Construction Site Setup – How to Set Up a Construction Site?

Construction Site Setup – Definition

Construction site setup involves surveying the construction site, preparing the ground, securing the construction site, and installing the entire infrastructure around the construction site – from access roads to utility lines to accommodation containers, everything is prepared for construction to begin by the end of the setup. The individual work steps of the construction site setup should be listed in the specifications of the construction contract. It is advisable to coordinate the construction site setup plan with the responsible administrative office. Depending on the size of the construction site, a notification to the responsible authority must be submitted no later than two weeks before the setup and posted prominently on the construction site.

Construction Site Setup Plan – How to Keep Track?

Details of the construction site setup are defined in the construction site setup plan. This clearly shows the location of

• safety equipment such as construction fences or barriers
• storage and scaffolding areas
• transport equipment such as construction roads and access routes
• equipment and construction machinery such as crane positions
• buildings and containers (for example, as break rooms and living quarters, as material storage, or for sanitary facilities)
• utility supply lines (for example, electricity, water, internet, heating, waste)

Legal Regulations for Construction Site Setup – What Should You Pay Attention To?

All guidelines to be observed for construction site setup can be found in the Construction Site Ordinance (BaustellV). It consolidates requirements from the Occupational Safety Act (ArbSchG), the Work Facilities Ordinance (ArbStättV), and traffic safety obligations.

• § 4 of the Occupational Safety Act stipulates that work must be organized in such a way that risks to life and health are avoided and remaining risks are minimized as much as possible. All protective measures, including the safety and health protection plan, must be communicated to employees in an understandable form and language. Violation of the Occupational Safety Act is punishable and can result in imprisonment or a fine (§ 26 ArbSchG).
• The Work Facilities Ordinance includes, for example, ensuring free escape and rescue routes and the availability of first aid materials. Provisions regarding accommodation and break rooms are also found there.
• Traffic safety obligations are intended to prevent damage to third parties. Anyone who creates a potential hazard source on the construction site must take appropriate measures to prevent damage to others. The traffic safety obligation ends when construction work is properly completed. However, if construction work is left unfinished, for example due to contract termination, the traffic safety obligation only ends when it is taken over by someone else. Until then, the previous party responsible for traffic safety is responsible for eliminating hazards and preventing damage. For this reason, a transfer agreement between the client and the contractor is strongly recommended to avoid additional costs. Further information on the legal provisions of the Construction Site Ordinance is provided by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

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Construction Site Setup – What Costs Arise?

The costs for construction site setup are counted as construction ancillary costs. If they are not listed as separate items in the specifications, they are totaled under construction overhead costs. To reduce construction site setup costs as a construction contractor and to remain as independent as possible from time delays caused by limited availability of construction machinery, all equipment for construction site setup can also be flexibly rented online.

Rent Construction Site Setup at klarx

klarx is Europe's leading digital platform for renting construction machinery with more than 530,000 available machines from 5,907 partner stations throughout Germany. For construction site setup, klarx offers a wide range of products that customers can efficiently and conveniently rent online – from barriers to construction roads to scaffolding and containers. Even if a customer orders many different pieces of equipment from various rental partners, klarx is the only contract partner and receives only one rental invoice for their construction project.