Construction, office refurbishment, or tenant fit-out projects rarely start with safety. Budget, deadlines, design, tenants, and contractors take priority. OHS is often only pulled out when a labour inspectorate inspection arrives on site or an accident occurs.
Yet construction sites are where the most practical conflicts arise: one company handles demolition, another electrical installations, a third installs equipment, and another delivers materials. Each has its own task, but risks converge in one place. That’s why having a generic company OHS folder isn’t enough. On a construction site, you must also address the specific site, concurrent work, responsibilities, and ongoing coordination.
In brief: what to watch for
- If employees of more than one contractor will be working on the site, the client typically arranges the written appointment of an OHS coordinator under Act No. 309/2006 Coll.
- The OHS plan is not standard company documentation. It is tied to the specific construction project, schedule, high-risk work, and concurrent contractor activities.
- Notification to the regional labour inspectorate has clear thresholds: more than 30 working days and simultaneously more than 20 persons for longer than one day, or a total work volume exceeding 500 person-days.
- An inspection checks not only for the existence of documents but, crucially, whether they correspond to the actual site conditions.
- For failure to appoint a coordinator or ensure a plan where required, the labour inspectorate can impose a fine of up to CZK 400,000. In serious cases, it can also order a work stoppage.
Who is responsible for OHS on site
Responsibility on a construction site does not rest with a single person. It is divided among the client, contractors, supervisors, and, where applicable, the OHS coordinator. If these roles aren’t clarified beforehand, responsibility gets passed around among the project participants when a problem arises.
The construction client sets the conditions. If the law requires an OHS coordinator, they must appoint one in writing for both the preparation and execution phases. For larger projects, they also handle the notification of work commencement to the regional labour inspectorate and ensure the OHS plan is in place.
The contractor is responsible for their employees, work procedures, equipment, and compliance with site measures. They must know the risks of their activities and respect the rules established for the site.
Supervisors and subcontractors are key in day-to-day practice. It is the foreman, site manager, or crew leader who often decides whether rules are actually followed or remain only in the documentation.
The OHS coordinator does not manage the construction like a site manager. Their task is to coordinate cooperation and information flow between contractors, work with the OHS plan, and highlight risks arising from concurrent work. Amendment No. 318/2025 Coll. explicitly strengthened their role, including the ongoing familiarisation of contractors with the plan and its updates.
When to address the coordinator, notification, and OHS plan
A detailed analysis of the coordinator obligation, notification, and indicative pricing can be found in the article OHS Coordinator on Site: When It’s Mandatory. For quick orientation, the following framework applies.
An OHS coordinator is required under Act No. 309/2006 Coll. for projects where employees of more than one contractor will be working. The client appoints them in writing for both preparation and execution. The law also includes exceptions, such as a builder’s self-build for themselves, projects not requiring a planning permit, and selected technical infrastructure networks.
Notification of work commencement must be submitted to the regional labour inspectorate no later than 8 days before the site handover if the work duration exceeds 30 working days and simultaneously more than 20 persons will work on site for longer than one day, or if the total work volume exceeds 500 person-days.
The site OHS plan is mandatory for projects involving high-risk work as defined by the implementing regulation, or for projects where a notification obligation has arisen. The plan’s content and scope follow Government Regulation No. 591/2006 Coll., particularly Annex No. 6.
What to prepare before the site handover
The worst-case scenario is starting to address OHS on the day the first company arrives on site. By then, the budget is usually allocated, deadlines agreed, and contractors selected. Safety then becomes a catch-up exercise during operations.
Before the site handover, prepare mainly:
| Document | Why it’s important |
|---|---|
| Project design and schedule | Shows which work will run concurrently and where overlapping risks arise. |
| List of contractors | Without it, you cannot assess who will be on site and when. |
| High-risk work | Work at height, excavations, cranes, demolition, hot work, or confined spaces require special attention. |
| Site organisation | Entrances, exits, material storage areas, traffic routes, utility connections, and welfare facilities affect safety just as much as the work itself. |
| Fire safety measures | Escape routes, fire extinguishers, work with flammables, and hot work must align with the actual site operations. |
For a smaller refurbishment, this might mean a few pages of practical rules. For a larger project, it involves systematic coordination, plan updates, and regular records from inspection days or coordination meetings.
The OHS plan is not standard company documentation
A common misconception: a company has its own OHS documentation for its employees and thinks this covers the construction site. However, the site OHS plan serves a different purpose.
Company OHS documentation describes the risks, training, work procedures, and rules of a specific employer. It relates to their operations and employees.
The site OHS plan describes the specific construction project. It addresses the concurrent presence of multiple contractors, the sequence of work, high-risk activities, site organisation, communication between parties, and measures that change according to the construction phase.
| Document or step | Purpose | Typically handled by |
|---|---|---|
| OHS plan | Coordinating risks on a specific construction site | OHS coordinator |
| Notification of work commencement | Information for the regional labour inspectorate | Construction client |
| Company OHS documentation | Internal rules and risk prevention for the employer | Each contractor |
| Risk familiarisation | Proof that workers know the site rules | Contractors in cooperation with the coordinator |
| Inspection and measure records | Ongoing evidence that deficiencies are being addressed | Coordinator, site manager, contractors |
Documentation only makes sense if it’s actually used. A plan sitting in a site hut, never updated, won’t protect the company much during an inspection or after an accident.
What site inspections most frequently target
The labour inspectorate usually doesn’t stop at the plan’s cover page. They are interested in whether the documentation reflects reality and whether people on site are genuinely familiar with the risks.
Typical problems:
- The coordinator is not appointed in writing, even though employees of more than one contractor are working on site.
- The OHS plan does not reflect the actual situation: the schedule changed, subcontractors were added, or high-risk work emerged, but the documentation remained original.
- Contractors are not demonstrably familiarised with the risks and site rules.
- Ongoing records of inspections, identified deficiencies, and measures taken are missing.
- The site operates differently than on paper: the documentation shows one site organisation, but in reality, there are different routes, material storage areas, or work procedures.
In practice, it’s not just about the fine. Worse is when an accident happens, and a retrospective investigation determines who knew about the risk, who should have taken measures, and whether instructions were even communicated to the people on site.
How SOHE approaches it
When you contact us about construction OHS, we don’t start with a generic package. We first need to understand the project.
- Quick obligation assessment. We review the project type, number of contractors, schedule, and high-risk work. We’ll tell you whether you need a coordinator, an OHS plan, notification, or just supplementary documentation.
- Setting the scope. For smaller refurbishments, a one-off assessment and documentation might suffice. For larger projects, ongoing coordination makes sense.
- OHS plan and coordination. We draft or revise the plan, set up communication between contractors, and help keep the documentation aligned with the site reality.
- Links to other obligations. Construction OHS often connects with fire safety, employee training, electrical inspections, and deadline tracking. That’s why it makes sense to address it together with OHS outsourcing or the OHS for companies service.
If you’re unsure what exactly your project needs, send us a basic project description, the number of contractors, and the anticipated schedule via the inquiry form. We’ll tell you where obligations arise and what makes sense to prepare first.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to address OHS on site for an office refurbishment? Yes, if it’s not just routine internal maintenance and multiple contractors are involved. The deciding factors are the specific site organisation, the number of contractors, and the work risks, not just the project name.
Is it enough if each contractor has their own OHS documentation? Not always. Company documentation addresses the risks of an individual employer, but not the concurrent work of multiple contractors on one site. That’s precisely what the OHS plan and coordination are for.
Who should send the notification to the labour inspectorate? The notification obligation lies with the construction client if the legal thresholds are met. In practice, the coordinator or an external OHS provider often helps prepare the necessary documents.
Can the OHS plan be just a generic template? It shouldn’t be. The plan must correspond to the specific construction project, high-risk work, schedule, and site organisation. A template without real project-specific input is a weak point during an inspection.
What if the schedule changes or a contractor is added during construction? The plan and coordination must be updated to reflect the actual situation. Changes during construction are a common reason why formally prepared documentation ceases to match reality.
Sources for this article
- Act No. 309/2006 Coll. – particularly the regulation of the OHS coordinator, OHS plan, and obligations of the client and contractors.
- Government Regulation No. 591/2006 Coll. – minimum occupational health and safety requirements on construction sites and the content of the OHS plan.
- Act No. 318/2025 Coll. – amendment strengthening the role of the OHS coordinator.
- Act No. 251/2005 Coll. – sanctions and powers of the labour inspectorate.
This text is for informational purposes only. For a specific construction project, the scope of work, number of contractors, schedule, and risks must be assessed.
Are you planning a construction project, refurbishment, or operational change where multiple companies will be working together? Get in touch. We’ll assess the obligations, prepare the OHS plan, or propose coordination so the documentation matches reality.