It doesn’t matter whether you are working on a property extension or an Olympic stadium, the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007 apply to almost everybody involved in construction work.
The construction industry remains very high risk, so improving the safety of your site is an essential safety component.
Regardless of a site’s size, CDM can help you to:
- Improve health and safety in your industry
- Have the right people for the right job at the right time to manage the risks on site
- Focus on effective planning and manage the risk rather than the paperwork
Am I a duty holder?
Everyone controlling site work has health and safety responsibilities. Those with legal duties are typically known as ‘duty holders’.
Under CDM 2007, duty holders are classed as:
- Clients: Anyone having construction or building work carried out as part of their business.
- CDM co-ordinators: A CDM co-ordinator must be appointed to advise the client on projects that last more than 30 days or involve 500 person-days of construction work.
- Designers: This refers to those who prepare design drawings, specifications, bills of quantities and the specification of articles and substances. This could, for instance, include architects, engineers and quantity surveyors.
- Principal contractors: A principal contractor needs to be appointed where the project lasts more than 30 days or involves 500 person-days of construction work. The principal contractor’s role is to plan, manage and coordinate health and safety while construction work is being undertaken.
- Contractors: A ‘contractor’ pertains to a business which is involved in construction, alteration, maintenance or demolition work.
- Workers: A ‘worker’ is classed as anyone who performs work during the construction, alteration, maintenance or demolition of a building or structure. A worker could be, for instance, a plumber, electrician, scaffolder, painter, decorator, steel erector or a foreman and chargehand.
What happens if I don’t comply with my duties under CDM 2007?
When safety systems are inadequate or fail, the risk of a dangerous or fatal accident at your site exponentially increases.
Other common outcomes include:
- The finished structure may not be safe to use
- It may not deliver you good value for money
- Serious safety breaches could result in construction work being stopped
In the most serious circumstances, you may be prosecuted.
Did I hear the rules might change?
New proposals put forward by the Health and Safety Executive could indeed see a regulative overhaul of the construction industry.
As part of the suggested changes, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007) would be overwritten by a more efficient set of regulations.
