The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 place duties on clients, contractors and designers involved in the construction process to re-address their approach to health and safety. These regulations are intended to reduce the accident rate during both the construction and operation of a building.The Regulations require that a CDM Co-ordinator (CDMC) be appointed by the client (the person who has commissioned the project). The client now has the following duties: -

• be satisfied that the CDMC, Principal Contractor, Designers and Contractors are competent and will allocate adequate resources for health and safety
• provide the Planning Supervisor with information relevant to health and safety on the project
• ensure construction work does not start until the Principal Contractor has prepared a satisfactory health and safety plan on the project
• ensure the health and safety file is available after the project is completed
• ensure adequate time and management resources are allowed for, to minimise health & safety risks.
  
  

The health and safety plan provides the health and safety focus for the construction phase of the project. The pre-tender information pack should be prepared in time so that it is available for contractors tendering the project. The CDMC is responsible for seeing that this is done. After being appointed by the client, the Principal Contractor needs to develop the health and safety plan and keep in up to date.

This is a record of information for the client/end user, which tells those who might be responsible for the structure in future, of the risks that have to be managed during maintenance, repair or renovation.
The Planning Supervisor has to ensure that it is prepared as the project progresses and it is given to the client when the project is complete. The client has to make it available to those who will work on any future design, building, maintenance or demolition of the structure.

The CDM Regulations will generally apply to all construction work.  Additional duties are placed opn the parties where projects are notifiabile, ie lasts for more than 30 days or will involve more than 500 person days of work. . However, CDM will apply to any design work no matter how long the work lasts and how many workers are involved on the site. If the work includes demolition. If construction work is carried out on the residence of a domestic householder then generally CDM will not apply, except for the requirements on designers and for the project to be notified to the HSE. However, most non-domestic construction works will require the appointment of a Planning Supervisor to oversee the management of health and safety within a project and to ensure that the HSE are notified.

Barker & Associates are corporate members of The Association of Planning Supervisors and have a number of Planning Supervisors within the Practice.

Further reading: -

• CDM Regulations - How the regulation affect you!
  (HSE - Free)
• Managing construction for health and safety - Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 Approved Code of Practice (HSC)
• A guide to managing health and safety in construction (HSC)
• Designing for health and safety in construction (HSC)