Get ready for new CDM rules
With the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) promising publication of the 2015 Construction, Design and Management (CDM) Regulations some time this month, draft guidance has been made available by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB).
CDM 2015 will come into force on 6 April this year and will apply to all building and construction projects, regardless of the size, duration and nature of the work.
Written construction phase plans will be required for all construction projects (including domestic client work) and a principal designer and principal contractor appointed when there is more than one contractor on a project.
In addition, employers will be expected to provide information, instruction and supervision for workers and to meet any gap in skills and knowledge through appropriate training.
The CITB has made available six draft guides for the main parties involved: the five duty holders — clients, contractors, designers, principal contractors and principal designers — and workers. They can all be found at http://bit.ly/1wOLFV3.
The CTB has made it clear that there will be a transitional period after the new regulations come into force and that this will run for six months until 6 October 2015.
“For projects starting before 6 April 2015, where the construction phase has not yet started and where the client has not yet appointed a CDM co-ordinator, the client must appoint a principal designer as soon as it is practicable,” it explained.
Further draft guidance on CDM 2015 is available from the HSE and can be accessed at http://bit.ly/1DP8D34. Please note, however, that all these documents may be subject to change when the official regulations are finally published.