CDM 2015 Now Applies To ALL Construction Projects

CDM 2015 is old news, isn't it? Didn't that come into force in April?

Well yes, CDM 2015 did come into force in April for all new construction projects. But did you know that from October 6th 2015, all existing construction projects must now also comply with the new regulations.

That means bye bye CDM Coordinator and hello Principal Designer.

That also means hello additional client duties and bye bye exemptions for domestic or none notifiable construction projects. All projects must now apply CDM 2015 in full, even those for domestic clients or under 30 days duration.

Whether you are building a new block of flats, or carrying out a small bathroom refurbishment, you need to know about CDM 2015 and how it applies to you and your project to make sure you comply.

So if your project already started under the 2007 regulations, you still need to apply the new 2015 regulations going forward.

The Duty Holders required under CDM 2015 include:

• Clients
• Designers
• Contractors
• Workers
• Principal Contractor (More than one contractor projects)
• Principal Designer (More than one contractor projects)

The changes apply to all duty holders and construction projects of all sizes.

For Clients that means appointing a Principal Designer where necessary, and checking that you are complying with the new Client Duties.

For Designers, that may mean taking on the new role of Principal Designer, particularly where you are the lead (or only) designer on the project and in overall control of the design and pre-construction phase.

For Principal Contractors, it is pretty much business as usual, but you will now be coordinating with the Principal Designer, and probably need to get a little more involved in some aspects of CDM that were previously taken care of by the CDM Coordinator.

For Contractors, that means checking if the project has a Principal Contractor, as now even none-notifiable projects need one. Or, if you are the only contractor and are not using any subcontractors (this is the only case when a Principal Contractor is not needed), then you need to be producing the Construction Phase Plan yourself.