AF2 construction notification Ireland PSCS

Direct answer. An Irish construction project expected to last more than 30 working days or 500 person-days must be notified to the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). The client has a design-stage AF1 notification duty; the project supervisor for the construction stage (PSCS) makes the construction-stage AF2 notification before construction starts. Record the project forecast, identify the named PSCS, submit through the current HSA construction-notification service or current accepted form, retain confirmation, and display the notification on site as required. A notification is an administrative duty, not an HSA approval of the design, contractor competence or site safety. HSA construction notification service; HSA Guide for Contractors, AF2 appendix.

This guide addresses the AF2 task, distinct from the broader PSDP/PSCS appointment and design-to-site handover guide, which is an unpublished P4-164 draft and must not be linked until live. The existing Irish construction-safety software page owns the commercial product query. Neither the AF2 form nor a saved copy of it replaces project-specific risk management.

Start with the likely project duration

The HSA's current construction-notification portal states that construction projects lasting longer than 30 days or 500 person-days require notification under the Construction Regulations 2013. The AF2 form appended to HSA's contractor guide uses more than 30 days or 500 person-days. Check the current portal and form for the specific project before submission, especially if dates, workforce or phasing have changed. The test is prospective: use the work programme and reasonable worker forecast, not merely the days already elapsed. HSA construction notification portal.

Person-days means the sum of the normal working shifts spent on construction work by individuals, including supervisors and specialists, as the HSA's AF2 instructions explain. A ten-person crew working twenty working days would represent roughly 200 person-days before including other trades and supervisors. A small crew spread over many weeks may cross the duration threshold even where total person-days remain lower. Include subcontractors and later phases in the forecast; avoid assessing only the principal contractor's staff. Where the programme is borderline, document the calculation and revisit it when the scope changes.

Example. A fit-out is programmed for 26 working days with two crews rotating. The calendar duration appears below 30 days, but the combined workforce may exceed 500 person-days once specialist installers and supervisors are included. The PSCS should calculate the aggregate rather than assume the project is notifiable from the headline programme. Conversely, an 18-day project with a modest crew may be below the notification threshold, but other construction duties can still apply. The absence of an AF2 duty is not a general exemption from safe systems, appointments or coordination.

Separate AF1, AF2 and appointment decisions

The client has a design-stage notification role, commonly associated with AF1. The PSCS has the construction-stage AF2 role. The HSA's portal describes both parties and stages. The appointment of a project supervisor for the design process (PSDP) or PSCS depends on its own Construction Regulations tests. Do not turn the AF2 threshold into a universal appointment threshold; the P4-164 guide sets out the different decision points. HSA client duties; HSA portal.

This distinction matters in multi-contractor work. A client may have appointed the supervisors because of the planned contractor structure even though the project is not expected to cross the AF2 threshold. Conversely, a notifiable construction project needs the PSCS's AF2 process completed as well as the other applicable design and construction arrangements. For a defensible record, keep an appointment decision, notification calculation and submission evidence as separate items.

Prepare the facts before opening the form

The PSCS should obtain the client and project details from the appointment and construction plan rather than inventing them at the submission screen. Create a short preparation sheet with:

1. Client identity and contact details, site address and a clear description of the construction work.
2. Named PSDP and PSCS, with their contact details and effective appointment dates.
3. Expected start date, planned duration, estimated maximum number of workers on site and total person-days.
4. Expected number of contractors, including known subcontractors, and the project phase covered.
5. The person authorised to submit, the method used, and the address or account that will receive confirmation.

The exact fields should be checked on the current HSA system or current AF2 form, because a historic PDF can outlive the live submission route. The HSA's contractor guide contains an AF2 example; the HSA's online construction notification portal is the current operational reference. If a project is split into phases, coordinate the estimate and notification with the actual PSCS responsibility rather than filing inconsistent notices by trade. HSA contractor guide; HSA portal.

Submit before the construction stage begins

Make the AF2 notification early enough to resolve account, form and data issues before construction work begins. The HSA form instructions assign submission to the PSCS before work starts. Submission at the first site meeting after crews have mobilised can leave an avoidable gap. The person entering data should confirm that the named PSCS accepts the duty and that the values match the latest programme. HSA contractor guide.

Keep a copy of the submitted particulars and the system confirmation or other proof of receipt. Record the date, submitter, version of the project estimate and any reference issued. A screenshot of an incomplete screen or a draft PDF is not evidence of completed notification. If the electronic service is unavailable, use the method currently directed by the HSA rather than relying on an obsolete mailing instruction from an old form.

The PSCS should arrange for the required notification copy to be clearly displayed on site. Confirm that the displayed version is legible, accessible and corresponds to the current project. Display is a separate operational check from simply uploading a document to a central folder. The HSA AF2 appendix states that the PSCS should display a copy on the construction site. HSA contractor guide.

What changes after notification?

Treat the initial notice as a current project record. If the start date, duration, workforce estimate, supervisor details or scope changes materially, check the HSA service's change process and update the particulars where required. The AF2 appendix says the form can also be used to provide changes to an initial notification. Do not automatically file a new, unrelated project notice for every revision; preserve the lineage of the original notification and the corrected values. HSA contractor guide.

The change trigger is especially important where a project initially appears below threshold. A four-week renovation may expand into a larger construction phase; the duty should be reconsidered when the forecast changes, not only at completion. Assign one person to monitor the programme and notify the PSCS when actual or planned workforce and duration approach the threshold.

A practical evidence register

For each project, record the calculation date and inputs, the decision maker, client and PSCS details, submission method, confirmation, displayed-copy check, change dates and final archived version. Link the evidence to the actual project, not to a generic company-wide construction folder. A simple register can show:

This table is a workflow example, not a prescribed HSA template. If the PSCS is replaced, retain the original appointment and notice evidence and establish who must update the HSA record and site display. The client and supervisors should be able to reconstruct which information was supplied at each stage.

Common mistakes

• Using AF2 as proof that a project is safe. Notification records particulars; it does not endorse the construction phase plan, risk assessments or contractor performance.
• Counting only one contractor. Use the full construction workforce forecast, including relevant supervisors, specialists and subcontractors.
• Confusing a calendar day with a person-day. They measure different things; calculate both tests separately.
• Treating notification as the appointment test. Appointment, notification and planning duties have different triggers.
• Submitting a draft but keeping no receipt. Preserve the accepted notice and HSA acknowledgement.
• Forgetting the displayed copy. A file on a private drive is not a site display.
• Ignoring scope growth. Revisit the threshold and notice when the project changes.

Where Complys fits

The Irish construction-safety software page is the appropriate place to evaluate Complys for project-document and compliance-record workflows. This guide does not claim Complys calculates AF2 thresholds, submits to HSA, certifies a notification, determines legal duties or keeps the HSA register in sync. The useful next step is to take one upcoming project, document its AF2 decision and confirm the PSCS has an accepted notice and site-display plan where the duty applies.

Primary sources checked 4 October 2026

• HSA construction notification portal — current AF1/AF2 stage description and threshold.
• HSA Guide for Contractors, AF2 appendix — form responsibility, particulars, person-day explanation, timing and display.
• HSA client duties — client stage and distinction from appointments.

Publication gate: Recheck the live HSA notification route, current AF2 form and project-specific threshold wording on the day of publication. A legacy HSA licensing page references 2006 regulations; this draft relies on the HSA's current 2013 portal and contractor guidance.

For the related Complys product, see Construction Safety Software. This guide is general information, not legal advice; verify current requirements against the official sources linked above.