• Home
• Services
  • Project Management
  • Employers Agent
  • Office Refurbishment
  • Office Fit-Out
  • Workspace Optimisation
  • Office Move and Relocation
  • Forensic Planning
  • Representation
  • Guiding Clients Through Construction
  • 3D Programme Visualisation
• Working With Us
• Case Studies
• About
• Latest News
• Contact

CDM Regulations 2015

In 2015 the CDM Regulations 2007, together with the Code of Practice, will be revoked. A new set of regulations and associated guide will be published in the spring of 2015 with current a target implementation date of April 2015.

There is no doubt that CDM (Construction Design and Management) regulations have increased awareness of health and safety on site throughout the construction industry. The number of fatal and serious injuries has decreased since the regulations first came into force in 1994 and it is now claimed that the United Kingdom has one of the best health and safety regimes in Europe.

The first set of CDM Regulations were issued in 1994 and have undergone major revisions since that time, most notably with the issue of the 2007 CDM Regulations which are still in use today. However, the Health & Safety Executive is to revoke all previous regulations and produce a completely new set dated 2015 and named CDM 2015. This is expected to more closely mirror the 1992 EEC directive on minimum safety and health standards for temporary or mobile construction sites (TMCSD).

The HSE issued a consultation document earlier this year and asked interested parties to respond. The consultation period is now over and the HSE preparing the final document taking into account some suggestions put forward by others within the industry. General opinion is that alterations will not be significant but to give some idea of the proposals, we have listed the significant changes that CDM 2015 will bring about:

• CDM Co-ordinators role to be replaced with that of the Principal Designer (PD). The PD will be now expected to carry out all the duties that a CDM-C now undertakes during the pre-construction stage, and also produce the Health & Safety File on completion.
• In one section of the HSE proposals it is stated the threshold for appointment of co-ordinators,  i.e. Principal Designers, comes about for all projects where there is going to be more than one contractor on site. The term ‘contractor’, we assume, means any trade sub-contractor. In which case the’ main contractor’ will become the ‘principal contractor’ and take on duties as now.
• The regulations will apply to works for ‘domestic’ clients. However, a domestic client will not be expected to carry the burden of CDM 2015, as this duty will fall on the contractor or principal contractor if there is more than one contractor on site.  In some circumstances the domestic client may arrange for the PD to carry out the duties.
• Replacement of the Code of Practice with targeted guidance.
• New competence rules will replace the existing criteria in CDM 2007 which refer to specific requirements and have caused a great deal of unnecessary bureaucracy. The matter of competence will still feature in CDM 2015 but is expected to be simplified.
• Notification threshold will now apply to projects lasting more than 30 days AND where more than 20 operatives  are working simultaneously on site, or exceeding 500 person days.
• Transitional arrangements following the implementation of CDM 2015 will mean all existing projects will be deemed to be working under the new Regulations. The Principal Contractor will remain the same and the only other requirement will be for the client to appoint a PD as soon as it is practically possible.

To find out more about the new CDM regulations and how these may affect any current or future projects you are working on, contact Logic PM. Email [email protected] or call 0203 397 7444.