Construction Site Coordinator (SiGeKo)
Health-and-safety coordination across multiple contractors, drafting the SiGe-Plan and the advance notice. Appointed by the client where works overlap, per the Construction Site Ordinance and RAB 30.
BaustellV § 3 · RAB 30
Talk to us about Construction Site Coordinator (SiGeKo)
Three lines and you are in our inbox. We reply within one business day.
What is a Construction Site Coordinator (SiGeKo)?
The construction site coordinator, known in Germany as SiGeKo, coordinates occupational safety across several contractors working on one site. The legal foundation is the Baustellenverordnung (BaustellV), the German construction site ordinance transposing EU Directive 92/57/EEC on temporary or mobile construction sites. § 3 Para. 1 BaustellV is the decisive provision: the party responsible under § 4, meaning the client (Bauherr) or a third party commissioned by the client, appoints one or more suitable coordinators as soon as employees of more than one employer are active on the site. That party may also perform the coordinator tasks itself. The coordinator does not replace site management, the role sits at the interface between the trades.
The role splits into two phases. In the planning phase the coordinator, under § 3 Para. 2 BaustellV, coordinates the measures required by § 2 Para. 1, into which the general principles of § 4 ArbSchG have to be worked, so that works which endanger each other are separated before they are tendered. In the execution phase, under § 3 Para. 3 BaustellV, the coordinator organises cooperation between the employers, watches that they meet their duties, coordinates the monitoring of correct working procedures, and adjusts the SiGe-Plan when the works change. RAB 30 details the structure of that coordination.
Two documents anchor the role. The Vorankündigung (advance notice) under § 2 Para. 2 BaustellV is transmitted by the party responsible under § 4, at the latest two weeks before the site is set up, then displayed on site and adjusted on material changes. The SiGe-Plan, the health and safety plan under § 2 Para. 3 BaustellV, is required where that notice is mandatory or particularly hazardous works listed in Annex II are carried out, and the coordinator draws it up under § 3 Para. 2 No. 2. A third file, on residual risks under § 3 Para. 2 No. 3, is handed over with the finished structure.
In practice the evidence decides. An inspection looks at the written appointment with a clear split between the two phases, minutes of the coordination meetings, records of site walks with findings and deadlines, and the SiGe-Plan version valid on the day. Common objections are an appointment made only after construction started and a plan untouched since the tender. Commissioning suitable coordinators does not discharge the client from responsibility, as § 3 Para. 1a BaustellV makes clear.
Duties of the Construction Site Coordinator
- Draw up and adjust the SiGe-Plan, the health and safety plan, under § 3 Para. 2 No. 2 and Para. 3 No. 3 BaustellV
- Feed into the Vorankündigung (advance notice) that the client or the third party commissioned under § 4 BaustellV transmits at the latest two weeks before the site is set up (§ 2 Para. 2 BaustellV)
- Coordinate the measures under § 2 Para. 1 BaustellV, into which the general principles of § 4 ArbSchG have to be worked
- Coordinate the application of those principles during execution and resolve overlapping hazards between the trades
- Coordinate the monitoring of correct working procedures by the employers under § 3 Para. 3 No. 5 BaustellV
- Compile the file on residual risks under § 3 Para. 2 No. 3 BaustellV covering later maintenance and demolition
- Watch that employers and self-employed contractors meet their duties under the BaustellV (§ 3 Para. 3 No. 2)
- Cover the particularly hazardous works of Annex II BaustellV with specific measures in the SiGe-Plan
- Liaise with the trade association, the supervisory authority and the appointed Fachkraft für Arbeitssicherheit
Appointment of the Construction Site Coordinator
The duty to appoint rests under § 3 Para. 1 BaustellV with the party responsible under § 4 BaustellV, that is the client (Bauherr) or a third party commissioned to take those measures on its own responsibility. Appointment is mandatory as soon as employees of more than one employer are active on the site, because the coordination of overlapping hazards cannot be left to the individual contractors. The thresholds of 30 working days with more than 20 workers, or 500 person-days, do not trigger the appointment; under § 2 Para. 2 BaustellV they trigger the advance notice. Under § 3 Para. 1 sentence 2 BaustellV the client or the commissioned third party may also perform the coordinator tasks itself. A formal written appointment is recommended so the scope of tasks and the two phases are clearly defined.
The coordinator must be suitable in the sense of RAB 30. Suitability combines a recognised construction-technical training, several years of professional experience on construction sites, and specific knowledge of occupational safety coordination acquired through a corresponding training course. The client should verify these qualifications before appointment and document the verification.
Where the works trigger the advance notice or include particularly hazardous activities from Annex II BaustellV, the SiGe-Plan has to exist before the site is set up and the coordinator must already be involved during the design phase. Appointing the coordinator only once construction has started defeats the planning-phase purpose and is a common ground for complaints by the supervisory authority. Commissioning suitable coordinators does not discharge the client from responsibility, as § 3 Para. 1a BaustellV states.
- Employees of more than one employer are active on the construction site (§ 3 Para. 1 BaustellV)
- The site exceeds the thresholds of § 2 Para. 2 BaustellV, so the client must file an advance notice and a SiGe-Plan becomes mandatory
- Particularly hazardous works under Annex II BaustellV are planned
- Several trades work simultaneously or in close succession with overlapping hazards
- The client commissions the works as a commercial or public Bauherr
Industries and Sectors
- Structural and civil engineering (Hoch- und Tiefbau)
- Road, rail and infrastructure construction
- Industrial plant construction and turnarounds
- Public-sector building projects and tenders
- Property development and general contracting
- Facade, roofing and scaffolding works
- Demolition and refurbishment projects
- Energy and utility network construction
How CIVAC supports the Construction Site Coordinator role
CIVAC collects the paperwork the Baustellenverordnung (BaustellV, the German construction site ordinance) and RAB 30 ask for in one place. The safety and health plan (SiGe-Plan), the advance notice and the file for later works are kept as documents with version history, so changes in the execution phase stay traceable and the version valid at a given date is still findable. Site walks and coordination meetings run as tasks with an owner, a due date and a reminder, every protective measure can be assigned to the contractor responsible, and open findings stay visible until somebody closes them.
Appointment papers and the coordinator suitability evidence under RAB 30 sit centrally for the supervisory authority, next to the split between planning and execution phase. Training deadlines are shown before they lapse, so the qualification behind the appointment stays current across projects. The append-only audit trail records who filed which version and when. The role can be held in-house or placed externally, at 49 euros per role per month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Need this officer role for your organisation?
Appoint our experts as your external officer or license CIVAC for your in-house team. Get in touch and we walk you through the right setup.