About CDM

Originally introduced in 1994, updated in 2007 and again in 2015, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations – widely referred to as CDM, or CDM 2015 – are regulations that set out to improve Health & Safety outcomes for all construction projects, no matter their size.

Whether commercial, industrial, infrastructure, even domestic projects: if it’s construction, CDM applies.

In short

CDM requires that risks be designed out of projects from the start, and that teams are empowered to deliver good work, in safe environments. That’s only possible when you have the right information, communication, people, processes and arrangements in place for each project. Culture and leadership play an important part.

Who it applies to

There are key roles and responsibilities in CDM, and how they affect any one person or organisation depends on the size of the project, the number of person hours involved, and whether responsibilities have been passed over to other duty holders.

Roles cited in the regulations are: the Client, Principal Designer, Principal Contractor, Designers and Contractors.

If you want to focus your understanding on a particular role, we offer courses covering the Client role, the Principal Designer role, and for Designers.

It doesn’t have to be complicated

The regulations are available on the government’s legislation portal and surfaced on the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) website, along with some supporting guidance and information.

To interpret the regulations with confidence, however, taking a course can be useful. Do you understand where the responsibilities are under CDM law? Are you liable? How do you know if you have de-risked your project ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’? What does good look like?

Whether you’re new to the regulations or want a refresher, explore our courses to see how we can help.