Construction, Design & Management Regulations

The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007

The key aim of CDM2007 is to integrate health & safety into the management of the project and to encourage everyone involved to work together to:

a) Improve the planning and management of projects from the very start;
b) Identify risks early on so that they can be eliminated or reduced at the design or planning stage and the remaining risks can be properly managed;
c) Target effort where it can do the most good in terms of health and safety; and
d) Discourage unnecessary bureaucracy. These regulations are intended to focus attention on planning and management throughout construction projects, from design concept onwards. The aim is for health and safety considerations to be treated as an essential, but standard part of project development or a project’s development – not an afterthought or bolt on extra.

CDM regulations frequently cover the implementation of larger storage schemes.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations [2007] (CDM2007) came into force on 1st April 2007. They replaced the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994 (CDM94) and the Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 (CHSW). The effort devoted to planning and managing health and safety should be in proportion to the risks and complexity associated with the project.
When deciding what you need to do to comply with these Regulations, your focus should always be on action necessary to reduce and manage risks. Any paperwork produced should help with communication and risk management. Paperwork which adds little to the management of risk is a waste of effort, and can be a dangerous distraction from the real business of risk reduction and management.

Time and thought invested at the start of the project will pay dividends not only in improved health and safety, but also in:

a) Reductions in the overall cost of ownership, because the structure is designed for safe and easy
maintenance and cleaning work, and because key information is available in the health and safety file;
b) Reduced delays;
c) More reliable costings and completion dates;
d) Improved communication and co-operation between key parties;
e) Improved quality of the finished product;
f) Reduction of accidents on site.

Link 51 offer a comprehensive Project Management Package. At the start of any tender process, someone from the company’s Contract Control Department will attend a pre-tender meeting and discuss the Client’s responsibilities under the CDM regulations. Link 51 also stress very clearly that while they are happy to discuss taking on the role of ‘Principal Contractor’ our initial quote is always made as a ‘Contractor,’

For any major racking installation project it is essential to use experienced sub-Contractors who are competent and aware of their health and safety responsibilities. On site health and safety inductions must be carried out and workers informed of hazards and risks. Link 51 fully supports the Storage Equipment Installers Registration Scheme (SEIRS) operated by SEMA, a recent initiative endorsed by the Health and Safety Executive to promote and develop nationally recognised health and safety standards and training in the storage equipment industry.

It is critically important that the Client is aware of his responsibilities when commencing any new project and it is incumbent upon the Principal Contractor to ensure that the Client knows this. In the event of an accident ignorance of the law will be no defence.