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Acorn Health and Safety Manufacturing and Engineering

This month we’ve chosen the Construction sector as our consultancy focus and answer a number of regularly asked questions on the topic “What are the CDM regulations”

Small builders are those at most risk of injury and ill health on construction sites and suffer the majority of construction fatal accidents each year. Most deaths involve falls from height including: ladders, scaffolds, working platforms, roof edges, and falls through fragile roofs or roof-lights.

 

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) – Do they apply to me?
Whether you are a company with thousands of employees or are a sole trader, if you undertake construction works on commercial or domestic projects, the CDM Regulations apply to you.
The CDM Regulations define a number of different ‘Duty Holders’ and detail specific duties and responsibilities to be undertaken by each duty holder.
The CDM regulations further outline certain responsibilities you must fulfil depending on the size of the project, whether you are the only Contractor on a project, or are the Principal contractor or a subcontractor on a project.

I am a small builder and I only work on domestic projects, what are my duties under CDM?
As a small builder you will usually have the sole responsibility for site health and safety on domestic projects as long as you are the only contractor engaged for the duration of that project– e.g. extensions, repairs and refurbishment work on the homes of domestic clients. In addition to specific sole Contractor duties, in most cases you will also need to fulfil the duties of the Client.
You must:

  • make sure the client is aware of the client duties under CDM 2015 before any work starts
  • be able to show that you have the skills, knowledge, experience and, where you are an organisation, the organisational capability to carry out the work safely and without risk to health
  • plan, manage and monitor all work carried out by yourself and your workers
  • check that all workers you employ or appoint have the skills, knowledge, training and experience to carry out the work, or are in the process of obtaining them
  • make sure that all workers under your control have a suitable, site-specific induction
  • provide appropriate  supervision, information and instructions to workers under your control
  • ensure they do not start work on site unless reasonable steps have been taken to prevent unauthorised access to the site
  • ensure suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start for workers under your control, and maintain them throughout the work 
  • I carry out work on domestic and commercial projects but never work with other contractors, what are my duties under CDM?
  • On Small commercial projects – involving short duration repairs and refurbishment work (with 15 or fewer people on site) for business commercial clients, site health and safety responsibilities are shared between the small builder and the commercial client.
  • The Contractor duties in this instance are no different to the duties of a Contractor working for a domestic Client, other than ensuring the Client is aware of their duties under the CDM regulations.
  • I am a small builder and I will be working with other contractors on a project in the near future, what must I do under the CDM Regulations?
    In addition to the above requirements, if you are working on a project with other contractors, you must:
  • coordinate your work with the work of others in the project team
  • comply with directions given by the principal designer or principal contractor
  • comply with the parts of the construction phase plan relevant to your work
  • The CDM Regulations also detail the duties and responsibilities of other duties holders –
    Commercial clients
    Domestic clients
    Principal Designers
    Principal Contractors
    Designers
    Workers                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              For assistance with your duties under CDM, or any other help you need in relation to health and safety, please get in touch.