Construction site safety

What does Royal Decree 1627/1997 regulate?

Construction involves serious risks (falls from heights, burials, entrapment, falling objects, electrical hazards, machinery accidents) and a complex organizational structure with multiple companies that change throughout the project. Royal Decree 1627/1997 addresses this reality with a prevention model that begins at the project stage, with tiered responsibilities and documentation that accompanies the work from its design to its completion. It applies to the construction and civil engineering works listed in Annex I, including both building and civil engineering projects.

The Royal Decree is integrated with Law 32/2006, which regulates subcontracting in the construction sector, and its implementing regulations (Royal Decree 1109/2007), which limit subcontracting levels, require the Subcontracting Register and the Register of Accredited Companies, and with Royal Decree 39/1997 and Law 31/1995 regarding preventive resources, coordination of activities, and training. The general collective agreement for the construction sector specifies occupational safety training and the Construction Professional Card.

The INSST publishes a technical guide for the assessment and prevention of risks related to construction works that interprets the royal decree and its annex IV of minimum provisions.

Roles and responsibilities

• Promoter. Natural or legal person on whose behalf the work is carried out; designates the coordinators, commissions the study or basic health and safety study, approves the plan through the coordinator and makes the prior notice integrated in the opening communication.
• Project designer. Integrates prevention into the project in accordance with the principles of article 15 of Law 31/1995 and article 8 of the royal decree.
• Health and safety coordinator during the project phase. Mandatory when several designers are involved; coordinates the application of preventive principles in the design and prepares or commissions the health and safety study.
• Health and safety coordinator during the execution phase. Mandatory when more than one company is involved, or a company and self-employed workers, or several self-employed workers; coordinates the application of prevention principles, approves the health and safety plan, organizes the coordination of activities, controls access to the work site and adopts the necessary measures, with the powers of article 9.
• Contractor and subcontractors. They apply the principles of preventive action, comply with the health and safety plan, inform and train workers, follow the coordinator’s instructions, and designate preventive resources when required.
• Self-employed workers. They comply with the minimum provisions of Annex IV, the coordination obligations and the health and safety plan, and use compliant equipment.
• Project management. Technicians appointed by the developer for the direction and control of the execution; assumes the functions of the coordinator when their appointment is not mandatory.

Construction-site documentation

• Health and safety study. Mandatory in works with a contract execution budget equal to or greater than 450,759.08 euros, an estimated duration of more than 30 working days with more than 20 simultaneous workers, a labor volume greater than 500 days or in tunnels, galleries, underground conduits and dams; it contains a report, specifications, plans, measurements and budget.
• Basic health and safety study. For the rest of the works, with the preventive measures and technical protections for the foreseen risks.
• Health and safety plan. Prepared by each contractor based on the study, it analyzes, studies, develops and complements its provisions according to its own execution system; it is approved before the start by the coordinator or, in public works, by the Administration; it can be modified during the work.
• Incident logbook. For the purpose of monitoring and tracking the plan; the entries are communicated to the affected contractor and their representatives, and in case of work stoppage or repeated non-compliance, to the Labor Inspectorate.
• Opening notice. Prior to the start of work, addressed to the labor authority, which forms part of the prior notice and accompanies the health and safety plan.
• Subcontracting Book. Required by Law 32/2006 to reflect the subcontracting chain and its limits.

Organizational application: how to manage prevention on construction sites

1. Appoint the health and safety coordinator for the project and during execution from the beginning and document their appointment.
2. Prepare the study or basic study with real risks of the work and its environment, and require each contractor to have a specific, not generic, health and safety plan approved before starting.
3. Formalize the coordination of activities: regular meetings, exchange of information, access control and accreditation of companies and people.
4. Verify the subcontracting chain, the Subcontracting Book and the registration in the Register of Accredited Companies.
5. Check the occupational safety training and risk information for each worker, including the self-employed.
6. Plan collective protections (guardrails, nets, scaffolding, shoring) in phases and designate preventive resources in work with special risks.
7. Use the incident logbook, investigate incidents, and update the plan when the construction process changes.

Preventive management software allows you to manage the documentation of the work, the accreditation of companies and workers, inspections by phase and incidents with shared traceability between promoter, coordinator and contractors.

Limits and common mistakes

1. Using generic health and safety studies and plans, copied from other projects, without adapting them to the actual construction process.
2. Starting work without plan approval, without opening notification, or without a designated coordinator.
3. Consider that the designation of the coordinator exempts the promoter and the contractors from their responsibilities.
4. Tolerating subcontracting beyond permitted levels or with non-accredited companies.
5. Rely on individual equipment for fall protection when collective protection is possible.
6. Do not update the plan in response to changes in phase, auxiliary resources, or participating companies.

The thresholds for the safety and health study, the figures and the obligations must be verified in the consolidated text of Royal Decree 1627/1997 and in the INSST technical guide.

Regulatory framework in Spain

• Royal Decree 1627/1997, of October 24. Minimum safety and health provisions in construction works.
• Law 32/2006, of October 18. Regulation of subcontracting in the construction sector.
• Royal Decree 1109/2007, of August 24. Development of Law 32/2006: Register of Accredited Companies and Subcontracting Book.
• INSST technical guide on construction works . Criteria for the application of Royal Decree 1627/1997.
• Council Directive 92/57/EEC of 24 June 1992. Minimum health and safety requirements for temporary or mobile construction sites.

In Colombia, construction safety is regulated, among others, by Resolution 4272 of 2021 of the Ministry of Labor on work at heights and by the SG-SST of Decree 1072 of 2015.