23 April 2026
The Health and Safety Inspectorate (HSI) recently carried out a targeted initiative to better understand how Health and Safety Project Coordinator (HSPC) duties are being applied in practice across the construction industry in Jersey.
Inspectors visited several construction sites and spoke with site managers about their experiences of working with HSPCs. Following these visits, HSI was grateful to meet with a group of HSPCs to gain further insight into the challenges they face when carrying out their role.
Key Feedback from HSPCs
A consistent theme raised during discussions with HSPCs was the timing of their appointment. Many reported that they are frequently engaged too late in the pre-construction phase.
HSPCs have specific legal responsibilities to coordinate health and safety during the design phase of a construction project, as well as to identify and gather relevant pre construction information. HSPCs advised that effectively fulfilling these duties is increasingly difficult where they are not appointed early enough or where insufficient time is allowed for them to influence design decisions.
HSPCs have also encountered delays in the provision of essential documentation by designers and contractors, which is required to complete the health and safety file; such delays impede HSPCs’ ability to discharge their statutory duties.
What the Legislation Requires
Under Regulation 7 of the Health and Safety (Management in Construction) (Jersey) Regulations 2016, for any major construction project, clients are legally required to:
- Appoint a Health and Safety Project Coordinator in writing
- Provide the HSPC with relevant information for the health and safety file
- Allow a realistic timeframe for each stage of the project
Where the client is a domestic client, these responsibilities transfer to the designer or the relevant contractor.
The guidance to the Regulations makes clear that the appointment of an HSPC should be made as early as possible in the design process, ideally at the concept stage. Feedback received during this initiative indicates that this is not routinely happening across the industry.
What Happens Next
HSI will continue to keep this issue in mind during future inspections and site visits. Inspectors may engage with designers and contractors to discuss how and when HSPCs are appointed, and whether sufficient time and information are being provided to allow them to carry out their duties effectively.
Early and meaningful engagement of HSPCs plays an important role in improving health and safety in construction. HSI will continue to promote compliance with the legislation through advice, engagement and, where necessary, enforcement action.
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