Building Design Partnership - General - Construction Design and Management Regulations

Date: 09 Jun 2005

The CDM (Construction Design and Management) Regulations are ten years old - but designers are still failing to exploit the potential they have to eliminate and reduce risks on site.

The results of a series of discussions between the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and designers show that designers are often uncertain of their responsibilities or have little or no understanding of their responsibilities; they also lack information and training in CDM.

The HSE is working with selected designers on an intervention initiative to help to stimulate those professions to do more to eliminate, reduce and provide better information on construction hazards and ensure designers help contractors manage the residual hazards - during construction maintenance, cleaning and subsequent demolition.

BDP is participating in two specific topics -

Work at Height where designers often abdicate their responsibility to reduce risk by leaving it to the principal contractor, without first considering how they could change the design in a way which would make it safer to build, clean or maintain, and
Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) which are the most common occupational illnesses in Great Britain, MSDs affect muscles, joints, tendons and other parts of the musculoskeletal system.

BDP Chief Executive Peter Drummond said "As architects and engineers for a significant number of projects in the UK it is important for BDP to be involved in initiatives that will help to reduce accidents on site. We are very pleased to support the HSE in this programme".

An 'Intervention Plan for BDP' is being developed and several projects have already been visited.

A later part of the plan is for BDP to be audited by the HSE in the management aspects of CDM such as feedback, monitoring and training, and to participate in workshops to discuss improved understanding by designers of the two topics .

Clarus Consulting is acting as safety advisor to BDP.

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