CDM Regulations 2007 Purpose and Aims
John Ireland (Forestry Commission Scotland)
28th November 2012
Purpose
The purpose of the CDM Regulations 2007 is to improve the health
and safety on all construction projects.
•
All people who will be involved in a construction project, to take
responsibility for health and safety standards through better
planning, design and management of a project to reduce accident
and fatality rates.
•
To help reduce the high incident rate of occupational ill health e.g.
muscular skeletal conditions.
•
Those of us who create health and safety risks have been made
responsible for considering and controlling them during all stages
of construction projects, and during the maintenance and use of
structures.
Aims
The key aim of the CDM Regulations 2007 is to integrate health and
safety into the planning, design and management of construction projects.
But also to encourage everyone involved to work together to:
• Improve the planning, design and management of construction projects
from the very start
• Identify hazards early on, so they can be eliminated or reduced at the
design phase and the remaining risks can be properly managed during the
construction phase
• Target effort where it can do the most good in terms of health and safety
• Discourage unnecessary bureaucracy
Aims cont …
It is about focusing on effective planning, design and management
throughout a construction project, from the planning phase onwards.
The aim should be to treat health and safety considerations as an
essential, but normal part of construction project’s development - not an
afterthought or bolt-on extra.
The objective should be to reduce the potential risk of harm to those who
have to construct, maintain or demolish the structure, as well as to those
who will use it.
Competent people should be appointed at the right time to plan, design,
manage and monitor health, safety and welfare, and to encourage
teamwork that focuses on effective planning and management of risks,
rather than paperwork.
Aims cont …
The degree of effort from the project team devoted to planning and
managing health and safety should be in proportion to the risks and
complexity associated with the construction project.
When you decide what is needed to comply with the CDM Regulations
2007, the focus should always be on the action necessary to reduce any
risks.
Any paperwork to be produced should help with communication and risk
management. Paperwork which adds little to the management of risk is a
waste of effort, and can be a dangerous distraction from the real business
of risk reduction.
Aims cont …
The time and effort invested at the start of construction projects will pay
dividends not only in health and safety, but also in:
• Reduced delays
• More reliable costs and completion dates
• Improved communication and co-operation between all those involved
• Improved quality of the finished product
So, don’t ignore the CDM Regulations 2007 – just integrate them into
construction projects from the very start.