The aim of the CDM regulations is to integrate health, safety and welfare into the management of all construction projects and to encourage everyone involved to work together as an integrated team to:
- Improve planning and management of projects from the start
- Identify hazards early so that they can be eliminated or reduced at design and planning stages and the remaining risks can be properly managed
- Target effort where it can do the most good in terms of health and safety
- Encourage communication, competencies, co-operation and co-ordination within the project participants
A key theme that runs throughout the Guidance is to ensure that competent (as defined in the regulations) appointments are made as early as possible in the life of the project.
The role of the CDM co-ordinator is to provide the client with a key project advisor in terms of construction health and safety risk management. Under the Regulations, a CDM co-ordinator must be appointed if a project is deemed as being notifiable to the HSE (i.e. will last longer than 30 days or involve more than 500 person days). CDM co-ordinators duties offered are among
- The notification of the project to the Health & Safety Executive.
- Advice to the Client on duties under the CDM Regulations, on competence of designers and contractors and allocation of adequate resources for Health & Safety.
- The preparation of the Pre-Construction Information Pack, and of the Health & Safety file for issue to the client at handover.
- Review of tenders from a Health & Safety perspective.
- Monitoring design changes and the development of the Health & Safety Plan on site, with monthly reports on these issues to the team.
- Auditing of contractors’ Health & Safety policies.
- Prepare/update the health and safety file
We have been involved with the CDM Regulations since they came about in 2007. We have competent professionals, qualified MaPS (Members of the APS) with extensive experience of the construction process, and have been involved in a wide range of projects, in both the private and public sectors. We understand practical construction issues in relation to the Health, Safety and Welfare of workers carrying out construction, demolition, renovation and maintenance and are familiar with all aspects of the design process.