CDM 2015 worker duties

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (the ‘CDM Regulations’) are intended to ensure that health and safety issues are properly considered during a project’s development so that the risk of harm to those who have to build, use and maintain structures is reduced. They were introduced in 1994 and revised in 2007. A further revision came into force on 6 April 2015.

The 2015 CDM regulations include duties for:

• Clients. (See CDM 2015 client duties)
• Designers. (See CDM 2015 designer duties)
• Principal designers. (See CDM 2015 principal designer duties)
• Principal contractors. (See CDM 2015 principal contractor duties)
• Contractors. (See CDM 2015 contractor duties)
• Workers.

Workers are defined in the 2015 CDM Regulations as ‘…the people who work for or under the control of contractors on a construction site’.

A project is ‘notifiable’ to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if the construction work is scheduled to:

• Last longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously at any point in the project; or
• Exceed 500 person days.

When a contractor employs or appoints an individual to work on a construction site, they must make enquiries to ensure that that the individual:

• Has the necessary skills, knowledge, training and experience to carry out the work they will be employed to do in a way that secures health and safety for anyone working on the site; or
• Are in the process of obtaining them.

Workers must be:

• Provided with suitable welfare facilities for the duration of construction work.
• Given site inductions and provided with information about emergency procedures, and hazards.
• Provided with ongoing briefing, supervision and monitoring, perhaps involving toolbox talks.
• Consulted and engaged about matters which affect their health, safety and welfare. This is a two-way process which involves giving information to workers, listening to them and taking account of what they say before making decisions.

The duties of workers include:

• Taking care of their own health and safety and others who may be affected by their actions.
• Cooperating with any other person working on, or in relation to, a project at the same or an adjoining construction site.
• Report anything they are aware of in relation to the project which is likely to endanger their own health or safety or that of others.

In addition, there are detailed requirements for works involving specific risks:

• Safe places of construction work.
• Good order and site security.
• Stability of structures.
• Demolition or dismantling.
• Explosives.
• Excavations.
• Cofferdams and caissons.
• Reports of inspections.
• Energy distribution installations.
• Prevention of drowning.
• Traffic routes.
• Vehicles.
• Prevention of risk from fire, flooding or asphyxiation.
• Emergency procedures.
• Emergency routes and exits.
• Fire detection and fire-fighting.
• Fresh air.
• Temperature and weather protection.
• Enforcement in respect of fire.

[edit] Find out more

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki

• CDM.
• CDM 2007 workers.
• CDM 2015 client duties.
• CDM 2015 contractor duties.
• CDM 2015 designer duties.
• CDM 2015 draft guidance.
• CDM 2015 legal considerations.
• CDM 2015 principal contractor.
• CDM 2015.
• CDM client.
• CDM co-ordinator.
• CDM for self-builders and domestic clients.
• CDM Principles of prevention.
• Design risk management.
• Domestic client.
• Principal contractor.
• Principal designer.
• Work at height regulations.