Construction Design & Management

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.

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.

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.

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.