Construction (Design and Management Regulations) 1994
The roles and responsibilities of the design team
Introduction
The CDM Regulations are aimed at improving the overall management and co-ordination of health, safety and welfare throughout all stages of a construction project to reduce the large numbers of serious and fatal accidents and cases of ill health which occur every year in the construction industry. The CDM Regulations place duties on all those who can contribute to the health and safety of a construction project. Duties are placed upon clients, designers and contractors and the Regulations create a new duty holder - the planning supervisor. This lecture will look at the roles and responsibilities of the design team in compliance with CDM regulations
Who are designers?
Designers are organisations or individuals who carry out design work for a construction project, including temporary works design including:
Architects Consulting Engineers Chartered Surveyors Technicians Principle Contractors
The term 'design' is a wide term under the CDM Regulations and includes drawings, design details, specifications and bills of quantity.
The designer's role in health and safety throughout the project
A key role within the construction project is ensuring that the health and safety of those who are to construct, maintain or repair a structure are considered during the design process The most important contribution a designer can make to improve health and safety will often be during the concept and feasibility stage when the main considerations will be about the different design options which are open so that potential hazards can be avoided. Once the design process moves into detailed design and specification, designers can continue to make a significant contribution to avoidance and reduction of risks to health and safety, particularly in relation to the specification of materials and substances
Some examples
Example 1: A designer will be able to determine the location of the structure on the site. This could affect how close construction plant has to come to railway lines, roads and overhead power lines
Some examples
Example 2: By specifying a 'non-fishtail' brick tie, a designer can eliminate the risk of cuts and eye injuries from temporarily exposed ties
What are the designer's duties under the CDM Regulations?
The designer has the following duties in relation to health and safety under the CDM Regulations:
make clients aware of their duties; give due regard to health and safety in your design work; provide adequate information about the health and safety risk of the design to those who need it; co-operate with the planning supervisor and, where appropriate other designers involved in the project.
Making clients aware of their duties
You should not start preparing any design work until the client is aware of their duties under the CDM Regulations You have a legal duty to explain to the client their responsibilities under the Regulations
Giving due regard to health and safety in your design work
To ensure that risks to health and safety are fully considered in your design work
identify the significant health and safety hazards likely to be associated with the design and how it may be constructed and maintained consider the risk from the hazards which arise as a result of the design being incorporated into the project if possible, alter the design to avoid the risk, or where this is not reasonably practicable, reduce it
Giving due regard to health and safety in your design work (cont..)
When you consider health and safety in your design work, you will need to avoid or reduce risks by applying a series of steps known as the hierarchy of risk control or principles of prevention and protection.
consider if the hazard can be prevented from arising so that the risk can be avoided (eg, alter the design to avoid the risk); if this cannot be achieved, the risk should be combated at source (eg, ensure the design details of items to be lifted include attachment points for lifting); failing this, priority should be given to measures to control the risk that will protect all people (eg allow a one-way system for delivery and spoil removal vehicles); only as a last resort should measures to control risk by means of personal protection be assumed (eg, use of safety harnesses).
Providing information on health and safety
If risks still remain, information needs to be included with the design to alert others to the risks which they cannot reasonably be expected to know. If your basic design assumptions affect health or safety, or health and safety risks are not obvious from the standard design document, you should provide additional information. The level of detail to be recorded will be determined by the nature of the hazards involved and the associated level of risk.
Co-operation
Even on small projects it is unlikely that all the design work will be carried out by one designer. You will therefore need to liaise with the planning supervisor and other designers so that the work can be co-ordinated to see how the different aspects of designs interact with each other and affect health and safety. Liaison is also needed so that the planning supervisor can ensure designers are fulfilling their duties
Designers CDM flowchart
START
What element are you designing?
Is there are risk the design poses in the construction phase?
NO
END
YES
Classify the principle of protection
AVOID
END
COMBAT AT SOURCE
COMMUNAL PROTECTION
PERSONAL PROTECTION
Use the principle of protection classification(s) to guide the design decision
New build projects
Designers CDM checklist (an example)
Construction / Maintenance Function Site and site establishment Example Hazard Electricity Principle of Protection AVOID
Existing buildings
Examples of Application Design layout (I.e. location of the structures) to avoid work and mobile plant taking place in the vicinity of overhead electric cables, OR relocate lines by arrangement
Groundwork
Structure erection
Noise and vibration
Falls from height
AVOID
COMMUNAL PROTECTION
Design in quieter methods of construction. Use bored piles rather than hammer driven piles
Erection of stairways and floors as the frame is erected can provide safe access to heights and safe working places at height. Structural design should include guard rails Minimise the fire loading arising from the materials and products stored and used in the structure under construction by specifying non flammable products Design in lifting beams in plant rooms to reduce risk of injury/death caused by heavy equipment Avoid using dangerous substances, specify off site production, avoid dust producing processes Specify a sequence of removal and replacement of structural members to maintain stability Design in anchors for safety lines where no other protection is available for window cleaning Maximise the ventilation of confined ares where hazardous substances have to be used
Cladding and brickwork
Fire
COMBAT AT SOURCE
Installation of M+E services Finishes Refurbishment Glass Cleaning and Maintenance Renovation
Manual handling Hazardous substances Collapse Falls from height Hazardous Substances
COMBAT AT SOURCE AVOID COMBAT AT SOURCE PERSONAL PROTECTION COMMUNAL PROTECTION
Legal references
Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (workplace directive) Approved Code of Practice Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 Construction (Head Protection) Regulations 1989
Remember Your decisions affect people lives!
The lives of people who work on construction sites
Dont let your design decisions create another accident statistic
.because the consequences for you can include a court appearance
