Construction Design & Management
Let Us Guide You Through Your Compliance Obligations
We deliver a range of CDM services and can be appointed to support the Client, Designers, Contractors to assist, guide, develop or review compliance.
Construction Design & Management
We deliver a range of CDM services and can be appointed to support the Client, Designers, Contractors to assist, guide, develop or review compliance throughout all phases of a project, including:
Client CDM Advisor
Principal Contractor CDM Advisor
Contractor CDM Advisor
Construction Phase Plans (planning the construction)
Emergency Planning (Fire Risk Assessments, Fire Evacuation, First Aid etc.)
Compliance Audits & Inspections
All services will provide access to consultants who will deliver reliable advice, guidance, and compliance monitoring in support of your role within construction projects and as relevant to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
The specific requirements of all construction projects differ depending on an array of factors, accordingly our CDM services and appointment can be the scope and service level required.
‘Client’ CDM Advisor
The role of Client CDM Advisor is a service designed to assist the Client with any or all aspects of their ‘Duty’ in accordance with the CDM Regulations 2015. If you are a Client planning a construction project and are unsure as to what your Roles & Responsibilities are, or how to discharge them, this is the service for you.
A commercial Client is any individual or organisation that carries out a construction project as part of a business. Commercial clients have a crucial influence over how projects are run, including the management of health and safety risks. Whatever the project size, the commercial Client has contractual control, appoints designers and contractors, and determines the money, time and other resources for the project.
Consultancy support will assist the Client with any or all aspects of their role, including:
- assist with developing and implementing suitable arrangements for managing their project, enabling those carrying it out to manage health and safety risks in a proportionate way,
- ensure submission of the F10 for notifiable* projects to the Health & Safety Executive,
- undertake due diligence in the appointing the contractors and designers to the project (including the principal designer and principal contractor on projects involving more than one contractor), while making sure they have the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability,
- review and advise on sufficient time and resources for each stage of the project,
- making sure that any principal designer and principal contractor appointed carry out their duties in managing the project,
- ensuring suitable welfare facilities are provided for the duration of the construction work,
- reviewing and maintaining the management arrangements for the duration of the project,
- provide pre-construction information to every designer and contractor either bidding for the work or already appointed to the project,
- ensure that the principal contractor or contractor (for single contractor projects) prepares a Construction Phase Plan before that phase begins,
- ensure that the principal designer prepares a health and safety file for the project and that it is revised as necessary and made available to anyone who needs it for subsequent work at the site.
The Client must maintain a management awareness throughout the project to ensure all appointed ‘Duty Holders’ and the Works are compliant, this could include, attending project update meetings, undertaking site inspections, reviewing the CPP and H&S File and much more. A common Client myth is the belief they can appoint ‘Duty Holders’ and leave them to it; this is not the case. Many Clients do not know what, or how to achieve compliance, appointing a CDM advisor does not delegate ‘Duty’, but it does delegate responsibility to a consultant who will deliver a fully indemnified solution.
* Notifiable projects: where planned construction work will last longer than 30 working days and involves more than 20 workers at any one time; or where the work exceeds 500 individual worker days.
‘Principal Contractor’ CDM Advisor
The role of Principal Contractor (PC) CDM Advisor is a service designed to assist the PC with any or all aspects of their ‘Duty’ in accordance with the CDM Regulations 2015. If you are a Principal Contractor and are unsure as to what your Roles & Responsibilities are, or how to discharge them, this is the service for you.
Consultancy support will assist the Principal Contractor with any or all aspects of their role, including:
- plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the construction phase,
- complete and submit the F10 for notifiable* projects to the Health & Safety Executive,
- take account of the health and safety risks to everyone affected by the work, in planning and managing the measures needed to control them (risk assessment),
- liaise with the Client and Principal Designer for the duration of the project to ensure that all risks are effectively managed,
- prepare a written Construction Phase Plan prior to construction commencement, implement, and then regularly review and revise it to make sure it remains fit for purpose,
- have ongoing arrangements in place for managing health and safety throughout the construction phase,
- consult and engage with workers about their health, safety and welfare,
- ensure suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start and maintained throughout the construction phase,
- check that all contractors appointed has the skills, knowledge, experience and, where relevant, the organisational capability to carry out their work safely and without risk to health,
- ensure adequate arrangement for site-specific inductions, and any further information and training requirements,
- review all measures to prevent unauthorised access to the site,
- liaise with the principal designer to share any information relevant to the planning, management, monitoring and coordination of the pre-construction phase,
- undertake site inspection and audits,
- collate and prepare the H&S file in preparation for completion and handover.
The Client is responsible for appointing the contractors and designers to the project (including the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor on projects involving more than one contractor) and must make sure they have the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability.
A commercial Client is any individual or organisation that carries out a construction project as part of a business. Commercial clients have a crucial influence over how projects are run, including the management of health and safety risks. Whatever the project size, the commercial Client has contractual control, appoints designers and contractors, and determines the money, time and other resources for the project.
The Client must maintain a management awareness throughout the project to ensure all appointed ‘Duty Holders’ and the Works are compliant, this could include, attending project update meetings, undertaking site inspections, reviewing the CPP and H&S File and much more. A common Client myth is the belief they can appoint ‘Duty Holders’ and leave them to it; this is not the case. Many Clients do not know what, or how to achieve compliance, appointing a CDM advisor does not delegate ‘Duty’, but it does delegate responsibility to a consultant who will deliver a fully indemnified solution.
* Notifiable projects: where planned construction work will last longer than 30 working days and involves more than 20 workers at any one time; or where the work exceeds 500 individual worker days.
‘Contractor’ CDM Advisor
The role of Contractor CDM Advisor is a service designed to assist contractors with any or all aspects of their ‘Duty’ in accordance with the CDM Regulations 2015. Many contractors avoid tendering or involvement due the perception that the requirements of CDM are onerous, and ude to the ‘hoops that need to be jumped through’; many of which are myths. If you are a Contractor and are unsure as to what the Roles & Responsibilities are, or how to discharge them, this is the service for you.
A contractor is anyone who directly employs or engages construction workers or manages construction work. Contractors include sub-contractors, any individual self-employed worker or business that carries out, manages or controls construction work. They must have the skills, knowledge, experience and, where relevant, the organisational capability to carry out the work safely and without risk to health.
Consultancy support will assist the Contractor with any or all aspects of their role, including:
- make sure the Client is aware of the client duties under CDM Regulations 2015 before any work starts (when single contractor),
- complete and submit the F10 for notifiable* projects to the Health & Safety Executive,
- support to plan, manage and monitor all work carried out by themselves and their workers, taking into account the risks to anyone who might be affected, and the measures needed to protect them (Risk Assessment & Method Statement (RAMS),
- undertake due diligence to ensure that all workers they employ or appoint have the skills, knowledge, training and experience to carry out the work, or are in the process of obtaining them,
- ensure arrangements to make sure that all workers under their control have a suitable, site-specific induction, unless this has already been provided by the principal contractor,
- advise on arrangement to ensure the provision of appropriate supervision, information and instructions to workers under their control,
- to review and advise on the requirement, ‘not start work on site unless reasonable steps have been taken to prevent unauthorised access’,
- review site arrangements to ensure suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start for workers under their control, and maintain them throughout the work,
- undertake site inspections and audits.
In addition to the above and for contractors working on projects involving more than one contractor we can assist with the requirement to:
- coordinate work with the work of others in the project team,
- understand and comply with directions given by the principal designer or principal contractor,
- comply with parts of the construction phase plan relevant to their work.
* Notifiable projects: where planned construction work will last longer than 30 working days and involves more than 20 workers at any one time; or where the work exceeds 500 individual worker days.
Construction Phase Plans
Consultancy support during throughout the planning and construction phases, to ensure all aspects of planning and construction are compliant and detailed in the Construction Phase Plan (CPP).
A construction phase plan must be prepared for a project before the construction phase begins. The plan must outline the health and safety arrangements, site rules and specific measures concerning any work involving the risks listed in Schedule 3 of the CDM 2015 Regulations.
Planning the construction phase and drawing up a construction phase plan is the responsibility of:
- The principal contractor for projects involving more than one contractor; and
- The contractor for single contractor projects.
Pre-construction information and any key design information, identifying risks that need to be managed during construction work, will be helpful in planning the construction phase and drawing up the construction phase plan.
An essential CDM service to assist any and/or all duty holders with their responsibility to ensure compliance with Health & Safety throughout the construction phase of a project. Use on external independent consultants for this service provides impartiality and indemnity.
Inspections are essential throughout all construction phase, and will review:
- Access & Egress
- Site Management & Supervision
- Traffic, vehicles & pedestrian routes/segregation
- Hazard Management and Risk Assessment (Work at Height, COSHH, Noise, Excavations, Manual Handling etc.)
- Welfare Facilities & Arrangements
- Equipment & Plant
- Emergency Arrangements (Fire & First Aid)
The Construction (Design and Management) Regs 2015 apply duties and responsibilities to all people involved in construction work, and what they must do to protect themselves and all others from harm as a result of works.
Emergency Planning
All CDM services will consider emergency planning as a key planning requirement, one that must be implemented and monitored throughout the construction phase. As Fire, H&S, and CDM specialists, we can deliver a holistic service in consideration of all risks and potential emergencies.
Emergency planning is essential due to the nature of construction projects, as such they are an essential part of planning and should be comprehensively detailed with the Construction Phase Plan.
Emergency Planning must consider:
- Fire Safety & Evacuation Arrangements
- Fire Risk Assessment
- First Aid Arrangements
- Hazardous Substances, Occurrences, along with Asbestos, Lead etc.
- Information and Signage
- Incident Reporting & Investigation
The level of emergency planning can vary significantly depending on the type and size of the constructions project, what does not change is the requirement to plan, implement, monitor and report.
Construction Design & Management – the Legal bit….What Is Required
All construction projects must be managed in accordance with the Construction (Design and Management) Regs 2015.
CDM applies ‘Duties’ on all principal stakeholder of any construction project or works:
- Commercial & Domestic Clients
- Designers
- Principal Designers
- Principal Contractors
- Contractors
- Workers
Note: for a summary of all duties see Construction – Construction Design and Management summary of duties (hse.gov.uk)
Whatever your role in construction, CDM aims to improve health and safety in the industry by helping you to:
- sensibly plan the work so the risks involved are managed from start to finish,
- have the right people for the right job at the right time,
- cooperate and coordinate your work with others,
- have the right information about the risks and how they are being managed,
- communicate this information effectively to those who need to know,
- consult and engage with workers about the risks and how they are being managed.
A common misunderstanding, or ‘myth’, is that CDM is only applicable to ‘Notifiable Projects’, and that more stringent duties apply. But, under CDM 2015, the notification doesn’t make a big difference. Now, all construction projects need a construction phase plan.
The Client has ultimate responsibility for the planning and construction, along with the availability of all required information. Even though the duties and responsibility are delegated to other appointed duty holders (Principal Designers & Contractors etc.), the Client has overall responsibility to ensure all aspects of the construction are compliant.
CDM applies legal duty on H&S throughout the; Design, Construction and Lifecycle of the property constructed. Ensuring competent health and safety are utilised by all stakeholders is critical.