CDM Regulations

The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 superseded the 2007 Regulations.

It came into force on the 6th April 2015. The regulations apply to all construction work whether commercial or domestic.

• Where there is, or may be, more than one contractor working on a project at any time, the client must appoint a Principal Designer [PD] and Principal Contractor [PC].
• The client’s duty to appoint a Principal Designer or Principal Contractor is triggered where there is more than one contractor.
• The PDs replaced the role of CDM Co-ordinator under the previous 2007 Regulations.
• Clients must appoint a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor on all projects where there is, or may be more than one contractor.
• If architects and designers have the Principal Designer role added to their services an audit and review process will be vital to monitor the process is happening.
• The duty to notify a project sits with the client; and the notification is for any project that lasts 30 working days with more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project, or where the project will have a duration that exceeds 500 person days.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 has a formal HSE Guidance Document (L153: Managing Health and Safety in Construction). It describes the law that applies to the whole construction process on all construction projects, from concept to completion; and what each dutyholder must or should do to comply with the law to ensure projects are carried out in a way that secures health and safety.

The guidance is for any person or organisation with a duty under CDM 2015. It explains what they must or should do to comply with the law and advises that any actions taken should be relevant to the size of the project and proportionate to the risks involved.