CDM 2015
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
The regulations that place health and safety duties on everyone involved in a construction project (client, principal designer, designers, principal contractor, contractors, workers) from concept to handover.
CDM 2015 applies to every construction project in Great Britain, domestic or commercial, of any size. It names dutyholders and gives each a role: the client sets the standard and makes suitable arrangements; the principal designer plans, manages and monitors the pre-construction phase and coordinates health and safety in design; designers eliminate, reduce and control risks through their designs; the principal contractor plans, manages and monitors the construction phase, prepares the construction phase plan and runs the site (induction, welfare, site rules, coordination); contractors plan, manage and monitor their own work and ensure their workers are competent, informed and supervised; and workers cooperate, report dangers and follow the arrangements.
Where there is more than one contractor, the client must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor in writing; if they do not, the client holds those duties. A construction phase plan is required for every project, however small, before work starts. Projects lasting more than 30 working days with more than 20 workers at any time, or more than 500 person-days, are notified to the HSE on form F10. The health and safety file is prepared for any project with more than one contractor and handed to the client at the end. General requirements (Part 4) cover the site itself: safe access, stability of structures, excavations, traffic routes, fire, emergency procedures, welfare and lighting.
Where it comes from
- Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, SI 2015/51, and HSE guidance L153 (Managing health and safety in construction).
- Made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Questions people ask
Does CDM apply to a small domestic job?
Yes. The domestic client's duties pass to the contractor (or the principal contractor where there is more than one), who must still have a construction phase plan proportionate to the job. For a one-trade domestic job that plan can be a page.
When do I need a principal contractor?
Whenever more than one contractor will work on the project at any time, including subcontractors. The client appoints one in writing; on domestic projects the appointment defaults to the contractor in control of the construction phase.
CDM 2015, handled on a phone
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