Construction (Design & Management) Regulations

For most non-domestic building work the client needs to comply with these regulations. I can guide you through the requirements and act as Principal Designer. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are intended to integrate health and safety into the management of construction projects. With the exception of projects for domestic clients, the Regulations require projects to be notified to the Health and Safety Executive where construction work is expected to:

• last more than 30 working days; or
• involve more than 500 person days, for example 50 people working for over 10 days.

For notifiable projects, clients must appoint a competent Principal Designer who acts as a key project advisor in respect of construction health and safety risk management matters. Their main purpose is to help clients to carry out their duties; to co-ordinate health and safety aspects of the design work and to prepare the health and safety file. This forms the basis for managing health and safety on site and will be developed by the Principal Contractor whose role is to manage the site health and safety during the Works.

A Principal Designer also needs to be appointed where there is more than one contractor, or if it is reasonably foreseeable that more than one contractor will be working on a project at any time. I will take on the role of Principal Designer, guiding the client through their duties and co-ordinating the management of health and safety from the initial stages to the completion of the project. It should be emphasised that the client has statutory duties in respect of health and safety and that failure to comply with these carries severe penalties including criminal action.