The CDM Regulations 2015
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
The CDM Regulations provide the main legal requirements for managing health & safety on construction projects in the UK. They are governed by criminal law and compliance is mandatory, thus any duty holder failing to comply would be in breach which could lead to criminal prosecution.
CDM 2015 is not about creating unnecessary and unhelpful processes and paperwork. It is about choosing the right team and helping them to work together to ensure health and safety.
Virtually everyone involved in a construction project has legal duties under CDM 2015. These ‘dutyholders’ and their duties are listed in a useful Summary of CDM Duties Chart available here on the HSE website and four of the key dutyholders are summarised below:
Client – Anyone who has construction work carried out for them. The main duty for clients is to make sure their project is suitably managed, ensuring the health and safety of all who might be affected by the work, including members of the public. CDM 2015 recognises two types of client:
- commercial clients have construction work carried out as part of their business. This could be an individual, partnership or company and includes property developers and companies managing domestic properties. Read more at HSE…
- domestic clients have construction work carried out for them but not in connection with any business – usually work done on their own home or the home of a family member. CDM 2015 does not require domestic clients to carry out client duties as these normally pass to other dutyholders. Read more at HSE…
Designer – Designers can be architects, consulting engineers and quantity surveyors, or anyone who specifies and alters designs as part of their work. They can also include tradespeople if they carry out design work. The designer’s main duty is to eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks that may arise during construction work, or in the use and maintenance of the building once built. Read more at HSE…
Principal designer – Appointed by the client to control health & safety matters during the pre-construction phase on projects with more than one contractor. The principal designer’s main duty is to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety during this phase, when most design work is carried out. Read more at HSE…
Principal contractor – Appointed by the client to manage the construction phase on projects with more than one contractor. The principal contractor’s main duty is to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety during this phase, when all construction work takes place. Read more at HSE…