The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations were introduced on the 6th April 2015 and cover management of all aspects of health, safety and welfare when relating to construction projects. These Regulations replaced the CDM 2007 Regulations.

What are these regulations for?
The CDM Regulations 2015 aim to make it easier for all individuals working in construction to improve all aspects of health and safety via the following factors:

  • Managing identified risks from start to finish
  • Using the right people for the right job
  • Cooperation and coordination of work with others
  • Being aware of risks and also how they are being managed
  • Communicating with people regarding risks, assessed factors etc

CDM Regulations 2015 Simplified

All projects must have:

  • Workers on site with the right skills, training, experience and knowledge
  • Contractors must supply appropriate supervision, information and instruction
  • A written construction phase plan

If there is a project which involves more than one contractor, the regulations state that the above must be adhered to along with:

  • Appointment of a principle contractor and a principle designer
  • Creation of a health and safety file

The client must notify the planned project to the HSE if the proposed work is scheduled to:

  • Last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project

OR

  • Exceeds 500 person days

What is a construction phase plan?

A construction phase plan is a document will need to be written up in accordance with the CMD Regs 2015 which includes:

  • Description of the project including a list of all the project team by name such as:
    – client, principle designer (in the case of more than one designer), designer(s), principle contractor (in the case of more than one contractor), contractor(s) and other consultants.
  • Management of the work which will include:
    – site rules, health and safety arrangements for the construction phase, management structure and responsibilities, on site arrangements including fire and emergency, site security and induction and welfare and first aid.
  • Arrangement for controlling significant site risks including:
    – safety risks such as preventing falls, work near high voltage cables, work involving explosives and much more
    –  health risks including removal of asbestos, hazardous substances, manual handling and much more.
  • The health and safety files which includes notes relating to the:
    – layout and format, arrangements for the collection and gathering of information and storage of information
  • Significant design and construction hazards for anything additional that has been noted directly relating to the work design such as:
    – arrangement for co-ordination of ongoing design work and handling design changes, information on significant risks identified during design and more.

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