The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 (‘CDM 2015′) come into force on 6 April 2015. The revised regulations bring significant changes to the management of health & safety within the construction industry.
The role of CDM co-ordinator has been abolished. Instead, for projects with more than one contractor, the client must appoint a ‘principal designer’. The definition of ‘contractor’ includes sub-contractors, so the vast majority of projects will be affected.
The principal designer’s role includes planning, managing and monitoring the pre-construction phase and assisting the client in the preparation of pre-construction information. The principal designer will also be responsible for preparing the Health & Safety File.
There are also changes to the notification requirements: under CDM 2015 projects must be notified to the HSE if work on site will:
a) last more than 30 days and have more than 20 persons on site at any point, or
b) exceed 500 person days.
CDM 2015 now applies to domestic clients, meaning that CDM becomes relevant on small domestic projects, which were previously exempt. On domestic projects the client’s role will be fulfilled by the contractor or principal contractor, or by the principal designer, so reducing the burden on householders.
The Approved Code of Practice will be withdrawn and replaced with HSE ‘L Series’ Guidance.