Health & Safety

Principal Designer

The CDM Regs 2015 created the role of Principal Designer with a remit for effective co-ordination and communication of Health and Safety during the design & preconstruction phase of a project. This developed split role from that of its predecessors (CDM-C and before that Planning Supervisor) places an improved emphasis on effective communication & co-operation and seeking to ensure that designers comply with their duties and ultimately to compile the Pre-Construction Information on behalf of the client. Our approach in respect to the Principal Designer role is to implement proportionate focus on the health and safety risk management.

CDM Advisor

Through our role as CDM Advisor, we seek to ensure that you as our client stays compliant and undertake vital duties on your behalf in respect to the paperwork and processes implied through the CDM 2015 Regs. We can assist you with this service and have successfully undertaken a number of projects in our appointment as CDM advisors.

We are not prohibitors but advisors and co-ordinators on Health and Safety and the CDM Regulations. In our role of either CDM Advisor or Principal Designer we do not take a generic approach. Our role is about advising application of common sense & practicality; it is about making it easy to be safe and ensuring that the project is safe. We focus on the needs of the particular project and our assessment and level of information is always proportionate to the risks arising from the work.

Our staff are all registered members of professional associations (RMaPS) so demonstrate competency with the body representing health and safety. We have recognition with Constructionline and ISO9001.

Our RMaPS CDM Co-ordinators are also Professionally Qualified to Chartered level Membership (RICS), CIOB and MAPM. We have the experience and ability to sufficiently perform the Principal Designer role to recognise limitations, task related faults and errors and to identify hazards and risks and advise appropriate actions. We have worked as CDM-A and formerly CDM-C/ Planning Supervisor from small complex projects up to significant work on major projects.

A typical project specification for our CDM- A service would be to:-

Advise on the preparation of the client brief for the project

Advise on making suitable arrangements for managing the Project, including the allocation of sufficient time and resources (Regulation 4(1))

Advise on making suitable arrangements to ensure that-

1. The construction work can be carried out, so far as is reasonably practicable, without risks to the health and safety of any persons affected by the Project; and
2. The facilities  required by Schedule 2 of the regulations are provided in respect to any person carrying out construction work (regulation 4 (2))

Advise on ensuring that the project management arrangements are maintained and reviewed throughout the Project (regulation 4(3))

Advise on the nature of preconstruction information to be provided by the client as soon as is practicable to every designer and contractor appointed, or being considered for appointment, to the project (Regulation 4(4))

Advise on ensuring that

1. Before the construction phase begins, a construction phase plan is drawn up by the contractor if there is only one contractor, or by the principal contractor; and
2. The principal designer prepares the health and safety file for the project during the preconstruction phase, which
   1. Is revised from time to time as appropriate to incorporate any relevant new information; and
   2. Is kept available for inspection by any person who may need to comply with the relevant legal requirements (Regulation 4(5))
   3. Complies with the requirements of Regulation 12(5)

Advise on the suitability or otherwise of the construction phase plan and the provision of the proposed welfare facilities prior to the construction works commencing on site

Advise on what reasonable steps the client should take to ensure that-

1. The principal designer complies with any other principal designer duties in regulation 11 and 12 and
2. The principal contractor complies with any other principal contractor duties in Regulation 12 to 14; (Regulation 4(6))

Advise on the explanation to be given to anyone to whom the Client disposes of its interest in the Project, when handing over the health and safety file

Where there is more than one contractor, or if it is reasonably foreseeable that more than one contractor will be working on a project at any one time, advise the client on appointing in writing-

1. A designer with control over the pre-construction phase as principal designer; and
2. A contractor as principal contractor

As soon as practicable, and in any even before the construction phase begins (Regulation 5(1) and (2))

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What People Say

Excellent service from an experienced professional team, JCA have advised Exclusive Hotels on numerous properties and fit out issues, their advice is clear with good clear communication during the works and always a job well done”.

Danny Pecorelli–Exclusive Hotels and Venues