So Why the Change?

The Lofstedt Review was undertaken on all of the regulations and guidance documents concerning health and safety including the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007. The review found the following:

The regulations were generally fit for purpose.
There was too much bureaucracy and the regulations go further than the Directive from which they were derived the Temporary or Mobile Construction Sites Directive.
An unintended consequence of the Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) was a proliferation of accreditation firms and paperwork.
The ACOP was too complicated.
As a result of the findings the Health & Safety Executive were tasked with reviewing the guidance and the regulations.

What are the Main Changes:

Notification has changed.
CDM Co-ordinator is no more.
New role of Principle Designer.
Amended and new client duties.
Competency changes.
Construction Phase Plan must be in place.

What is New for Contractors?

Ensure that those that are working on the project have the necessary skills.
A stronger legal emphasis to manage their own work.
Follow reasonable requests from Principle Designer.

What is New for Principle Contractors?

A principle contractor must now be appointed where there are more than one contractor on the project and so more projects will require a principle contractor. This will bring in more contractors into this role than before and some who have never taken it on before.

When Does it Come Into Force?

The new CDM 2015 regulations came into force on the 6th April 2015 with some exceptions.

Summary:

This amendment to the CDM Regulations is not so much of an update but a complete overhaul. The regulations themselves have been completely re-written as duties for the various roles are now under completely different clauses.

To find out more about the changes - download our eBook Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015.