CDM Consultancy

A CDM Consultant/CDM Advisor is a construction health and safety professional who provides advice, assistance and guidance to statutory duty holders (Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, Designers, Contractors), under Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015), to ensure they comply with their statutory duties so that health and safety is an integral part of the project.

In addition to the client seeking the help of a CDM Consultant to assist in fulfilling their duties, it is common for the lead Designer to agree to undertake the appointed role of Principal Designer, but where they do not have in house Health & Safety expertise, to engage a CDM consultant to assist with the H&S functions of that role on their behalf.

With a qualified CDM client advisor on your team, you can ensure that each project runs smoothly from start to finish. A CDM advisor will provide crucial guidance in the design process and help you meet all legal requirements for a successful build. 

Contractors will also often take on the appointed Principal Contractor role and engage a CDM client advisor to assist with fulfilling their specific CDM duties during a project. These are roles that we can assist with.

• Client
  • Determine competence of designers/contractors prior to appointment
  • Assisting with project scope/client brief development
  • HSE notification of project (where applicable) (regulation 6)
  • Advising/assisting with Pre Construction Information (PCI) development (regulation 4(4))
  • Advise on the suitability of the Principal Contractor’s Construction Phase Plan
  • Undertaking CDM compliance inspections (during construction stage) (regulation 4(3))

• Principal Designer
  • Assisting with advising duty holders of their duties
  • Assisting with development of the PCI development
  • Assisting with Health & Safety file development
  • Liaising with the Principal Contractor in relation to H&S matters 

• Principal Contractor
  • Assisting with interpretation and dissemination of PCI
  • Assisting with development of a project hazard register
  • Advise on making suitable arrangements for the project including for welfare provision (Schedule 2)
  • Assisting in the development of the CPP
  • Assisting with development and completion of the Health & Safety file (where applicable)

The Principal Designer is a statutory duty holder as defined in CDM 2015 and as such, must be appointed in writing by the client.

The Principal Designer undertakes the duties as detailed in CDM 2015 which includes:

• Planning, managing, monitoring and coordinating health and safety in the pre-construction phase
• Working with designers to eliminate, or otherwise reduce foreseeable H&S risks to anyone affected by the work
• Assisting the Client to fulfil their statutory duties including:
  • Identification and gathering of pre-construction information for designers and contractors
  • HSE notification (F10)
  • Construction phase plan review
  • Conducting site H&S/CDM compliance inspections during the construction stage
• Drafting and developing the H&S file
• Liaising with the principal contractor, keeping them informed of any risks that need to be controlled during the construction phase

CDM 2015 Regulation 4 places duties on the client to ensure that suitable H&S arrangements are both made and maintained throughout the life of the project; during the construction stage this duty translates into on-site H&S and CDM documentation compliance inspections. 

Where you do not have ‘in-house’ Health & Safety competence [Regulation 8-(1)&(2)], to do this yourself, as experienced CDM and H&S consultants with many years’ experience working in construction and as CDM advisors and appointed Principal Designers on many projects, we can undertake these inspections on your behalf. 

As part of these regular, usually monthly, CDM Compliance inspections, we will visit the construction site unannounced, carry out an inspection of CDM documentation which should be available at all times on site, and conduct a rigorous Health & Safety site inspection. A detailed report with prioritised, recommended remedial actions (where applicable), and photos of both poor and good practice will be provided for your records, helping you to ensure this duty is complied with and giving you peace of mind.