In short, a CDM Consultant (also known as a CDM Advisor) is a construction health and safety professional who provides advice, assistance and guidance to duty holders under the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015, to ensure they comply with their statutory duties and that health and safety is an integral part of the project.
Moving From CDM Regulations 2007 To CDM Regulations 2015
The revised Construction (Design & Management) Regulations in 2015 (or CDM for short) removed the CDM Co-ordinator as a named duty holder. This role was a health and safety coordination role and a key health and safety advisor to the Client. Since then, additional health and safety duties have been placed on to Clients. The regulations also introduced a new duty holder, that of the Principal Designer.
Since these changes to the CDM Regulations, those who acted as CDM Co-ordinators then became CDM Consultants. This was vital to ensuring that the valuable health and safety knowledge and expertise was not lost by the construction industry, but actually retained.
Do I Need To Appoint A CDM Consultant?
If you are a duty holder under the CDM Regulations, such as a Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor etc. then you will have specific health and safety responsibilities and tasks to undertake. You will need to make a judgement as to whether you have the competence to carry out, either all, or some of these duties.
If you are competent to do so, i.e. possess the necessary skills, qualifications and experience, then you will not need to engage with a CDM Consultant. However, if what is required is beyond your capabilities and you are unsure of how to be compliant, then you would need to appoint a CDM Consultant to advise and assist you.
What If Do It Myself & Don’t Bother With A CDM Consultant?
Becoming a duty holder under the CDM Regulations comes with responsibilities, there are specific duties placed upon you, failure to discharge these duties may indirectly result in a fatality or major injury, potential criminal prosecution by the HSE and a devastating impact on your business reputation.
As previously mentioned, if you possess the right qualifications and have undertaken the appropriate training, and based on your experience and the level of risk associated with the project, you may in fact not need any CDM assistance at all; however, it is important to know your limitations.
Need Help?
If you are unsure whether you need CDM Support, then please contact one of our CDM Consultants today to talk through your project. Sound friendly advice is only a phone call away. Call Marpal on 01332 668877 or email us at [email protected].
