Free construction site induction template: CDM-compliant, ready to adapt, with guidance on storing records

1. How to use this template

This template covers all content required under CDM 2015 Regulation 15. It is structured to walk every new worker through the information they need before they begin work on a specific site. Use it as the starting point for your own site induction document.

Before you use it, understand what it is not. It is not a completed induction. It is a structure you must fill in. Every field marked [SITE-SPECIFIC] must be completed with the actual details for the site in question before you hand it to any worker. The legal requirement under CDM 2015 is for a site-specific induction. A template with blank fields does not satisfy that requirement - it is a record of an induction that did not happen.

• Do not photocopy and hand out a blank. An induction form with empty fields is evidence of a failure, not a compliance record. If an HSE inspector or a claimant's solicitor sees a blank muster point field, the inference is clear.
• Do not leave [SITE-SPECIFIC] fields empty. Every one of them exists because the information changes from site to site. Fill them in completely before the induction takes place.
• Use the knowledge check section. It takes 5 minutes and creates a significantly stronger legal record than a signature alone. A passing score is evidence that the worker engaged with and understood the content.
• Paper or digital: this template works on paper. See Section 7 for why a digital approach becomes important as your site count and workforce grows.

2. The complete site induction template

The document below covers all required content areas. Print it, adapt it in Word or Google Docs, or use it as the basis for a digital induction. Fields marked [SITE-SPECIFIC] must be completed for each site. Do not use a version with any of those fields left blank.

3. Filling it in: what cannot be left blank

The [SITE-SPECIFIC] fields are not optional. They exist because that information is different on every site. Filling them in correctly is what turns a template into a compliant induction. Leaving them blank turns a template into evidence that you handed workers a form without inducting them.

The emergency procedures section is the most commonly incomplete. Three fields that must never be left blank under any circumstances:

• The muster point. This must be an exact location, not a reference to signage. "See green signs" is not a muster point. If the worker cannot find the sign in an emergency, they need to already know where to go. Give a description precise enough that a worker who has never been to the site before could locate it without assistance.
• The first aider's name. "Site first aider" is not a name. The worker needs to know who to look for. If the first aider changes, update the form.
• The site emergency contact number. Not "call 999". The site-specific number for reporting an incident to the site manager or emergency coordinator. 999 is for major emergencies. The site number is for everything else.

The hazards section must reflect actual site conditions. If an excavation opened last week and is not in the form, the form is out of date. A worker inducted before that excavation was opened was not inducted on the hazard it creates. If that worker is injured in or near the excavation, the induction record is no defence at all - it documents an induction that predated the hazard.

CSCS card details must be checked and recorded. Write down the card number, card type, and expiry date for every worker. If the card is expired, do not complete the induction and allow the worker onto site. Resolve the card situation first. Inducting a worker onto site with an expired card creates two problems: the certification issue and the record that you were aware of it and proceeded anyway.

The knowledge check answers must be site-specific. Questions 1, 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 all reference specific details from the site. If you use the same answer options across multiple sites without updating them, workers at Site B may be answering questions about Site A's muster point and first aider. The check becomes meaningless and the record it creates is not representative of the induction that actually happened.

4. The knowledge check: why it matters and what to ask

A signature on an induction form proves one thing: the worker was present when the form was signed. It does not prove they read anything, watched anything, listened to anything, or understood anything. In a personal injury claim where the claimant argues they were not told about a specific hazard - and they were not warned the excavation was there, or they did not know the muster point, or they did not understand the PPE requirements - a signature is a thin counter-argument.

A knowledge check with a recorded passing score is different. It creates a documented record that the worker was tested on the safety-critical content and answered the questions correctly. For the specific claim that "I was not told about X", a documented correct answer to a question about X is strong counter-evidence. This is why the most defensible inductions in the industry include a knowledge check as a standard part of the process.

What to ask. The questions should test the safety-critical information that is specific to this site:

• The muster point location - this is the single most important question
• The first aider's name
• The key site-specific hazards and the controls in place
• The near miss reporting requirement
• The minimum PPE requirement
• Any site-specific rule that is particularly important for the client or project

Pass threshold. Industry practice ranges from 70% to 80%. For a 10-question check, that is 7 or 8 correct answers. Set the threshold before the induction starts and apply it consistently. If a worker fails, they review the relevant sections and retake. The retake score should also be recorded.

Record the score. The score becomes part of the permanent induction record. "Pass" or "fail" alone is not sufficient - record the actual score (e.g. 8/10) so that the record reflects the level of engagement with the content. In a claim or inspection, this is the most defensible element of the induction record.

The digital advantage. Online inductions with built-in quizzes mark automatically, record scores against verified worker identities, and require a passing score before the worker can proceed. There is no manual marking, no "I think they passed", and no risk of a score being recorded incorrectly. The score is part of the permanent digital record and cannot be amended after the fact.

5. Record-keeping and storage

Completing the induction is half the obligation. The other half is keeping the record in a way that means it can be found and produced when required. An induction that happened but cannot be proven is legally equivalent to an induction that did not happen.

How long to keep records. Personal injury claims can be brought up to 3 years from the date of the accident, or 3 years from the date the claimant gained knowledge of the injury in some cases. In practice, retain induction records for a minimum of 3 years after the end of the project. Retaining for 6 years is prudent for any project that carried significant risk. There is no upper limit on retention - storing records indefinitely in a digital system costs nothing and creates no downside.

The paper problem. Paper induction records from a project that ended 2 years ago are often simply gone. Ring binders get thrown away when site offices close. Forms get wet, damaged, or misfiled. A fire or flood destroys physical records permanently. These are not theoretical risks - they happen regularly, and they happen at exactly the moment when a record is needed most. Paper records cannot satisfy the retention requirement if they do not survive long enough to be retrieved.

What a record must show to be useful. When an HSE inspector or a claimant's solicitor asks for the induction record for a named worker, the record needs to answer all of the following without ambiguity:

• Worker name and identity (not just a signature that could be anyone's)
• Date and time of induction
• Which version of the induction content they completed
• Who delivered the induction
• The knowledge check score and whether the result was a pass

Version control. When you update the induction - because a new hazard was identified, the muster point moved, or the emergency procedures changed - mark the updated document as a new version. Workers who completed the previous version before the significant change should be informed of the change and, where the change is material, should complete the updated version. The version number in the record allows you to demonstrate which content each worker was inducted on and when.

6. When to update the induction

A site induction is not a document you produce at the start of a project and file away. Sites change. The induction must reflect current conditions. The obligation to induct is an ongoing one, not a one-time task.

Update the induction when any of the following occur:

• A new hazard is identified during the project. An excavation that was not in the original scope. Asbestos found in materials that were expected to be clear. A temporary structure or crane that changes access routes. Any significant new hazard requires the induction to be updated before workers are exposed to it.
• A change to emergency procedures. The muster point moves. A new first aider takes over from the previous one. Emergency contact numbers change. These are the most safety-critical fields in the induction. Workers relying on out-of-date information about where to go in an emergency are at risk.
• A change to site rules or access arrangements. New client requirements. Changes to the permit to work system. New restricted areas. Any change that affects how workers must behave on site.
• A change to the PPE requirement. A new task or area requires additional PPE that was not in the original induction.

When conditions change materially, workers who are already present on site should be informed of the change as soon as possible. A toolbox talk is the standard method for this. Newly arriving workers after the change should complete the updated induction. The version number ensures the record reflects which content each worker received.

There is no fixed legal interval for re-induction, but many contractors adopt a policy of re-inducting workers who have been absent for more than 4 weeks, on the basis that site conditions may have changed significantly during that time. Workers moving to a different site always require a new induction for that site, regardless of how recently they were inducted at another location.

7. Going digital: when a paper template is no longer enough

The paper template above works. For a single site with a small, stable workforce, a well-maintained paper induction register is a defensible compliance record. Use it. File it properly. Keep it safe. At the end of the project, retain the records as described in Section 5.

Paper templates reach their limits quickly as your operation grows. The inflection point is typically around 20 or more workers, or 3 or more concurrent sites. At that scale, the administrative overhead of paper becomes significant:

• Tracking who has been inducted at which site requires manual cross-referencing between multiple ring binders
• Distributing updated versions to workers who need to re-complete affected sections requires chasing individuals
• Version control across multiple sites is difficult to maintain reliably with paper
• Producing records for an HSE inspection or legal request requires locating physical documents that may be in different locations
• Supply chain workers completing inductions on a shared tablet under a single login creates identity problems in the record

Digital site inductions solve all of these problems. A site induction built once in a digital system can be deployed to any number of workers by link. Workers complete on their phone - no app download required for browser-based systems. Completion is recorded automatically with a timestamp and the worker's verified identity. Quiz scores are recorded against the individual record. Version control is automatic. Records are accessible from any device, from anywhere, indefinitely.

The specific advantage for supply chain management is significant. When a subcontractor worker arrives on site, they complete the induction on their own phone. Their completion record is linked to their verified identity - not a shared login. Their record travels with them across all sites they work on. When the principal contractor updates the induction, workers who need to re-complete receive an automatic notification.

AttendIQ lets you build the induction once and reuse it across projects, adapting the site-specific content for each location. Workers complete on their phone. The quiz is built in and marked automatically. Records are stored permanently in each worker's digital passport. Workers who have not completed the current version of the induction for the site they are clocking into are automatically blocked. You do not need a gate check - the system enforces it. See our guide on online vs in-person site inductions for a full comparison of the two approaches.

For a team of 5 on a single site: the paper template on this page is perfectly adequate. Use it properly, file the records, and retain them. For a growing company managing multiple sites and a rotating supply chain workforce: a digital system pays for itself quickly in saved administration time, reduced compliance risk, and the confidence that every record is where it needs to be when it is needed.

8. Frequently asked questions