Construction

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) came into force on 6 April 2015, replacing the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007). There are transitional provisions for construction projects that started before the new regulations came into force until 6 October 2015.

CDM 2015 covers the management of health, safety and welfare when carrying out construction projects. The regulations set out a range of duty holders: clients, domestic clients, designers, principal designers, principle contractors, contractors and workers.

The key changes from CDM 2007 include the following:

• there is a greater emphasis on the role of clients and the replacement of the CDM co-ordinator role with a principal designer role within the project team. The principal designer is responsible for the planning, management, monitoring and coordination of the “pre-construction phase”;

• the Regulations introduce a duty of information, instruction, training and supervision to replace the previous duty to assess competence;

• domestic clients are no longer exempt from the Regulations, although their limited duties are transferred to the contractor/designer; and

• in addition to a “30-day” requirement, the project must also involve more than 20 workers simultaneously before notification is required.

Under CDM 2015, duty holders are required to:

• manage the risks by applying the general principles of prevention;

• appoint the right people and organisations at the right time;

• make sure everyone has the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to carry out their jobs in a way that secures health and safety;

• cooperate and communicate with each other and coordinate their work; and

• consult workers and engaging with them to promote and develop effective measures to secure health, safety and welfare.

In addition, the regulations set out:

General requirements for all construction sites in relation to:

• safe access and egress;

• good order and security;

• stability of structures;

• demolition and dismantling;

• explosives;

• excavations;

• cofferdams and caissons;

• inspection reports;

• energy distribution installations;

• prevention of drowning;

• traffic routes;

• vehicles ;

• prevention of risk from fire, flooding or asphyxiation;

• emergency procedures;

• emergency routes and exits;

• fire detection and fire-fighting;

• fresh air;

• temperature and weather protection; and

• lighting.

Minimum welfare facilities for construction sites with regard to:

• sanitary conveniences;

• washing facilities;

• drinking water;

• changing rooms and lockers; and

• facilities for rest.

Work involving particular risks:

• burial, engulfment or falling from height;

• exposure to chemical or biological substances;

• work with ionising radiation;

• work near high voltage power lines;

• work exposing workers to the risk of drowning;

• work on wells, underground earthworks and tunnels;

• work carried out by divers with an air supply system;

• work carried out in caissons with a compressed air atmosphere;

• work with explosives; and

• work involving the assembly or dismantling of heavy prefabricated components.