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Health & Safety
The recent Construction Design Management (CDM) Regulations 2007 combined previous legislation and set out explicit duties for designers, clients and contractors together with the newly created role of CDM co-ordinator for projects over a certain size.
The regulations emphasise competence, co-operation and co-ordination. Clients need to be sure they are employing people competent for the job. They also have a duty to provide relevant information in a timely fashion. Designers need to reduce foreseeable risks and if a CDM co-ordinator is not employed make sure the Client is aware and able to comply to the necessary Health and Safety requirements of a project.
In a recent project in York, Cooper8 were appointed the Designer/Project Manager. The project did not fall under the CDM regulations in that it did not need to be notified to the Health and Safety Executive but it was of a similar size. In this case, Cooper8 adopted the principles of CDM and ensured the Client was aware of their responsibilities.
Cooper8 put the Management Arrangements and Pre Construction Phase Information in place, in good time, ensuring the Contractor had the Construction Phase Health and Safety Plan with relevant Risk Analysis, Cossh and Method Statements completed and available, before commencing work and ensuring that the site was run in accordance with these regulations.
Cooper8 are committed to Health and Safety on behalf of our Clients. We are members of the British Safety Council which has been going for over 50 years and is an advisory and training organisation that actively promotes and raises awareness of Health and Safety.
Cooper8 look to ensure appropriate Health and Safety information and practices are in place both in the design process and through to the on site management.
The regulations serve to remind us of those responsibilities and to direct us to discharge our duty with care responsibly in a structured, co-operative and co-ordinated manner.