Health and Safety

• The purpose of the revised Regulations are to make it easier for those involved in  Construction projects to comply with their Health and Safety duties.
• The aim of the  CDM Regulations are for the improvement of the overall Management and co-ordination  of Health, Safety and Welfare throughout all stages of a construction project in the construction industry.

• The HSE states that  the new regulations emphasise Planning and Management to secure a safe project.

• The  Regulations place duties on all those who can contribute to the Health and  Safety of a construction project.
• Duties are placed upon Clients, Designers and  Contractors with more power given to the CDM Coordinator in what is considered  a more authorative and policing role.
• The  new regulations combine the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare)  Regulations (1996) and CDM 1994 into one single set of regulations.   However, they also introduce some important changes to the safety regime. These  include:
• A new duty on Designers to eliminate hazards and reduce risks, as far as is reasonably practicable.
• They will also have a duty to ensure that any workplace they design complies with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992
• Clients will no longer be able to appoint an agent to take on their legal duties and criminal liabilities, thereby making the CDM Coordinator role more advisory in helping to fulfill their duties to comply with the Regulations
• When Principal Contractors appoint Contractors, they will have to tell those Contractors how much time they have to prepare for on-site work
• Contractors will have a similar duty towards those they appoint to work on-site, as well as being obligated to plan and manage their own work.
• The role of Planning Supervisor, which carried responsibility for co-ordinating Health and Safety aspects of the design and the planning phase of the construction project, is to be replaced by a CDM Project Co-ordinator.
• A  CDM Co-ordinator, like a Planning Supervisor, has to be appointed by the client  if a project lasts more than 30 days or involves more than 500 person days of  work.

If you're interested in enquiring about Health and Safety services or need further advice, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!