Wright Safety Solutionsestablished 2006
Wright Safety Solutionsestablished 2006
| CDM 2007 guidance | page 3 of 3 |
| CDM co-ordinators' FAQ
Is the CDM co-ordinator the same as the old planning supervisor? No. Although the duties are broadly similar a very different approach is expected from the new CDM co-ordinator. The co-ordinator is the facilitator that ensures that the project team cooperate and coordinate their work with respect health and safety and advises the client. The CDM co-ordinator needs different skills and competencies to make sure these duties are met. In particular, they must advise the client on how to meet their own client’s duties under CDM 2007, and assist them in doing so. The CDM co-ordinator is a new role, so what are the main duties of CDM co-ordinators? The main duties of CDM co-ordinators are - advise and assist the client in meeting their duties as a client under CDM 2007, in particular
NOTE: Will existing 'planning supervisors' need more training if they are to become CDM co-ordinators? It depends on their existing competence. CDM co-ordinators must be competent for the duties that they are called on to perform. They will need good communications and inter-personal skills to fulfil their role. They will need to have a good understanding of the design and construction process and knowledge of health and safety. The transitional provisions in the new CDM 2007 Regulations allow 12 months for planning supervisors to acquire the new skills that they need. If they have not achieved competence during that period, a new CDM co-ordinator will need to be appointed. The CDM co-ordinator can employ a Safety Consultant but he will still need to have competence to understand his safety duties and work with the consultant. What do you mean by ‘a project advisor’? Under the new CDM 2007 Regulations, clients are required to make sure that other members of the project team have adequate arrangements in place to ensure the health and safety of those working on the project. The CDM co-ordinator has a duty to advise and assist the client in meeting this obligation. If the CDM co-ordinator is unhappy with the arrangements made by a particular project team member, they should advise the client of their concern. The client can then insist that the problem is put right. This means that the client empowers the CDM co-ordinator to ensure that the arrangements put in place by the project team are sufficient in health and safety terms. Again, a Safety Consultant can assist with this duty. When should the CDM co-ordinator be appointed? The CDM co-ordinator should be appointed as early as possible but no later than after initial design work is completed. ‘Initial design work’ includes feasibility studies to enable them to decide whether or not to proceed with the project, and any work necessary to identify the client’s requirements or possible constraints on the development. The CDM co-ordinator must be appointed early - because the role is crucial for the effective planning and establishment of health and safety management arrangements from the start of the project. The CDM co-ordinator must be appointed before detailed design work begins. Can a CDM co-ordinator be a company or an individual? Either. For many projects, particularly smaller ones, the CDM co-ordinator appointed by the client may be an individual person. For larger projects, the CDM co-ordinator is more likely to be a company/firm/partnership. In this instance it is acceptable for the name of the CDM co-ordinator on the notification form F10 to be that of the organisation. Who can be a CDM co-ordinator? Anyone can be a CDM co-ordinator provided that they have the appropriate level of competence. The CDM co-ordinator can be a designer, contractor or a stand-alone CDM co-ordinator. The task can be shared out and the role can be combined with another role for example project manager, designer or principal contractor. A formal appointment in writing must be made adopt a system that works for you project Should the CDM co-ordinator monitor site conditions? No, he does not have to. CDM 2007 does not require the CDM co-ordinator to assess the performance on site. The overall responsibility for controlling and monitoring site health and safety standards lies with the principal contractor. In a small project the CDM can include the monitoring in his work. So, depending on the size of the project either the CDM co-ordinator or the principal contractor can employ Safety Consultant to monitor the site: Site Inspections, Scaffolding Inspections, Risk Assessments, COSHH assessments, Work at Height Assessments, LOLER and PUWER assessments etc. |
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| The plan and the file
What is the difference between a construction phase plan and a health and safety file? The construction phase plan is prepared by the principal contractor for notifiable projects, to outline the arrangements for managing health and safety on site during construction work. The health and safety file is prepared or revised by the CDM co-ordinator for notifiable projects. It will require the CDM co-ordinator to liaise with, the client, designers, principal contractor and contractors. The file will contain information necessary for future construction, maintenance, refurbishment or demolition to be carried out safely, and is retained by the client or any future owner of the property. (Where a client gets non-notifiable work done, and a health and safety file already exists for the premises, it should be updated if necessary). The file should be a useful and valuable document for the client. Often the Principal Contractor will assemble much of the documentation that goes into the health and safety file, and he can employ a Safety Consultant to compile the COSHH and Risk Assessment documents. How to notify a project (F10) for CDM Regs (2007) What work needs to be notified? CDM 2007 requires most construction work to be notified to HSE. Notification will be required if the project, commonly referred to as a ‘construction project’ is likely to:
Any day on which construction work is carried out (including holidays and weekends) should be counted, even if the work on that day is of short duration. A ‘person-day’ is one individual, including supervisors or specialist trades, carrying out construction work for one normal working shift. Construction work for a domestic client is not notifable. A domestic client is someone who lives, or will live, in the premises where the work is carried out, and in such cases the premises must not relate to any trade, business or undertaking. |
| What information needs to be notified?
Details of what is required to be notified is included in Schedule 1 of the CDM regs. A form - the F10 - can be used to make notification easier. The information is as follows: Schedule 1 Particulars to be notified to HSE, for CDM Regs (2007). Regulation 21 (1), (2) and (4)
Who needs to notify? The CDM co-ordinator for the work is required to send the notification. When and where should it be sent? The notification should be sent to the HSE office covering the site where construction work is to take place as soon as possible after the CDM co-ordinator has been appointed by the client. Contacting HSE's office in the Coventry & Warwickshire area: HSE, 1 Hagley Road, BIRMINGHAM B16 8HS Form F10 can be downloaded at: https://www.hse.gov.uk/forms/notification/f10.pdf |
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this document is for guidance. Please refer to CDM2007 Approved Code of Practice
or contact Wright Safety Solutions to get you started on understanding CDM.
Health and Safety for Coventry and Warwickshire small/medium businesses
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CDM guidance for clients and contractors, last revised 10 August 2010
