The revision of the CDM regulations in 2015 created a new duty holder, the Principal Designer, with the responsibility for the effective coordination of health and safety during the design/preconstruction phase. This will ensure that the principles of prevention are actively promoted within the designs, with the focus on identifying and eliminating hazards, followed by the reduction and control of residual risk arising from the design process.
The Principal Designer is not the lead designer but a person or business responsible for ensuring that the duty holders (the Client and the Principal Contractor) are aware of and understand their legal duties. The Principal Designer also ensures that all parties effectively communicate and cooperate, including designers/architects.
The Principal Designer must identify and eliminate or control foreseeable risks to the health and safety of any person who is carrying out, or liable to be affected by, construction work.
The Principal Designer must also make sure that all Designers comply with their duties and that all persons working in relation to the Pre-construction Phase cooperate with each other.
As the Principal Designer, I will provide a management plan for the project detailing how the health and safety aspects of the design will be monitored during the Preconstruction Phase.
I will attend a specified number of pre-start planning meetings to ensure that the Client’s duties under CDM 2015 are being complied with.
Once the project has started, I will attend a specified number of progress meetings between the Client, the Designers and the Principal Contractor to ensure that the duties of all parties are being complied with.
I will assemble the pre-construction information on behalf of the Client. This will include the appraisal of existing information such as plans and asbestos surveys and will provide a comprehensive cohesive document which can be issued to the design team and tendering contractors at the relevant time.
I will also submit the HSE F10 on behalf of the Client, when required.
Throughout the duration of the project I will collect all the information from the Principal Contractor required for the Health and Safety file. At the end of the project I will hand over the Health and Safety file to the Client.
