Mandatory documentation on a construction site is the set of technical, administrative, preventive, and labour documents that must be kept updated and available on site throughout execution.
Keeping this documentation in order looks like a filing matter, but in operational reality it is the first thing the Labour Inspectorate checks and what determines whether a site can continue or is stopped. Starting or running the works without the regulatory documentation exposes the developer and the contractor to the stoppage of the works and to serious financial penalties.
In this guide you will find, grouped by blocks, all the documentation that must be available on site, along with the legal framework that requires it. For the detail of the key safety-tracking document, you can consult the guide on the incident log on site.
1. Technical documentation and municipal permits
- Technical works project: a document drafted by a competent technician, approved and endorsed by the corresponding professional association.
- Municipal works permit: the administrative authorisation granted by the town council of the municipality where the works are located.
- Setting-out record: a formal document that determines the official start of the works and checks the geometric reality of the project on the ground.
2. Risk prevention and safety documentation
- Health and Safety Study or Basic Study (ESS/EBSS): drafted during the project stage. You can expand the detail in the guide on the health and safety study.
- Occupational health and safety plan: drafted by the main contractor and formally approved by the health and safety coordinator before work begins.
- Subcontracting log: a mandatory document to record the subcontracting chain and ensure compliance with the limits set by Act 32/2006, which regulates subcontracting in the construction sector.
- Incident log: must be kept on site and available to the Labour Inspectorate and the competent technicians.
- Prior notice: a communication to the competent labour authority before the start of activity at the workplace.
3. Labour documentation and business coordination
- Medical fitness certificates: proof of the health-surveillance medical checks of the workers present on site.
- Proof of OHS training: certificates of specific training according to the job, usually through the Construction Professional Card (TPC).
- PPE handover: signed proof of the handover of Personal Protective Equipment to each worker.
- Coordination of Business Activities (CAE): a complete, up-to-date record of the concurrent companies, freelancers, and workers. Go deeper into the process in the guide on coordination of business activities in construction.
- Social Security registration and affiliation: documentation proving the employment status of each worker present at the workplace.
What happens if documentation is missing on site
The absence or lack of updating of these documents is not a minor formal defect. The Labour Inspectorate can require it to be remedied, draw up an infringement report, and even order the stoppage of the works when the gap affects workers' safety. Penalties for occupational risk prevention infringements, regulated by the LISOS, reach high amounts, and a lack of control over subcontracting or CAE can lead to the main contractor's joint and several liability.
That is why it is worth treating documentation as a living process, not an archive completed at the start and forgotten. The penalty framework is detailed in the guide on construction site safety regulations.
Digitising site documentation
Organising documentation in physical folders inside the cabin is still common, but it is fragile: it gets misplaced, expires without warning, and forces a race against the clock when an inspection arrives. Centralising documentation in a digital repository ensures immediate access from site and office, warns of expiry dates before they become a problem, and records who provides each document and when.
Relying on digital documentary traceability of the site reduces the risk of legal errors from poor documentary management.
How Trowel helps
| Problem | How Trowel solves it |
|---|---|
| Documentation scattered across physical folders, emails, and devices | Centralised documentary management accessible from site and office |
| Documents and training that expire without warning | Automatic alerts on the expiry of contracts, preventive training, and medical checks before site access |
| Lack of control over the subcontracting chain and CAE | A record of concurrent companies, freelancers, and workers with documentary validation before access |
| Difficulty proving diligence during an inspection | Traceability of who provides each document, with date and responsible party |
You can see the technical detail of each module in Trowel Academy.
Frequently asked questions
What documentation must always be available on site?
As a minimum, the project and the permit, the safety study and plan, the incident log, the subcontracting log, the CAE documentation, and the labour and training records of the workers present.
Who is responsible for keeping the documentation on site?
Responsibility is shared: the main contractor keeps much of the labour and subcontracting documentation, while the safety coordinator and the project management team control the preventive documentation and the incident log.
What happens if the Labour Inspectorate finds incomplete documentation?
It can require it to be remedied, draw up an infringement report with a financial penalty, and, if the gap affects safety, order the stoppage of the works.
Is the subcontracting log mandatory?
Yes. Act 32/2006 requires a subcontracting log to be kept on each site to record the subcontracting chain and control its limits.
Conclusion
Keeping the mandatory documentation complete, updated, and accessible is the basis of a site that can prove its legality at any moment, avoid stoppages, and protect the developer and contractor from liability.
The difference between passing an inspection with confidence or facing a penalty rarely lies in the substance of the project, but in the documentary order. If you want to centralise and automate the documentary control of your sites, request a free Trowel demo.
You may also be interested in
- Incident log on site: what it is and who signs it →
- Health and Safety Study: keys and drafting →
- Coordination of business activities in construction →
Recommended reading
