CDM 2015
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
Principal Designer / CDM Consultant
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 replaced the CDM 2007 Regulations on the 6th April 2015 with new duty holder responsibilities and placed enhanced responsibilities on Clients. Safetywise Consultancy Ltd along with CCS Organisation LTD, acting as Principal Designer or as CDM Consultant, can assist a Client comply with their legal responsibilities as defined in the current legislation and all other safety in construction matters.
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are intended to protect the health and safety of people working in construction and others affected by the works.
The Client has overall health and safety responsibility for the successful execution of a project with the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor taking the lead during different phases of a project.
Clients must ensure that construction work is carried out, so far as is reasonably practicable, without risk to the health and safety of workers and others. Client duties include:
- Prepare a client brief
- Make and maintain management arrangements
- Raise a notification of project when applicable
- Make suitable appointments
- Provide background pre-construction health and safety information
- Ensure a construction phase plan is in place for the start of site works and is maintained
- Ensure suitable site welfare is in place throughout the construction period
- Ensure the Principal Designer prepares a health and safety file, to be passed on when an asset is sold
- Ensure the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor comply with their duties
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For construction sites that have been identified as having more than one contractor, Clients have a responsibility to appoint a Principal Designer and a Principal Contractor.
The Principal Designer’s role is to plan, manage and monitor the co-ordination of health and safety in the pre-construction design phase of the project.
As the appointed Principal Designer’s we shall assist the Client with the project set up, identify, obtain and collate pre-construction information and distribute, advise on missing information, co-ordinate health and safety, ensure Designers comply with their duties, liaise with the Principal Contractor, prepare the health and safety file or pass responsibility to the Principal Contractor and comply with core designer obligations.
The Principal Designer should have the necessary designer skills, knowledge and experience to carry out this role in a way that secures health and safety. Health & Safety Europe meets the core requirements for appointment as Principal Designer.
As CDM Consultants acting for Clients we can implement delegated duties such as notification of a project to the Health & Safety Executive, collation and issue of pre-construction information, advice on missing information, review and comment on the Principal Contractor’s Construction Phase Plan and welfare arrangements. Working with the Principal Designer Health & Safety Europe can ensure that Designers are complying with their obligations under CDM 2015 and implement audit procedures to ensure that both the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor are also complying.
In addition, when required, Safetywise Consultancy Ltd can act as sub-consultants to Principal Designers.
A Principal Designer’s role when working on a project for a Domestic client is no different to their role when carrying out work for a commercial client. They must still carry out the duties set out in regulations 8, 11 and 12 in proportion to the risks involved in the project. But, the effect of regulation 7 is to transfer the duties of the domestic client to another dutyholder. This can be the Principal Designer when the Domestic client chooses to enter into a written agreement with the Principal Designer to transfer the client duties to them.
A domestic client who controls the way in which any construction work is carried out by a person at work must comply with the requirements of this Part so far as they relate to matters within the client’s control. (Please call free advice)
