In environments where workers from different companies work together – such as on construction sites, in factories, logistics centers or shared buildings – a key shared responsibility arises: the coordination of business activities (CAE). This legal obligation, which is often complex and full of paperwork, has the ultimate goal of protecting the health and safety of all workers present, regardless of which company they belong to.
If your organization contracts external services, collaborates with subcontractors or shares space with other companies or groups, knowing and correctly applying the CAE is essential. In this article we explain what your obligations are and how you can simplify their management to avoid risks, penalties and unnecessary duplication.
What is the Coordination of Business Activities?
The coordination of business activities refers to the set of measures to be adopted by companies when several contractors or subcontractors operate in the same work center. The aim is to ensure that all parties involved collaborate in the prevention of occupational risks.
This obligation is regulated in Royal Decree 171/2004, which develops Article 24 of the Occupational Risk Prevention Law. It establishes the need to share relevant information, plan joint work and supervise that all companies comply with the required safety conditions.
Which companies are obliged to comply with the Coordination of Business Activities?
The CAE affects:
- Principal companies that contract external services or activities to them.
- Contractors and subcontractors performing tasks at other sites.
- Concurrent companies sharing the same space or facilities.
In short, all companies that share a work center are obliged to actively collaborate in preventive coordination, regardless of their contractual role.
Main legal obligations of the CAE
Complying with the CAE implies assuming concrete responsibilities, such as:
- Informing concurrent companies about the risks of the work center.
- Request and verify the preventive documentation of the contracted companies (risk assessments, training certificates, etc.).
- Coordinate activities that may interfere with each other.
- Designate preventive resources if the situation requires it.
- Supervise and control compliance with security measures.
Failure to comply with these obligations may result in serious administrative sanctions, occupational accidents and even criminal liability in the event of negligence.
The great challenge: document management
One of the biggest practical difficulties of CAE is the management of all the required documentation, which may include:
- Contracts.
- Training certificates.
- Medical examinations.
- Specific risk assessments.
- Safety and emergency plans.
The volume of files and their constant updating means that many companies fall into the “paper for compliance” trap, with no real control or verification. This is not only inefficient, but also generates a hidden risk in case of inspection or incident.
How to simplify the coordination of business activities?
The digitalization of the CAE has become the best ally for companies that want to ensure regulatory compliance without overflowing with bureaucracy. Through specialized digital platforms, it is possible:
- Automate the request and validation of documentation.
- Have alerts of maturities or defaults.
- Centralize all information in a single environment.
- Ensure secure and orderly access to documents by all parties involved.
In addition, these tools offer great traceability, activity records and evidence that reinforce legal compliance in the event of audits or inspections.
Make CAE easy with tools that save you time and hassle
Does your company manage contracts, subcontracts or external services? Then you already know that the coordination of business activities is not optional. Having a digital solution such as Prodity allows you to keep everything under control, reduce risks and free up time to focus on what’s important: your business.
