Health and Safety Policy Arrangements – Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 –  Principal Contractor Responsibilities

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) outline the legal responsibilities of the principal contractor to ensure health, safety, and welfare on construction projects. As the party responsible for managing the construction phase, the principal contractor must plan, manage, monitor, and coordinate health and safety in the construction phase of a project. Key responsibilities include developing the construction phase plan, organizing cooperation among contractors, ensuring site inductions, and providing suitable welfare facilities. They must also ensure that all contractors comply with safety regulations and that there is a seamless flow of information regarding risks and safety measures. By fulfilling these responsibilities, the principal contractor plays a critical role in preventing accidents and ensuring a safe working environment for all site personnel.

Take a look at the information below for things you might want to include in your own H&S policy…

Feel free to copy / paste this list, and you can find out more about our full H&S policy here.

The [Proprietor / Directors] of [My Company] will ensure that;

  1. The client is aware of their duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, or in the case of domestic clients, these duties are transferred to the principal contractor.
  2. Health and Safety risks are reduced as far as reasonably practicable through a suitable Construction Phase Plan, suitable and sufficient risk assessments, safe systems of work, management and monitoring of the work.
  3. Projects are managed by a site manager holding the 5 day Site Managers Safety Training Scheme.
  4. The competence and resources of all staff and sub-contractors is checked and approved in line with section 4.2.v of this document.
  5. Sub-contractors are informed of the minimum amount of time they will be allowed for planning and preparation before commencing work.
  6. Relevant information, instruction and training is provided to all workers including site induction, risk assessments / method statements, site rules and emergency procedures.
  7. Work does not commence until reasonable steps have been taken to secure the site from unauthorised persons.
  8. Work does not commence until adequate welfare facilities have been provided.
  9. The principal points of CDM 2015 are followed throughout the project:
    1. Managing risks through the principals of prevention.
    1. Appointing the right organisations and people at the right time.
    1. Ensuring that people have the right information, instruction, training and supervision that they need to work safely.
    1. Ensuring that duty holders co-operate and communicate with each other and co-ordinate their work.
    1. Ensuring that workers are consulted and engaged on health and safety matters.

Our minimum health and safety performance standards will be obtained from; but not restricted to;

  • The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
  • The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

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Written By Ian