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

Construction Site Setup – Definition

Construction site setup encompasses all work and facilities necessary to ensure safe and economical work on the construction site. This includes preparing the site, securing it against third parties, access roads and storage areas, supply of electricity and water, as well as accommodations, offices and sanitary facilities for workers.

Construction site setup has three phases:

1. Setting up: Delivering, installing and connecting all facilities before construction begins
2. Maintaining: Operating, servicing and adjusting during the construction period
3. Clearing: Dismantling, removing and restoring the site after construction ends

Which services the contractor provides should be regulated in the scope of work in the construction contract.

What is Included in Construction Site Setup?

Depending on the size of the construction project, you typically need:

• Safety: construction fencing, barriers, personnel airlocks, construction signs, signage and warning lights
• Traffic areas: construction roads, access roads, storage and parking areas
• Room systems: containers for office, break and rest room, material storage or accommodation, alternatively construction trailers
• Sanitary facilities: mobile toilet cabins, sanitary and wash containers
• Supply: construction power with power distributors or power generators, water, tanks for water or fuel, internet, heating and lighting
• Disposal: waste containers and bins for waste separation
• Lifting and access technology: cranes, scaffolding and lifts, stair towers
• Occupational safety: first aid materials, fire extinguishers, clearly marked emergency and evacuation routes

Construction Site Setup Plan – How to Keep Track?

The construction site setup plan (BE plan) specifies where what goes on the construction site. It is a scale drawing of the construction site and shows the location of

• safety equipment such as construction fencing, gates and barriers
• access roads, construction roads and turning areas
• storage and scaffolding areas
• crane positions including swing radius
• containers for office, break room, sanitary and storage
• supply lines and connection points for electricity, water and sewage
• areas for waste containers

A good setup plan also takes the construction schedule into account. For longer projects, it's worthwhile to adapt it for each construction phase, for example when the crane is relocated or storage areas are built on.

Permits and Prior Notice

Use of public areas: If sidewalks, streets or parking lots are used for containers, construction fencing or cranes, you typically need a special use permit from the municipality and a traffic order from the traffic authority. Plan several weeks in advance for this and clarify the requirements early with your local authorities.

Prior notice according to Construction Site Regulation: The building owner must notify the competent occupational safety authority at least two weeks before setup if

• the work lasts longer than 30 working days and more than 20 employees work simultaneously, or
• the scope of work exceeds 500 person-days.

The notice must be clearly posted on the construction site.

Legal Requirements – What Should You Pay Attention To?

Several regulations apply to construction site setup:

• Occupational Safety Act (ArbSchG ): According to § 4, work must be designed to prevent hazards to life and health as much as possible and keep remaining hazards low. According to § 12, employees must be instructed clearly about hazards and protective measures.
• Construction Site Regulation (BaustellV ): It supplements the Occupational Safety Act specifically for construction sites. In addition to prior notice, it requires the building owner to appoint a Safety and Health Coordinator (SiGeKo) once employees of multiple employers work on the site. In certain cases, a Safety and Health Plan (SiGe Plan) must also be drawn up.
• Workplace Regulation (ArbStättV ): It regulates, among other things, free emergency and evacuation routes, first aid facilities, break and standby rooms, accommodations and toilets. It is detailed by the Technical Rules for Workplaces (ASR).
• DGUV Regulation 38 "Construction Work": The accident prevention regulation of the employers' liability insurance association contains specific requirements for safe work on construction sites.
• State Building Code: It regulates, among other things, construction signs and site security. Details vary by federal state.

Violations of occupational safety obligations can be prosecuted as administrative offenses with fines up to €30,000 (§ 25 ArbSchG). Anyone who deliberately endangers the life or health of employees commits an offense (§ 26 ArbSchG).

Duty to Secure Against Traffic

Whoever creates a hazard source on the construction site must ensure that third parties are not harmed, for example through construction fencing, barriers, signage and lighting. The obligation arises from civil law (§ 823 BGB) and ends when construction work is properly completed.

If work is terminated early, for example after a contract cancellation, the previously responsible party remains liable for securing the site until someone else takes over. A written takeover agreement between client and contractor provides clarity here and avoids additional costs.

Further information is available from the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs and the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Construction Site Setup – What Costs Are Involved?

In cost planning according to DIN 276, construction site setup belongs to cost group 391. In the construction company's calculation, it is either shown as a separate item in the scope of work or included in the general construction site costs.

Costs typically consist of three blocks:

• One-time costs for setup: transport, assembly, connections, permit fees
• Time-dependent costs for maintenance: rental of containers, construction fencing, toilets and equipment, consumption of electricity and water, cleaning and maintenance
• One-time costs for clearing: dismantling, transport away, restoring the site

How high the costs are mainly depends on the construction period, the size of the construction site and the number of employees. Because maintenance costs continue to accumulate every day, it pays to take a close look at the rental period. Rental equipment can be flexibly adapted to the construction schedule, returned on time and conveniently rented online.

Rent Construction Site Setup from 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 that customers can efficiently and conveniently rent online – from barriers to construction roads to scaffolding and containers. Even if you order many different devices from various rental partners, klarx is your only contract partner and you receive only one rental invoice for your construction project.