The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM 2015) are the main set of regulations for managing the health, safety and welfare of construction projects. CDM applies to all building and construction work and includes new build, demolition, refurbishment, extensions, conversions, repair and maintenance.
CDM Regulations improve Health & Safety by helping businesses to sensibly plan their work so any risks involved are effectively managed and that they have the right team in place. The regulations also help the project team to cooperate & coordinate their work and have the relevant information about the risks and how they are managed. This information can then be effectively and efficiently communicated to all those who need to know and, finally, to consult and engage with site operatives about the risks and how they are being managed.
The CDM-PD is appointed by the client to take control of the pre-construction phase of any project involving more than one contractor. The CDM-PD has an important role in influencing how risks to health & safety are managed throughout a project. Decisions made during the pre-construction phase have a significant influence in ensuring the project is delivered in a way that secures the health & safety of everyone affected by the works. The role is proportionate to the nature, size, complexity and risk profile of the project. Once in place, the CDM-PD should be in control of the lead architect/designer so that they, and the design team, can carry out their roles effectively.
The CDM-PD must be appointed by the client as soon as it is established that more than one contractor is or is likely to be working on the project to plan, manage, monitor and control the design stages. If the client gets it right and appoints the CDM-PD early at the concept stage, then the appointment should commonly take place before the project design team has been fully identified or assembled.
If a client fails to appoint a CDM-PD (or decides not to appoint a CDM-PD) the law states that the CDM-PD role automatically is assigned to the client. Many clients may choose to take on this role themselves, but irrespective of choice or otherwise, the client must have the skills, experience and organisational capability to fulfil all CDM-PD functions and responsibilities effectively. On a domestic client project where the domestic client does not appoint a CDM-PD, the role of the CDM-PD must be carried out by the lead designer/architect in control of the pre-construction phase. When working for a domestic client, client duties can be taken on by another duty-holder, including the principal contractor, on projects involving more than one contractor.
