Jim Slater
Construction Design & Risk Management
Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015
CDM 2015 applies to all construction work including residential projects, no matter the size, the scope of works or budget. As a residential client your duties under CDM 2015 are passed on to others who are carrying out the construction work on your behalf. Those carrying out the work also have duties of their own. CDM is 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.
The regulations also place responsibilities on those where they can most benefit health & safety; aiming to focus the attention of the project team on the health & safety aspects of the project because they have to, it's the law.
CDM Principal Designer
A principal designer is a designer who is an organisation or individual (on smaller projects) appointed by the client to take control of the pre-construction phase of any project involving more than one contractor. Principal designers are appointed to undertake the planning and management of health & safety throughout the period of their appointment. Main duties of the role are to plan, manage and monitor the pre-construction phase and to co-ordinate health & safety.
F10 Notification
A project is notifiable to the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) if construction work onsite is scheduled to last longer than 30 working days AND have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project; or exceed 500-person days. Requirements of CDM 2015 apply whether or not the project is notifiable.
Building Safety Act 2022
The Act is the legal obligation for all individuals and organisations to be competent to ensure compliance with the Building Regulations in both design and construction. This obligation applies across all sectors from the smallest of residential alterations to the most complex mixed-use development, irrespective of whether the designer and/or contractor are legally responsible for compliance.
The HSE is the Building Safety Regulator; and they are the only building control organisation that can be used for high-risk buildings. Responsibility for competence applies to all building works subject to the Building Regulations. The Act also puts specific controls on high-risk-buildings (HRBs); these are buildings over 18m in height or have seven or more storeys and two or more residential units, typically high-rise apartment blocks, student accommodation, hospitals and care homes.
Relevant hospitals and care homes are only controlled through their design and construction phases. Hotels are not currently including in scope of the new controls. This Act makes reforms to give residents and homeowners more rights and protections so homes across the country are safer.