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CDM 2015 Duties for Designers

Under CDM 2015, designers have legal duties around health and safety. They start long before anyone sets foot on site.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, known as CDM 2015, set duties for everyone involved in construction projects in Great Britain. They aim to manage health and safety risks during construction, maintenance, cleaning, use and demolition. Designers have specific duties.

Who counts as a designer

Under CDM, a designer is anyone who prepares or modifies designs, or arranges for or instructs others to do so. This includes Architects, engineers, technologists, contractors doing design and sometimes clients who specify materials.

Designer duties

Designers must, so far as reasonably practicable:

• Eliminate foreseeable health and safety risks through design
• Reduce or control risks that can't be eliminated
• Provide information about remaining risks to others who need it
• Cooperate and coordinate with other dutyholders

Designers shouldn't start work unless the client is aware of their duties.

The principal designer

Where there's more than one contractor, the client must appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor. The principal designer plans, manages, monitors and coordinates health and safety during the pre-construction phase. They also prepare the health and safety file, with help from others.

Design risk management

Common ways to manage risks include:

• Designing for safe access for maintenance, such as window cleaning and roof access
• Reducing work at height
• Considering lifting and handling of heavy components
• Avoiding hazardous materials where possible
• Considering safe construction sequences

Information on drawings

Significant residual risks that aren't obvious should be highlighted. Many teams use risk notes, risk registers or symbols on drawings. Focus on information that's genuinely useful, not long lists of obvious hazards.

Notification

Projects meeting certain thresholds must be notified to HSE by the client, using form F10. Check the current HSE guidance for the thresholds.

Health and safety file

The health and safety file contains information needed to manage future risks during maintenance, alteration and demolition. Design information contributes to it.

Guidance

HSE's L153 guidance document explains the regulations in detail. Industry bodies also publish guidance for designers.

1. 01Who counts as a designer
2. 02Designer duties
3. 03The principal designer
4. 04Design risk management
5. 05Information on drawings
6. 06Notification

Review risks at each stage

Design risk management isn't a one-off task. Review risks as the design develops, and update information when designs change, particularly where new elements, such as plant or rooflights, introduce maintenance access needs.

CDM is about practical risk reduction through design. Thoughtful, clearly communicated design decisions make buildings safer to build and maintain.

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