RAMS & CPP for Commercial Fitout
What compliance documents you need for shop fitting, office refurbishment, and commercial interior work — and how The Site Book handles it for you.
Written by Nicola Dobbie, Founder, The Site Book — Last reviewed
TL;DR
- CPP: Required — CDM 2015 applies to every construction project.
- RAMS: Mandatory — building managers will review and approve before issuing a permit to work.
- Key hazards: Working alongside building occupants, fire escape route maintenance, and asbestos in older commercial buildings.
What compliance do you need?
Commercial fitout work has some of the strictest compliance requirements in construction. Building managers, managing agents, and commercial clients all expect comprehensive documentation before you're allowed on site. CDM 2015 applies in full, and commercial clients have additional duties compared to domestic clients.
Do you need a CPP?
Yes. A Construction Phase Plan is essential for commercial fitout. It should cover coordination with building management, permit-to-work procedures, fire safety during the works, dust and noise management, and how you'll maintain safe access for building occupants throughout.
Do you need RAMS?
RAMS are mandatory on virtually all commercial fitout projects. The building management will review and approve your RAMS before issuing a permit to work. They need to cover all your activities on site, from strip-out through to final fix and snagging.
Common hazards
- Working alongside building occupants and the public
- Dust and noise control in occupied buildings
- Asbestos in older commercial buildings (ceiling tiles, pipe lagging)
- Working at height — suspended ceilings, mezzanines, shopfronts
- Fire safety — maintaining escape routes during works
- Electrical hazards from existing services and new installations
- Manual handling of shopfitting materials and fixtures
- Coordination of multiple trades in tight spaces and timescales
How The Site Book handles it
Describe your project — "restaurant fitout, ground floor unit, occupied building" — and The Site Book creates your RAMS and CPP automatically. It identifies commercial-specific hazards including occupied building considerations, permit-to-work requirements, and multi-trade coordination.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need RAMS for a commercial fitout?
- Yes. RAMS are essential for commercial fitout work. The client, managing agent, or building management will almost certainly require RAMS before you're allowed on site. This applies to shop fitting, office refurbishment, restaurant fitout, and any other commercial interior work.
- What CDM duties apply to commercial fitout projects?
- Commercial fitout projects must comply with CDM 2015. The commercial client has specific duties (unlike domestic clients) including appointing a principal designer and principal contractor on multi-contractor projects. A Construction Phase Plan is mandatory, and the project may be notifiable to the HSE depending on its duration and workforce size.
- Do I need a permit to work in a commercial building?
- Most commercial buildings require a permit-to-work system for construction activities. This typically covers hot works, working at height, electrical isolation, and any work that triggers fire alarms or affects building services. Your RAMS and CPP will usually need to be approved by the building management before a permit is issued.
- What about working in occupied commercial buildings?
- Working in occupied buildings adds extra considerations — dust and noise control, maintaining fire escape routes, coordinating with building occupants, securing the work area from the public, and managing deliveries through shared loading bays. Your CPP should address all of these.
What's included at each tier
| Feature | Starter£0 | Pro Monthly£39/mo | Pro Annual£30/mo | Business£99/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First project free | — | — | — | |
| RAMS generator | ||||
| PDF download | ||||
| Worker sign-off | ||||
| Unlimited projects | ||||
| CPP generator | ||||
| COSHH library | ||||
| Team members | — | — | ||
| Priority support | ||||
| Site inductions | — | |||
| Toolbox talks | — | |||
| Multi-site rollout | — | |||
| Save £108/yr vs monthly | — | — | — |
Honest pros and cons
Pros
- Phased-working and out-of-hours permit templates built in
- Fire alarm isolation and reinstatement procedures pre-filled
- Principal contractor coordination notes attached to every RAMS
- Occupied-building access control in method statements
Cons
- No CAFM (Concept, Planon) integration for landlord approvals
- Building Regs Part B fire strategy sign-off is still manual
- M&E commissioning certificates handled outside the platform
Why The Site Book
- Only UK construction compliance tool that ships RAMS + CPP + COSHH + inductions + worker sign-off in one flat-rate subscription.
- AI-generated documents are site-specific from a natural-language brief, not a template library you hand-fill -cuts writing a RAMS from 2 hours to under 5 minutes.
- Worker sign-off, PCPP import, cert tracking, and document checking are included at the entry tier, not locked behind an enterprise plan.
- Transparent flat-rate pricing starting at £30/mo -no per-seat surprise as the team grows.
Get your fitout docs sorted
Describe your job, get professional RAMS and CPP in minutes. No credit card required.