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Health
and Safety is now a major part of the
construction industry. New legislation
called the “Construction, Design and
Management Regulations” (CDM for
short) is now in place.
This places duties and
responsibilities on all those involved
in the building process. The
client/owner appoints an
architect/surveyor.
They assess the project and
decide if it falls within the scope of
the CDM regulations.
If it does, the client must
appoint a planning supervisor. This
individual then has the responsibility
for the production of a “Health and
Safety Plan”. This is a legal
requirement and is administered by the
Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The contractor is obliged to
prepare his own “Health and Safety
Plan” and in so doing must take into
account the information provided in the
initial Health and Safety Plan provided
by the Planning Supervisor.
The aim it to identify
significant risks and problems before
building begins so as to avoid
accidents.
Failure to comply with the regulations has resulted in the closing of building sites, heavy fines and prison sentences. The client can no longer say after an accident, "Oh, I had no idea what the builders were doing, if they didn't want a scaffold that was their decision." Under the legislation all parties have a joint responsibility for ensuring that the building process is carried out safely. All parties can therefore be fined if they fail in their duties. If you are thinking of undertaking building work, do not hesitate to contact us for further advice on CDM and your duties under the legislation. |