Planning supervisor
The role of ‘planning supervisor’ was created by the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM Regulations) in 1994 which came into force on 31 March 1995. The regulations were introduced 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.
The planning supervisor role was intended to be a supervisory one, ensuring that the regulations were complied with:
- Ensuring designers co-operated and avoided and reduced risks.
- Ensuring that the Health and Safety Plan and Health and Safety File were prepared.
- Advising the client about the adequacy and competence of designers and contractors.
- Advising the client about the Health and Safety Plan.
- Ensuring the project was notified to the Health and Safety Executive.
However, when the CDM Regulations were revised in 2007, planning supervisors were scrapped and replaced with a new role, ‘CDM Co-ordinator’.
The CDM Co-ordinator was intended to take a more active role in the project, actually co-ordinating health and safety issues and performing tasks themselves rather than just advising or ensuring that others perform their duties. This more active role included:
- Advising the client about their duties.
- Facilitating good communication between the client, designers and contractors.
- Notifying the Health and Safety Executive.
- Co-ordinating health and safety aspects of design.
- Providing, or ensuring that the client provides relevant pre-construction information.
- Preparing or compiling the health and safety file.
See CDM Co-ordinator for more information.
However, the 2007 CDM Regulations were substantially revised in 2015. These revisions saw the role of CDM Co-ordinator transferred to a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor to try to embed it better into the project team. See CDM 2015 for more information.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Architects Academy at an insulation manufacturing facility
Programme of technical engagement for aspiring designers.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.
The restoration of the novelist’s birthplace in Eastwood.
Life Critical Fire Safety External Wall System LCFS EWS
Breaking down what is meant by this now often used term.
PAC report on the Remediation of Dangerous Cladding
Recommendations on workforce, transparency, support, insurance, funding, fraud and mismanagement.
New towns, expanded settlements and housing delivery
Modular inquiry asks if new towns and expanded settlements are an effective means of delivering housing.