The health and safety coordinator is the key technical figure in charge of integrating occupational risk prevention during the project and execution stages of the works.
Ensuring preventive coordination between companies looks like a purely organisational task, but on the ground a lack of rigorous follow-up causes serious workplace accidents. Taking on these duties without the documentary control and records required by Royal Decree 1627/1997 can lead to administrative, civil, and even criminal liability for the appointed professional.
In this article you will learn the legal requirements of this role, when its appointment is mandatory, and how to rely on digital tools to simplify the incident log and on-site control. To understand the documentary basis this technician supervises, you can read our guide on the health and safety study.
When appointing a Coordinator is mandatory
The law distinguishes between two essential stages of a construction project when requiring the presence of the safety coordinator.
Health and Safety Coordinator during the project stage
Appointing one is mandatory when several designers take part in drafting the project. Its primary function is to coordinate the application of the general prevention principles in the technical and organisational aspects of the works.
Health and Safety Coordinator during execution
Its presence is mandatory whenever more than one company, or a company and self-employed workers, or several self-employed workers take part in the works. The vast majority of building and civil engineering works require this appointment from day one.
Main duties during the execution of the works
The coordinator's powers are defined by regulation to safeguard the integrity of all concurrent staff:
- Approve the Health and Safety Plan: analyse, amend, and validate the document prepared by the contractor before work begins.
- Coordinate business activities: ensure that contractors, subcontractors, and freelancers apply preventive measures consistently.
- Control site access: verify that only authorised staff who meet the legal and training requirements enter the site.
- Manage the Incident Log: record observed safety breaches and send notifications to the Labour Inspectorate where appropriate.
- Stop work in the event of serious, imminent risk: warn the contractor or halt the work units that endanger workers' lives.
To keep an exhaustive real-time record of authorised operators, you can use the time and site access control software.
The Safety Coordinator's step-by-step process
Coordination work requires a methodical procedure to ensure the validity of preventive actions.
Step 1: Review and approve the plan. Examine the Health and Safety Plan submitted by the main contractor and issue the corresponding approval record.
Step 2: Open and integrate the Incident Log. Keep the official log provided by the professional association and make it available on site for the project management team and inspectors.
Step 3: Validate the CAE documentation. Check the suitability of REA certificates, subcontracting agreements, medical checks, and PPE handovers.
Step 4: Periodic on-site inspections. Audit on the ground the correct placement of collective protections and the use of auxiliary means.
Step 5: Record minutes and incidents. Document each visit with technical reports and log any non-compliance detected.
You can send incident alerts directly to the site managers using the digital work reports.
Legal responsibilities and the importance of the documentary record
The safety coordinator acts as a guarantor. In the event of a workplace accident, the judicial authorities will review the visit minutes, the warnings recorded in the Incident Log, and the rigour of access control.
Coordination of Business Activities (CAE) requires checking that every subcontractor complies with the regulations. To avoid errors in data collection and ensure an unalterable archive of the reports, it is essential to rely on a construction project management app.
How Trowel helps
| Problem | How Trowel solves it |
|---|---|
| Difficulty auditing whether subcontractor staff meet the requirements before entering | Trowel validates preventive documentation in real time and restricts access for unfit staff via the documentary management solution |
| Lack of agility when reporting safety incidents to the project team and contractor | Site incidents recorded with photos and digital signature from the mobile app, instantly notifying the parties involved |
| Administrative chaos organising visit minutes and collective-protection reviews | A digital archive ordered by project that ensures immediate access to any technical report during an inspection |
| Risk of not detecting the expiry of REA certificates or medical checks | An automatic alert system that warns before any company or worker document expires |
You can see the technical detail of each module in Trowel Academy.
Frequently asked questions
What qualification is required to be a Health and Safety Coordinator?
You must hold an academic and professional qualification that enables site management (such as architect, technical architect, engineer, or technical engineer) and have accredited specific training in occupational risk prevention.
Can the site manager also be the Health and Safety Coordinator?
It is not advisable, given the clear conflict of interest between execution deadlines/costs and safety; the law prohibits combining the roles where it undermines the technical independence required for coordination.
What happens if a contractor does not remedy an Incident Log entry?
The coordinator must notify the entry in writing to the Labour and Social Security Inspectorate within a maximum of 24 hours if the breach seriously affects safety.
Is the coordinator criminally liable in the event of an accident?
Yes, if it is proven that they acted with serious negligence, failed in their supervisory duties, or did not adopt the work-stoppage measures in the face of a serious, imminent risk.
Conclusion
The Health and Safety Coordinator is decisive in ensuring safe working environments, coordinating the convergence of companies, and legally protecting the technical management of the project.
Relying on technology to supervise access, validate CAE documentation, and record site audits optimises coordination work and reduces the administrative burden. If you want to digitise the preventive management of your projects, request a free Trowel demo.
You may also be interested in
- Health and Safety Study: keys and drafting →
- Health and safety plan on site: step-by-step guide →
- Construction site safety regulations →
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