Single Staff Register

Single Staff Register (Registre unique du personnel): what the project manager needs to know to avoid having undeclared workers on site — and risking a criminal offense

“As soon as new workers arrive on site, fill in the Single Staff Register.” This line in the CR’s general provisions isn’t a best-practice recommendation — it’s a reminder of a legal obligation. Failing to keep it exposes the employer to a fine and constitutes undeclared work.

1. Operational definition + common mistake

The registre unique du personnel (Single Staff Register) is the mandatory document every employer must keep, listing, in order of hiring, all employees who work for them (Articles L1221-13 to L1221-15 of the Labor Code). On a construction site, it must be kept by every contractor working on site — including subcontractors — and be available at any time for a labor-inspectorate check.

It’s distinct from the CSPS’s coordination logbook (a safety-coordination document) and the daily attendance register (an internal site document). It lists the contractor’s own employees, not visitors or one-off workers.

Many assume the Single Staff Register is just an internal HR document with no connection to the site — in reality, it must be present at the workplace (Article R1221-26), meaning on site. Its absence can constitute undeclared work and lead to criminal penalties for the contractor and, in some cases, implicate the client.

2. Where it appears

In a site meeting report — in the general provisions or the health & safety section, reminding of the obligation whenever a new worker arrives. In this CR:

“As soon as new workers arrive on site, fill in the Single Staff Register.”
“We remind all contractors that employing undeclared labor is prohibited.”

3. How to read this entry in the CR

If you read “fill in the Single Staff Register” → check at your next visit that the register is present on site and accessible. If the contractor doesn’t have it, flag it as an ACTION.

If new workers arrive → systematically restate this obligation in the CR. The register must be updated even before the employee starts working.

If a labor inspection occurs → the register must be produced immediately. Being unable to provide it on request is an offense recorded on the spot.

4. Who does what

5. What this changes in practice

A project manager who regularly restates the obligation and checks for the register’s presence can prevent undeclared-work situations and protect the client from joint liability. A project manager who never raises this topic risks being found to have failed their duty of vigilance if an inspection reveals undeclared work.

Failure scenario: the labor inspectorate visits the site. The general contractor cannot produce the register. The inspector finds 3 workers on site who aren’t declared. The contractor is charged with undeclared work. The client, subject to a duty of vigilance, is questioned about what they did to verify their contractors were meeting their obligations.

6. Example of real wording

“As soon as new workers arrive on site, fill in the Single Staff Register.”

“We remind all contractors that employing undeclared labor is prohibited.”

7. Points of caution

• The Single Staff Register is distinct from the CSPS’s coordination logbook: one is an HR document; the other is a safety-coordination document.

• A subcontractor must keep their own register: the main contractor’s register doesn’t cover the subcontractor’s employees.

• The register must be on site, not at the contractor’s head office.

• An intern, a temp worker, or a posted employee must also appear in the register.

• The contractor can be inspected by the labor inspectorate at any time, without notice.

8. Not to be confused with

9. Related terms

Same phase (execution / HSE): Carte BTP · CSPS · PGC · PPSPS · Undeclared work

Same actor (MOE/contractor): Subcontractor approval · VIC · General provisions of the CR