shows how to generate the risk-and-control rows task by task, which is a better input than a single "list the risks" prompt. Pair it with the pre-start list in construction planning with AI so the dates in both documents agree.
Keeping client information out of the prompt
You do not need the client's name or full address to draft the structure. Refer to the "client's house" in the prompt, add the real details to the final copy and keep the signed plan in your job system. If you use photos of the roof or the site to help the model describe hazards, check the tool's data settings before uploading and prefer a business plan. Vendors say business plans of ChatGPT and Claude do not train on your content by default, but check the current terms yourself.
Making the plan work on site, not just on paper
A plan that lives in the office email is not a plan. Put a printed copy, or a phone-readable one, with the supervisor. Brief the crew from the plan's risk table at the start of day one, and note any changes with the time. If a photo-documentation app is part of your routine, attach the pre-start photos to the job; what AI adds to construction photo documentation covers which plans include that.
Ask the assistant to turn the finished plan into a one-page "toolbox talk" for the morning briefing: five lines, in plain words, for the crew to read. Checking AI-written toolbox talks covers what a competent person must confirm before the crew hears one. Keep the original as the authority. The talk is a convenience that gets the plan read; the plan itself stays the document you can show to the client, an inspector or an insurer.
Where the responsibility sits
HSE guidance first, then the draft. If you are unsure whether you are a principal contractor, whether a project is notifiable or how to handle asbestos, ask a competent health and safety adviser or read HSE's own pages before you rely on any tool. AI is a good assistant for the wording. It cannot stand on the roof, check the isolation point or sign the plan, and neither can it be held to account if the plan is wrong. The person in control of the work can, and that is why they must read every line.
Construction phase plans and AI: common questions
Does every small job need a construction phase plan?
Under CDM 2015 a construction phase plan is required for every construction project, however small. For a simple job it can be a short, proportionate document. The Health and Safety Executive's guidance for small builders says a simple plan before the work starts is usually enough to show you have thought about health and safety.
Who writes the plan on a one-contractor job?
Where one contractor does the work, that contractor must make sure a plan is drawn up before the site is set up. If the client is a domestic client, the contractor also takes on the client duties. On jobs with more than one contractor, the principal contractor prepares and maintains the plan.
When must a project be notified to the regulator?
HSE's guidance says a project is notifiable when the work lasts longer than 30 working days with more than 20 workers on site at the same time, or exceeds 500 person days. Such jobs are likely too complex for the simple busy-builder plan format and need a fuller plan and a written notification.
Can I paste the client's address and site photos into an AI tool?
Avoid it. Describe the site generally and use placeholders for the client's name and address while drafting. If you need to analyse photos, check the tool's data settings first and prefer a business plan. The plan needs facts from the site anyway, which you add yourself after drafting.
Is an AI-drafted plan enough if an inspector visits?
A plan is judged by whether it matches the site, not by who typed it. Inspectors look for a plan that reflects real hazards, named people and controls actually in place. A generic draft with the wrong job, no welfare arrangements or no named supervisor will not help you, so edit it for the job in front of you.
Further reads
- Roofing RAMS Template: AI Drafts, a Competent Person Signs It Off — Risk assessment and method statement for roof work, signed off by a competent person.
- How to Draft Risk Assessments With AI and What a Human Must Check — The general method for AI-drafted risk assessments and the human check.
- AI Scheduling for Small Builders: Subcontractors and Deliveries — Keep subcontractor start dates consistent with what the plan says.
- How to Write a Health and Safety Policy With AI and What to Check — The company-level safety policy each job plan sits under.
- ChatGPT for Contractors: Five Customer Messages to Draft and Check — Customer messages to send around the start of work.
- Construction Tender Writing With AI: Draft, Then Check Against Scoring — Extract the scoring, build a compliance matrix, draft the method statement from your own evidence, then have AI mark it before you submit.
- AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.
Sources: HSE pages on CDM 2015 for domestic clients, commercial clients, contractors, principal contractors and principal designers, and the HSE sheet CIS80 'Construction Phase Plan (CDM 2015)', read in November 2026.