The role of the Principal Contractor as defined in the Construction Design and management Regulations (CDM) 2015.
In this blog we are going to look at the duties and responsibilities of the Principal Contractor under the Construction Design and Management regulations (CDM) 2015. The duties and responsibilities of Principal Contractor are extensive but they need not be complex.
Introduction
Duties of the Principal Contractor under the CDM Regulations
Additional Responsibilities
Summary checklist of the Principal Contractors duties
Project setup
Summary
Introduction
Principal Contractor
A Principal Contractor must be appointed when there is going to be more than one contractor involved in a construction project. They must be appointed by the client and the appointment must be formal and in writing.
The Principal Contractor must acknowledge the appointment formally in writing and must only accept the role of Principal Contractor if they feel they are competent to do so.
Prior to appointment, the client must satisfy themselves that the contractor is competent to carry out the work and this is done though a three-stage competency assessment process.
Please see the following blog:
Establishing Competency under CDM
For further guidance on the three-stage competency assessment process.
The main role of the Principal Contractor is to coordinate the construction phase of the project.
Duties of the Principal Contractor under the CDM Regulations
The principal contractor is the contractor in overall control of the construction phase on projects with more than one contractor. They are appointed by the client and there should only be one principal contractor for a project at any one time.
The term project is used to describe any construction, building, infrastructure repair or maintenance work, whether on a fixed or transient site. The principal contractor must be capable of carrying out the role and have the right skills, knowledge and experience, dependent upon the nature of the work and the range and nature of health and safety risks involved.
Principal Contractors must:
Prepare a construction phase plan that ensures the work is carried out without risk to health or safety.
Implement the plan, including facilitating co-operation and co-ordination between contractors.
Review, revise and refine the plan including checking work is being carried out safely and without risks to health.
Take steps to prevent unauthorised access to the site by using fencing and other controls.
Make sure that suitable facilities are provided throughout the construction phase.
Provide site inductions to workers, visitors and others information about risks and rules that are relevant to the site work and their work.
Liaise on design with the principal designer regarding change to a design.
Ensuring workers are consulted and engaged in securing their health and safety;
This can be summarised as:
The duty to Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the construction phase of a project.
Duty to develop a Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan (CPHSP)
The construction phase plan is a document that records how health and safety will be managed for the construction phase of a project. It is the basis for communicating to all those involved in the construction phase of the project, so it should be easy to understand and as simple as possible.
The emphasis is that information within the CPHSP it is relevant to the project and has sufficient detail to clearly set out the arrangements, site rules and special measures needed to manage the construction phase but is still proportionate to the scale and complexity of the project and the risks involved.
Topics that should be covered when developing a CPHSP:
A description of the project
Key dates push as project start and completion
Details of key members of the project team
The management of the work, including:
The health and safety aims for the project
The site rules
Arrangements to ensure co-operation between project team members and co-ordination of their work, such as regular site meetings
Arrangements for involving workers and consulting with workers
Site induction
Welfare facilities
Emergency procedures including fire and first aid.
The control of any of the specific site risks relevant to the work involved including for example:
Contaminated land
Unstable land
The control of asbestos
Use of neighbouring land
Infrastructure
Contamination of land/water/ air
Disruption to neighbours
Statutory nuisances
Local authority planning conditions
The plan should not be cluttered with documents such as generic risk assessments, records of how decisions were reached or detailed method statements.
In addition to the duties outlined above, the principal contractor must also provide contractors with:
Details of specific requirements and lead-in time
Details of unusual or significant risks and sequence constraints
Details on who is in charge of the site on a day to day basis
Any relevant pre-construction information
Any relevant parts of the construction phase plan
Appropriate site rules and a suitable site induction
Details of the welfare facilities
The procedures to be followed if there is serious and imminent danger
Arrangements for reporting unsafe behaviours or conditions
A client may seek early advice from a builder, architect or other CDM duty holder to discuss the feasibility of a project they have in mind and explore ideas and possibilities. If a potential Principal Contractor is involved at this stage, the Client must brief them on their needs and requirements.
Summary
1. Before tendering the work
Discuss the feasibility of a project the client has in mind
Explore ideas and possibilities with the client
If the site is to be a live/ operational site, discuss with the client how the business is to remine operational
Discuss possible future maintenance needs
2. When tendering
Ensure your tender or price reflects the client brief
Ensure that your tender or price includes plans for providing welfare facilities from the start of construction work
Consider any pre-construction health and safety information when compiling your tender or price (Pre-construction information)
Identify contractors and ensure that they provide health and safety input at an early stage and have received any pre-construction information relevant to their works
3. Commencement of construction work
The appointed Principal Contractor should not commence with any construction work until they are satisfied that:
The client is aware of their duties
A principal designer has been appointed
The client has completed and submitted an F10 for notifiable projects
Suitable and adequate welfare facilities are available
The client is satisfied your construction phase plan has been suitably developed
On completion of the project, pass on all relevant information promptly to the principal designer to enable them to compile the health and safety file
The duty of the principal Contractor is extensive, but it need not be complex.
Yorkshire Health and Safety can assist you in the successful delivery of all your projects from concept to completion.
At Yorkshire Health and Safety, we build strong relationships with clients based on communication, collaboration, commitment, trust and aligning with your key safety performance goals.
With over 30 years’ experience delivering successful projects for clients and working with clients’ principal contractors, we know the challenges that come with delivering successful projects, be it commercial, industrial, construction manufacturing, housebuilding, refurbishment, shopfitting and office interiors.
If you require further assistance with any of the topics raised in this post or assistance with CDM on your current or future projects, please get in touch.
Yorkshire Health and Safety
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