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Co-ordination Further Information

Construction (Design And Management) Regulations 2007

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 are the UK’s re-implementation of the EEC Temporary or Mobile Construction Sites Directive. The key aim is to integrate health and safety into the management of construction projects and to encourage everyone (client, designers, contractors) involved in the design and construction processes to work together.

Construction (Design and Management) applies to ALL construction work. However, domestic clients are a special case and do not have duties under CDM 2007. (Domestic clients are people who have work carried out on their own home or the home of a family member, that does not relate to their trade or business, whether for profit or not).

An Approved Code of Practice (ACoP, L144) titled “Managing health and safety in construction” supports the Regulations and has a special legal status -
“If you follow the advice you will be doing enough to comply with the law in respect of those specific matters on which the Code gives advice.”

C-MIST Services under the CDM Regulations

The services that C-MIST can provide cover to all duties required by CDM 2007, and include:

  • Ensuring the HSE is notified of the project
  • Ensuring co-operation between designers
  • Ensuring designers comply with their duties
  • Ensuring pre-construction information is prepared
  • Advising the client when requested to do so on the competency / ability of designers or contractors to manage safety
  • Advising the client on the adequacy of the construction phase plan prior to work starts
  • Ensuring that a Health and Safety File is prepared and passed to the client

These duties are key to reducing the extent of accidents and ill-health in the construction industry.

In addition, with our qualified and experienced professional staff, C-MIST can bring added value by assisting clients, developers, principal contractors and designers by providing:

  • Site safety inspections
  • On and off-site training provision; (C-MIST is working with one of its clients to produce pictorial toolbox talks)
  • Independent hazard and risk assessment
  • Health and Safety File management
  • Preparation of the initial Construction Phase Plan for principal contractors

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Duties under CDM

The CDM Regulations place various legal duties on clients, designers and contractors in relation to health and safety, from inception to completion of construction projects. For notifiable projects there must be a CDM co-ordinator and principal contractor appointed until the end of the construction phase.

Client

  • Check competence and resources of all appointees
  • Ensure there are suitable management arrangements for the project including welfare facilities
  • Allow sufficient time and resources for all stages
  • Provide pre-construction information to designers and contractors
  • Appoint CDM co-ordinator
  • Appoint principal contractor
  • Make sure that the construction phase does not start unless there are suitable:
    • welfare facilities
    • a construction phase plan in place
  • Provide information relating to the health and safety file to the CDM co-ordinator
  • Retain and provide access to the health and safety file

Designers (Architects, Engineers, Consultants)

  • Eliminate hazards and reduce risks during design
  • Provide information about remaining risks
  • Check client is aware of duties and CDM co-ordinator has been appointed
  • Provide any information needed for the health and safety file

CDM Co-ordinator

The importance of the role of CDM Co-ordinator under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 should not be under-estimated.

  • Advise and assist the client with their duties
  • Notify HSE
  • Co-ordinate health and safety aspects of design work and cooperate with others involved with the project
  • Facilitate good communication between client, designers and contractors
  • Liaise with principal contractor regarding ongoing design
  • Identify, collect and pass on pre-construction information
  • Prepare/update health and safety file

Contractor

  • Co-operate with the principal contractor
  • Plan, manage and supervise their own work
  • Prepare and implement risk assessments and safety method statements
  • Make sure suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start and maintained throughout the construction phase
  • Check competence of all appointees
  • Ensure all workers have site inductions and any further information and training needed for the work
  • Consult with the workers

Principal Contractor

  • Plan, manage and monitor construction phase in liaison with contractor(s)
  • Prepare, develop and implement a written plan and site rules
  • Give contractors relevant parts of the plan
  • Make sure suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start and maintained throughout the construction phase
  • Check competence of all appointees
  • Ensure all workers have site inductions and any further information and training needed for the work
  • Consult with the workers
  • Liaise with CDM co-ordinator regarding ongoing design
  • Secure the site

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CDM Information/Documentation

Under the terms of the CDM Regulations 2007 the key sets of information which require to be provided are:

F10 notification

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is required to be informed of notifiable projects (these last more than 30 working days or 500 person days) by issue to them of the F10 notification form.

Pre - Construction Information

This document is prepared by the CDM Co-ordinator and includes topics such as:

  1. Description of project
  2. Client's considerations and management requirements
  3. Environmental restrictions and existing on-site risks
  4. Significant design and construction hazards
  5. The health and safety file

Construction Phase Plan

This document is prepared by the principal contractor, kept onsite and updated throughout the construction phase. It includes topics such as:

  1. Description of project
  2. Management of the work
  3. Arrangements for controlling significant site risks
  4. The health and safety file

Health & Safety File

The Health and Safety File is prepared by the CDM Co-ordinator for the client to ensure that future construction work including cleaning, maintenance, alterations, refurbishment and demolition can be carried out safely.

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