PC Responsibilities – CDM responsibilities and associated roles. Part 2

27/08/2018admin Leave a comment

PC Responsibilities continued…

Principle Contractor (PC)/ Contractor

If you are directly engaging construction workers or manages construction work, then you are a Contractor as per CD 2015 description.

Similarly to PD, a Principal Contractor (PC) is appointed, only when there is more than one Contractor is involved in a Construction Project. Otherwise, the Contractore shall resume the role of PC as well as general responsibilities of a Contractor.

The PC Responsibilities and duties include:

Planning, management, monitoring and coordination of health and safety in the construction phase of a project
Liaison with the client and principal designer
Preparation of construction phase plan – CPP
Promote cooperation between contractors and coordinate their work and engagement in health and safety matters

Provision of site inductions, security and safe access
Provision of welfare facilities

Each contractor has an obligation to:

Plan, manage and monitor construction work under their control so that it is carried out without risks to health and safety.
co-ordinate their activities with others in the project team – in particular, comply with directions given to them by the principal designer or principal contractor.

Multiple CDM roles:

In many occasions, it is possible that the same company takes on more than one role under CDM for a construction project.

For example some organisations can act as Client but also have the capabilities to design and execute the Construction Project as well. Although this is perfectly acceptable under CDM requirements, but in such cases role should still be defined to individuals or departments, to ensure responsibilities are fulfilled as required.

For domestic projects, Client’s duties are passed on to the PC/Contractor. However, if the Client chooses to appoint a PD/Designer, that person could take on Clients duties.

CDM Coordinator

The role of a CDM Coordinator is no longer a requirement under CDM 2015, Most of such responsibilities are carried out by the PD. However, for larger projects, there may be merit in appointing a CDM coordinator as a single point of contact to manage health and safety aspects of the Construction Project

Main CDM documents explained.

12/08/2018admin

As part of Construction Design Management Regulations, there are several CDM documents that need to be in place in order to ensure compliance. Here at Hawkeye Enterprise Ltd, we can help you produce any of these CDM documents to a very high standard. However, the purpose for each document is explained in simple terms, to provide a better understanding.

Pre-Construction Information Pack – PCI

Pre-Construction Information – PCI Pack:

This CDM document is simply all the relevant information that the Client has in possession.

Most of the time, such information would come from the existing Health and Safety File. Information like asbestos surveys, lead surveys etc. could be included, dependant on the nature of the works. It is imperative to identify and communicate all the related hazards in this document. Overcoming design and construction risks should also be highlighted.

The PCI pack will be given to the Designer to carry out his duties, and the finalised version given to the Contractor in order to ensure that the project can be execute adequately, and above all safely.

The level of information provided should be proportionate to the level of project risk, be clear, and concise. For example, you wouldn’t provide the same level of information for a Contractor who is painting the fence on site, as opposed to one that is building a pipeline or a manifold.

Construction Phase Plan – CPP

Construction Phase Plan – CPP:

This document is produced by the Contractor and provides details, plans and arrangements for managing significant health, safety and construction risks associated with the Construction Project.

It is a live document for the duration of the construction phase, It is revised and reviewed to reflect the changing environment, under which the project is being executed.

You should expect to see details such as Welfare facilities, Fire and emergency procedures, key dates and communication/cooperation arrangements between project team members e.g. site meetings.

However, broad information, such as generic Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) should not be included, as CPP needs to be concise and clear.

Although the provision of this document is the responsibility of the Contractor, the Client has a duty to ensure it is kept up to date.

F10 form

This form would need to be filled and submitted to the HSE for notifiable projects. Although the Client may not submit the form itself, it is their duty to ensure it has been submitted.

HSE must be notifies if a project is scheduled to run for longer than 30 working days and have more than 20 workers working simultaneously; or Exceed 500 person days.

Your Construction Design Management Regs (CDM) Questions answered

07/08/2018admin

What is Construction Design Management Regs – CDM?

Construction Design management Regs, came into force in 1994, and have gone through 2 revisions, CDM 2015 being the latest one. It applies to all construction projects

What is a Construction Project?

According to the regulations, a “Construction Project” can incorporate a wide range of activities.

Construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance de-commissioning, demolition or dismantling of a structure;
Preparation for an intended structure, including site clearance, exploration, investigation and excavation, and the clearance or preparation of the site or structure for use or occupation at its conclusion
Assembly on site of prefabricated elements to form a structure or the disassembly on site of the prefabricated elements which, immediately before such disassembly, formed a structure;
Removal of a structure, or of any product or waste resulting from demolition or dismantling of a structure, or from disassembly of prefabricated elements which immediately before such disassembly formed such a structure;
Installation, commissioning, maintenance, repair or removal of mechanical, electrical, gas, compressed air, hydraulic, telecommunications, computer or similar services which are normally fixed within or to a structure,
However, there are some exclusion like site surveys and pre-construction archaeological investigations. Exploration for, or extraction of, mineral resources, or preparatory activities carried out at a place where such exploration or extraction is carried out are also not included under CDM regulations

Would I need to comply with CDM when carrying out routine maintenance activities?

Technically, yes. However, one of the most important aspects of CDM is the fact that the level of risk management should be proportionate with the level of risk involved. So for examples, for routine maintenance activities, are there already adequate systems in place to provide the right information to a competent person in order to complete the job safely? This could be provided by job-cards, working instructions, procedures and RAMS. If the answer to the question is yes, the chances are, you are already complying with your duties under CDM regs anyway.

However, if you have to carry out a major overhaul maintenance activity, requiring cranes and equipment as such, you would need adequate planning etc. to execute the project safely. In such cases, if you need a Pre-Construction Information (PCI) pack or a Construction Phase Plan (CPP) we can help you generate those by utilising our robust CDM process. Why not contact us for more information