The CDM Regulations 2015 Explained

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

Whatever your role in construction, CDM aims to improve health and safety in the industry by helping you to:

• Sensibly plan the work so the risks involved are managed from start to finish
• Have the right people for the right job at the right time
• Cooperate and coordinate your work with others
• Have the right information about the risks and how they are being managed
• Communicate this information effectively to those who need to know
• Consult and engage with workers about the risks and how they are being managed

What changed for domestic clients

The CDM 2007 regulations applied to certain commercial projects with domestic works excluded from the regulations.

CDM 2015 defines a client as anyone for whom a construction project is carried out. This definition includes both non-domestic (or 'commercial') clients and 'domestic' clients. The inclusion of domestic clients is a major change to the CDM regulations.

A domestic client is not required to carry out the duties placed on commercial clients. Where the project involves:

1. Only one contractor, the contractor must carry out the client duties as well as the duties they already have as contractor. In practice, this should involve doing little more to manage the work to ensure health and safety.
2. More than one contractor, the principal contractor must carry out the client duties as well as the duties they already have as principal contractor.

If the domestic client has not appointed a principal contractor, the duties of the client must be carried out by the contractor in control of the construction work.

In some situations, domestic clients wishing to extend, refurbish or demolish parts of their own property will, in the first instance, engage an architect or other designer to produce possible designs for them. It is also recognised that construction work does not always follow immediately after design work is completed. If they so wish, a domestic client has the flexibility of agreeing (in writing) with their designer that the designer coordinates and manages the project, rather than this role automatically passing to the principal contractor. Where no such agreement is made, the principal contractor will automatically take over the project management responsibilities.

This matters most on the sort of work our small works department handles, where a homeowner is the client and may not realise the duties have shifted.

HSE documents

The HSE have a number of documents that cover this, linked below.