Construction Design and Management Regulations In the mid-1990s, fatal accidents in the construction industry were five to six times more frequent than in other areas of manufacture. Also, all construction workers could expect to be temporarily off work at least once in their working life as a result of injury. The Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM) 1994, effective from 31 March 1995, were drafted to try and improve these statistics. The regulations make designers responsible for making buildings ‘safely constructible and to provide safety information’. The purpose of the CDM Regulations can be summarized as follows: • To ensure Health and Safety (H & S) issues are considered from the beginning of a project and to consider the H & S implications during the life of the structure in order to achieve a safe working environment during construction and beyond. • To ensure the professionals appointed are competent to comply with the CDM Regs. These include designers, planning supervisors, contractors and sub-contractors. • To see that an H & S Plan is prepared for the construction period and that an H & S File is prepared for the completed structure. • To ensure that adequate resources are allocated to comply with the legislation imposed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Planning Supervisor To implement the regulations, a Planning Supervisor (PS) must be appointed by the client. This can be anyone competent, and may be a member of the design team, contractors or even the client. Alternatively, architects should develop an H & S team by bringing in outside expertise or use a CDM advice service. The PS must notify the HSE of the project; see that designers do their CDM duty and co-operate on site safety matters; prepare the H & S plan, on time, for the construction work, and prepare an H & S file for the client on completion. They may also, if requested by a client, advise on the appointment of consultants and contractors as to their competence and resources in regard to CDM matters. If architects are to act as Planning Supervisors they must ensure that they receive certified HSE training, as failure to comply with the regulations could lead to criminal prosecution. When CDM regulations are not applicable Listed below are situations where the CDM regulations need not apply. However, the designer is still legally obliged to avoid foreseeable risks; give priority to protection for all; and include adequate H & S information in the design. • Minor works in premises normally inspected by the Local Authority, who will be the Enforcing Authority, e.g. storage of retail goods or dangerous substances, exhibition displays of goods for sale, animal accommodation. • Work carried out for domestic householders, on their own residences, used solely as a private dwelling (i.e. not as an office as well as a home). • Work which is for 30 days or less duration and involves four persons or less on site and does not involve demolition or dismantling of a structure. Source: Managing Construction for Health and Safety CDM Regulations 1994 x
The approved documents These documents are published as practical guidance to the Building Regulations. i.e. they are not the Building Regulations as such. The mandatory Requirement is highlighted in green near the beginning of each document. The remaining text is for guidance only. The Building Inspectorate accept that if this guidance is followed then the requirement is satisfied. There is no obligation to comply with these guidelines providing evidence is produced to show that the relevant requirement has been satisfied in some other way. The purpose of the Building Regulation is to secure reasonable standards of health, safety, energy conservation and the convenience of disabled people. A separate system of control applies in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The regulations are published by the DTLR and are available from the Stationery Office. A Structure 1992 edition A1 Loading amended 2000 A2 Ground movement A3 & A4 Disproportionate collapse B Fire safety 2000 edition B1 Means of warning and escape amended 2000 B2 Internal spread of fire (linings) B3 Internal spread of fire (structure) B4 External fire spread B5 Access and facilities for the fire service C Site preparation and resistance to moisture 1992 edition C1 Preparation of site amended 2000 C2 Dangerous and offensive substances C3 Subsoil drainage C4 Resistance to weather and ground moisture D Toxic substances 1992 edition amended 2000 E Resistance to the passage of sound 1992 edition E1 Airborne sound (walls) amended 2000 E2 Airborne sound (floors and stairs) E3 Impact sound (floors and stairs) F Ventilation 1995 edition F1 Means of ventilation amended 2000 F2 Condensation in roofs G Hygiene 1992 edition G1 Sanitary conveniences and washing facilities amended 2000 G2 Bathrooms G3 Hot water storage H Drainage and waste disposal 2002 edition H1 Foul water drainage H2 Waste water treatment and cess pools H3 Rainwater drainage H4 Building over sewers H5 Separate systems of drainage H6 Solid waste storage J Combustion appliances and fuel storage 2002 edition systems J1 Air supply J2 Discharge of products of combustion J3 Protection of building J4 Provision of information J5 Protection of liquid fuel storage systems J6 Protection against pollution K Protection from falling, collision and impact 1998 edition amended 2000 L Conservation of fuel and power 2002 edition L1 Conservation of fuel and power in dwellings L2 Conservation of fuel and power in buildings other than dwellings M Access and facilities for disabled people 1999 edition M1 Interpretation amended 2000 M2 Access and use M3 Sanitary conveniences M4 Audience or spectator seating N Glazing – safety in relation to impact, 1998 edition opening and cleaning amended 2000 N1 Protection against impact N2 Manifestations of glazing N3 Safe opening & closing of windows, skylights & ventilators N4 Safe access for cleaning windows etc Approved document to support regulation 7 1999 edition Materials and workmanship amended 2000 x