CDM Briefing

CDM Briefing Note on behalf of Abel Development Consultants Ltd.

The purpose of this summary is to inform you of your responsibilities as a client under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), which apply to your upcoming project.

Overview of Client Responsibilities under CDM 2015:

CDM 2015 places legal duties on clients commissioning construction work. Clients are pivotal in setting standards for health, safety, and welfare, ensuring that effective arrangements are in place from project inception to completion.

Under these regulations, clients play a crucial role in ensuring health and safety is effectively managed throughout the project lifecycle. Below, we outline your key duties as defined by CDM 2015:

Key Client Duties

  1. Appointing Duty Holders

    • Principal Designer: You must appoint a competent Principal Designer to plan, manage, and monitor the pre-construction phase.

    • Principal Contractor: You must appoint a competent Principal Contractor to plan, manage, and monitor the construction phase.

    • Appointments must be made in writing for projects involving more than one contractor.

  2. Providing Pre-Construction Information (PCI)

    • You are required to supply relevant information to designers and contractors to help them plan and execute their work safely.

  3. Ensuring Suitable Management Arrangements

    • You must ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place for managing health and safety throughout the project. This includes verifying that the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor are carrying out their duties.

  4. Construction Phase Plan

    • Before any construction work begins, you must ensure that the Principal Contractor prepares a suitable Construction Phase Plan detailing how health and safety will be managed.

  5. Health and Safety File

    • For projects involving multiple contractors, the Principal Designer must prepare a Health and Safety File, which you are responsible for retaining after the project.

For your project, if Abel Development Consultants are only providing planning drawings, we have assumed there will be only one contractor managing and completing the project, as such a principal designer is not required, however, the The client must resume responsibilities and as such:

    • Ensure the contractor manages health and safety appropriately.

    • Provide relevant pre-construction information to the contractor.

    • Ensure the contractor prepares a suitable Construction Phase Plan before work begins.

In addition, please note, under CDM 2015 (Construction, Design, and Management Regulations), if a Principal Designer (PD) is not formally appointed and the project involves multiple contractors, the client automatically assumes the legal duties of the Principal Designer.

Key Responsibilities the Client Must Fulfill as Principal Designer:

If no PD is appointed, the client must:

  1. Plan, Manage, and Monitor the Pre-Construction Phase:

    • Ensure risks are identified, eliminated, or controlled during the design stage.

    • Facilitate collaboration among all designers to ensure health and safety considerations are integrated into the design.

  2. Coordination Among Duty Holders:

    • Ensure effective communication between designers and contractors.

    • Provide relevant Pre-Construction Information (PCI) to all parties.

  3. Ensure Competency of Designers and Contractors:

    • Confirm that all appointed designers and contractors have the necessary skills, knowledge, and experience for their roles.

  4. Prepare the Health and Safety File:

    • If the project involves multiple contractors, a Health and Safety File must be compiled and maintained for the duration of the building’s lifecycle.

    • The client must ensure this document is completed and handed over upon project completion.

Abel Development Consultants can fulfil this role for an additional fee. A quote can be provided upon request. There are also other Consultants that offer such role.