What Are CDM Regulations?

What are CDM regulations? By this, we refer to the Construction (Design and Management) regulations that were first introduced back in 1994. These regulations govern the health and safety of construction projects, helping to prevent any construction-related accidents or fatalities.

Construction work must be carefully planned, with effective cooperation between workers. 

CDM regulations outline a series of steps that must be taken to minimise risk in construction projects. 

- Obtain the correct information about risks and share it with those on the project

- Appoint the right people for specific duties

- Have effective communication and cooperation with those working on the project

- Provide a plan for the construction work so risks can be identified and dealt with

- Implement general safety precautions on site

The duty holders outlined in the CDM regulations are: commercial clients, domestic clients, designers, principal designers, principal contractors, contractors and workers. These people must fulfil their main duties, which are required to ensure the health and safety of construction projects. The responsibilities are divided between these duty holders to efficiently maintain project duties. 

Introduced in 2015, the CDM regulations do apply to domestic projects as well as commercial projects. Basically, they apply to all building work including refurbishment, demolition, new builds, extensions, conversions, maintenance and repair. 

All duty holders need effective communication in order to work together as a team and ensure that all necessary information is shared between everyone working on a project. A client who has commissioned construction projects holds the most responsibility as they appoint the duty holders and oversee how they handle their specific duties. 

CDM regulations are divided into five parts, and these are as follows:

Part 1 aims to outline the definitions of regulations and which parts apply to which project types. It also provides a general overview of the type of work CDM regulations apply to.

Part 2 covers the duties that the client must carry out for managing projects, such as appointing a principal designer and principal contractor. It also specifies which duties are involved in domestic projects.

Part 3 details general duties and the duties of designers to prevent any potential construction risks, as well as covering the duties required for projects that have more than one contractor. The roles of the principal designer and the principal contractor are explained here.

Part 4 outlines all of the health and safety requirements that apply to every construction site and any project, regardless of its nature. These requirements include site security, good order, evacuation plans, emergency procedures and more.

Finally, part 5 highlights transitional arrangements and revocations. It covers which projects started before the introduction of CDM regulations in 2015, and what the rules were previously. 

If you have any further questions regarding CDM regulations, feel free to get in touch with our expert team by emailing office@smseurope.co.uk or phone us at 0845 224 0028.