CDM Regulations: Understanding Your Construction Project Duties

What Are the CDM Regulations?

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) are the main set of regulations for managing health, safety, and welfare on construction projects in Great Britain. They apply to all construction work, regardless of size, and place duties on clients, designers, and contractors.

The regulations aim to improve health and safety in construction by ensuring that those who can make a difference (particularly clients and designers) consider health and safety from the very start of a project, rather than leaving it to contractors to deal with on site.

Who Does What?

CDM 2015 defines specific duty holders with distinct responsibilities:

Client: Anyone for whom a construction project is carried out. This includes both commercial clients and domestic clients, though domestic clients have their duties transferred to other duty holders.

Principal Designer: Appointed by the client on projects with more than one contractor. They coordinate health and safety during the pre-construction phase and prepare the health and safety file.

Principal Contractor: Appointed by the client on projects with more than one contractor. They plan, manage, and coordinate health and safety during the construction phase.

Designers: Anyone who prepares or modifies designs for construction work, including architects, engineers, and specifiers.

Contractors: Anyone who carries out, manages, or controls construction work.

Client Duties

As a client, you have significant influence over how a project is run. Your duties include:

Designer Duties

Designers must consider health and safety throughout the design process. This does not mean avoiding all risks, but it does mean eliminating hazards where possible and reducing risks where elimination is not possible.

Designers must also provide information about remaining risks that cannot be eliminated or adequately reduced through design. This allows contractors to plan and carry out the work safely.

Contractor Duties

Contractors must plan, manage, and monitor their work to ensure it is carried out without risks to health and safety. This includes ensuring workers have the skills, knowledge, and training needed, and that they are properly supervised.

On projects with multiple contractors, the principal contractor coordinates the work and ensures cooperation between all parties.

Notification and Documentation

Projects that are expected to last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously, or exceed 500 person-days, must be notified to the HSE. This is done using Form F10, submitted before construction begins.

Two key documents are required on most projects:

Common Misconceptions

CDM applies to all construction work, not just large projects. Even small refurbishments and maintenance work are covered. The regulations scale appropriately, so a simple project needs simpler arrangements than a complex one, but the duties still apply.

How We Can Help

Navigating CDM requirements can be challenging, especially if construction is not your core business. Integral Safety offers CDM consultancy services to help clients, designers, and contractors understand and fulfil their duties. We can act as your principal designer, review your arrangements, or provide training for your team. Contact us to discuss how we can support your construction projects.