CDM Transition

We are almost at the end of the CDM transition almost 8 weeks left to go until he 6th October, until the demise of the CDMc and the full implementation of the Principal Designer role on the 6th October 2015. IS your project upto speed?

The Principal Designer role or PD is a person or a company that can provide construction related technical designer services and has an understanding of construction risk management. 
The HSE have expaned on their guidance with http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/UKHSE/bulletins/111707d, a constructioninfonet breifing issued in July 2015. However they ( the HSe ) recognise that there is a skill shortage of people who fill this criteria and will be for the next 2-3 years.

This is obviously a problem for the construction sector.

In one of the recent project meetings we attended a Project Manager expounded that all he wanted was an independent CDMc to review the project and ensure that it was upto standard rather than worrying about a  seperate client advisor appointment and principal designer appointments, which in his mind and alot of other people's increase project costs for the same activity.

It is clear that the HSE consider the PD role to be far more onerous than the CDMc role with the word of "control" rather than coordinate featuring in the detail of the PD's duties, along with this message from the HSe roadshows. Therefore there will need to be movement in fees. Many Practices are holding costs down by not attending project meetings and undertaking their duties remotely, but is this really an acceptable way of controlling risks by reviewing minutes.
As yet there is no case law or notices served, but we wait and see the direction that HSe take after the 6th October.


Our response as construction safety professionals is to offer our CDM Support services to Clients/ Principal Contractors/ contractors and newly appointed Principal Designers to assist in their compliance with the regulations so please contact us for further information.