CDM Regulations

Ensuring the health and safety of construction workers and users

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM) are designed to:

  • improve health and safety in the construction industry
  • have the right people for the right job at the right time to manage the risks on site
  • focus on effective planning and manage the risk – not the paperwork

Everyone controlling site work has health and safety responsibilities. Checking that working conditions are healthy and safe before work begins, and ensuring that the proposed work is not going to put others at risk, require planning and organisation. This applies whatever the size of the site.

Domestic clients do not have any duties under these regulations, but those who work for them on construction projects will (e.g. builders, architects, surveyors).  Ideally, although not obliged to do so, a domestic client would check the competence of the people they employ.  Ideally, the people they employ would offer this evidence without prompting!

Every non-domestic client of construction work has duties under these regulations.  Your builder, architect, or surveyor should let you know what these duties are and should help you to discharge those duties.

The HSE (Health & Safety Executive) must be notified about larger projects and a CDM Coordinator (formerly called a Planning Supervisor) must be appointed.  This is known as a project being notifiable.  A project is notifiable if the construction phase is expected to last more than 30 days or 500 person days of construction work.

A CDM co-ordinator is only required where the project is notifiable. Their main duties are to:

  • advise and assist the client with their duties;
  • notify details of the project to HSE;
  • co-ordinate health and safety aspects of design work and co-operate with others involved with the project;
  • facilitate good communication between the client, designers and contractors;
  • liaise with the principal contractor regarding ongoing design work;
  • identify, collect and pass on pre-construction information; and
  • prepare/update the health and safety file.

Sutherland Surveyors are competent to act as designers and CDM Coordinators.  Daniel Sutherland is a Registered Member of the Association for Project Safety (RMaPS).

Sutherland Surveyors’ Demonstration of competence

For a summary of the client’s duties under the CDM regulations, click the link below:

An Introduction to the CDM regulations

For more information and free advice contact us on 01202 237377 or email info@sutherlandsurveyors.co.uk.