Health & Safety

For some years the construction industry has had a poor safety record in comparison with other industries. The changing nature of hazards on construction sites together with lack of overall control led in 1994 to the introduction of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations, commonly known as the CDM Regulations.

The main targets for the Regulations were to:

• Reduce injuries and deaths in the construction industry
• Provide relevant information to those who need it and at the right time
• Ensure that information is used effectively to eliminate or reduce hazards
• Allow contractors to manage health and safety issues on site

Within the Regulations the role of Planning Supervisor was created, to assist Clients in complying with their new statutory duties. In 2007 the Regulations were updated in order to focus attention on planning and managing construction projects from design concepts onwards. At the same time, changes were made to the role of Planning Supervisor and the name was changed to CDM Coordinator.

The Practice has acted as Planning Supervisor / CDM Coordinator for a variety of private and public sector Clients on a range of building types, such as the construction of buildings on greenfield and brownfield sites, refurbishment of existing properties and demolition of redundant buildings alongside busy roads and even at the heart of a working hospital. On many projects the Practice has been appointed to carry out this service as well as that of Architect, but on a number of occasions it has also been an independent appointment.

The expertise that exists within the Practice is also invaluable in respect of ensuring compliance with the Designer’s Duties as defined under the Regulations.