Introduction

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 cover the management of health, safety and welfare when carrying out construction projects. They apply to all construction work, from project inception to completion, ensuring risk management at all stages.

Key duty holders include:

  • Clients They must ensure projects are managed safely.
  • Principal Designers They oversee health and safety during design.
  • Designers They must ensure their designs eliminate or reduce risks.
  • Principal Contractors They manage health and safety during construction.
  • Contractors They comply with safety requirements and ensure the safety of their own works .
  • Workers They Must follow site safety rules.

CDM 2015 promotes risk prevention, worker consultation, and clear responsibilities to improve safety in construction​.

Key Documents

Pre-Construction Information

“Pre-construction Information” is information that it is necessary to provide to tendering Principal Contractors as well as to the design team.

The Pre-construction Information serves two main purposes:

  • During its development, the Pre-Construction Information can provide a focus at which health and safety considerations of the designs are brought together under the control of the Principal Designer.
  • Secondly, the Pre-Construction Information plays a vital role in the tender documentation. It enables prospective Principal Contractors to be fully aware of the project’s health and safety and welfare requirements. This will allow prospective Principal Contractors to have a level playing field as far as health and safety is concerned on which to provide tender submissions.

Pre-Construction Information should not include information about normal construction techniques.

Construction Phase Plan

The Construction Phase Plan should be prepared by the Principal Contractor for the project, where there is more than one trade contractor on site, or by the Contractor where there is only one trade contractor on site.

The degree of detail required in the Construction Phase Plan for the construction phase, and the time and effort in preparing it, should be in proportion to the nature, size and level of health and safety risks involved in the project. Projects involving minimal risks will call for simple, straightforward plans. Large projects or those involving significant risks will need more detail.

What should the Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan cover?

The Construction Phase Plan should set out the arrangements for securing the health and safety of everyone carrying out the construction work and all others who may be affected by it.

It should deal with:

  • the arrangements for the management of health and safety of the construction work;
  • site rules;
  • specific measures concerning particular high risk works
Health and Safety File

The Health and Safety File is a record of information for the Client or the end user which focuses on health and safety. The information it contains will alert those who are responsible for the structure of the key health and safety risks that will need to be dealt with during subsequent maintenance, repair and construction work.

The amount of detail needed in the Health and Safety File and the time and effort required to prepare it should be in proportion to the scale and complexity of the structure. Structures with minimal health and safety risks will call for a simple, straightforward file. Large structures or those involving significant risks will need more detail.