CDM 2015 Toolkit

The Construction (Design & Management) 2015 toolkit provides duty holders with the tools, templates & guidance to ensure projects are compliant and safe.

Helping Construction Projects Succeed

This toolkit has been developed to assist CDM duty holders of small to medium sized construction projects. The toolkit consists of guidance and templates to ensure they are complying with the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 and other supporting health & safety legislation.
The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM 2015) are the main set of regulations for managing the health, safety and welfare of construction projects. CDM applies to all building and construction work and includes new build, demolition, refurbishment, extensions, conversions, repair and maintenance.

Whatever your role in construction, CDM aims to improve health and safety in the industry by helping you to:

  • sensibly plan the work so the risks involved are managed from start to finish
  • have the right people for the right job at the right time
  • cooperate and coordinate your work with others
  • have the right information about the risks and how they are being managed
  • communicate this information effectively to those who need to know
  • consult and engage with workers about the risks and how they are being managed

The Client

A commercial client is anyone (individual, partnership or organisation) who has construction work carried out for them that is done in connection with a business, whether the business operates for profit or not. A client who has construction work carried out for them that is not done in connection with a business (usually on their own home or the home of a family member) is a domestic client.
The commercial client has a major influence over the way their project is procured and managed. Regardless of the size of the project, the client has contractual control, appoints designers and contractors, and determines the money, time and other resources available. Because of this, CDM 2015 makes a commercial client accountable for the impact their decisions and approach have on health, safety and welfare on their project.

Understanding the Role of the Client

A comprehensive guide for commercial construction clients.

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Develop the Client Project Brief

The client brief sets out the client’s key requirements, project vision and communicates to others their “aims and aspirations” for the project.
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Prepare the Pre-construction Information

The Pre Construction Information is a document which provides the information already in the Client’s possession, or which is reasonably obtainable, to relevant CDM Duty Holders, such as Designer(s), Contractor or Principal Contractor.

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Appointing a Principal Designer

As the client, you must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor in writing. If you do not do this then you take on these roles and associated legal duties yourself.
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Appointing a Principal Contractor

As the client, you must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor in writing. If you do not do this then you take on these roles and associated legal duties yourself.
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F10 - Notification of construction project

If your project is expected to last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working on the project at any one time, or exceed 500 person days, you will need to make sure that your project is notified to the relevant enforcing authority.

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The Principal Designer

A principal designer is the designer with control over the pre-construction phase who has the relevant skills, knowledge and experience and where they are an organisation, the organisational capability to carry out all the functions of the role. However, they do not have to carry out actual design work on the project. A principal designer has an important role in influencing how the risks to health and safety should be managed and incorporated into the wider management of a project.

Understanding the role of the Principal Designer

A comprehensive guide for Principal Designers.

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Prepare the Health & Safety File

As Principal Designer it is your responsibility to prepare and develop the health and safety file, including the information required for cleaning, maintenance, alteration or demolition of the building. You will need to provide the principal contractor with details of the agreed format, structure and required content.
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Prepare a Design Risk Register

Design risk management (DRM) is a means by which designers can demonstrate that their designs can be built, used, maintained and eventually demolished without negatively affecting the safety, health and wellbeing of those involved in the construction process or those who may be impacted by the structure. 

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Further Develop the Pre-construction Information

You need to compile and review the pre-construction information to check that the information provided is appropriate for supporting the construction phase. It should be specific to the project , highlight any significant health and safety issues and not include information that a principal contractor familiar with this type of work would be expected to know.

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Understanding the role of Designers

A comprehensive guide for Designers. The designer’s role when preparing or modifying designs is to eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks that may happen during construction or maintenance and use of a building after it’s been built.

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The Principal Contractor

The principal contractor is the contractor in overall control of the construction phase on projects with more than one contractor. They are appointed in writing by the client to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety during this phase. There should only be one principal contractor for a project at any one time.

Understanding the role of the Principal Contractor

A comprehensive guide for Principal Contractors.
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Develop a Construction Phase Plan

A construction phase plan (CPP) is a key document, outlining the health and safety concerns associated with a specific construction project. The plan should cover the site rules and necessary procedures that are in place to minimise or eliminate risks.
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Understanding the role of Contractors

A comprehensive guide for Contractors.
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