CDM 2015 For Designer PDF

The Construction (Design and Management)
Regulations 2015
Industry guidance for
Designers
This industry guidance has been produced by members of CONIAC
(Construction Industry Advisory Committee)

CDM15/4 DRAFT
© Construction Industry Training Board January 2015

Published by CITB, Bircham Newton, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 6RH
 Construction Industry Training Board 2015
CITB is registered as a charity in England and Wales (Reg No 264289)

and in Scotland (Reg No SC044875)
First published 2015
ISBN 978-1-85751-392-9
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accurate. Its content should be used as guidance only and not as a replacement for current
regulations, existing standards or as a substitute for legal advice and is presented without any
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CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 1 of 20


Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................. 3
1.1 General introduction.................................................................................................. 3
1.2 Who is a designer? ................................................................................................... 3
1.3 The role of a designer ............................................................................................... 4
1.4 Being appointed and appointing others .................................................................... 4
2 What do you have to do? ............................................................ 6

2.1 Make clients aware of their duties ............................................................................. 6
2.2 Prepare and modify designs for safety and health .................................................... 6
2.3 Eliminate, reduce and control risks through design .................................................. 6
2.4 Co-operate and co-ordinate with others .................................................................... 7
3 Information required by the designer ........................................ 8

3.1 Preparation ............................................................................................................... 8
3.2 Information from the client and principal designer .................................................... 8
3.3 Information from other designers .............................................................................. 8
3.4 Information from contractors ..................................................................................... 9
3.5 Information from other interested parties .................................................................. 9
4 Information provided by the designer ...................................... 10

4.1 Preparation ............................................................................................................. 10
4.2 Information for the client ......................................................................................... 10
4.3 Information for the principal designer ...................................................................... 10
4.4 Information for other designers ............................................................................... 11
4.5 Information for principal contractors and contractors .............................................. 11
5 What does good look like?........................................................ 12

5.1 Undertake an early site visit .................................................................................... 12
5.2 Use building information modelling (BIM) ............................................................... 12
5.3 Use RAG lists .......................................................................................................... 12
6 Advice for designers working for domestic clients ................ 13
Annex A: CDM duty holders and their roles summarised ......... 14

Annex B: Pre-construction information ...................................... 16
Annex C: The health and safety file ............................................ 17
Annex D: The general principles of prevention ......................... 18
Annex E: Red, amber, green (RAG) lists ..................................... 19


1 Introduction
1.1 General introduction
The Construction (Design & Management) Regulations (CDM) are the main set of regulations for
managing the health, safety and welfare of construction projects.
CDM applies to all building and construction work and includes new build, demolition, refurbishment,
extensions, conversions, repair and maintenance.
This guide is based on sound industry practice and will help small businesses and organisations deliver
building and construction projects in a way that prevents injury and ill-health.
There are six guides: one for each of the five duty holders under CDM and an additional one for workers.
The six guides are:
These guides should help you better understand your role, and that of other duty holders, especially if you
have more than one role under CDM.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced the CDM L-series to offer further guidance. It is
downloadable from the HSE website: www.hse.gov.uk
1.2 Who is a designer?

A designer is an organisation or individual that prepares or modifies a design for any part of a construction
project, including the design of temporary works, or who arranges or instructs someone else to do it.
‘Designers’ can be architects, consulting engineers, interior designers, temporary work engineers,

chartered surveyors, technicians, specifiers, principal contractors and specialist contractors.
You could also be carrying out design even if you would normally not identify yourself as a designer. An
example would be if you are a client or contractor specifying a particular roof system, deciding what size
joists to use or selecting a type of window.
Manufacturers supplying standardised products for use in any construction project are not designers.
However, the person who selects the product is a designer and must take account of health and safety
issues arising from the installation and use of those products.

In situations where a product is required to be purpose-built (bespoke), then the person who prepares the
specification or drawings is a designer and so is the manufacturer who develops the specification into a
detailed design.
What is a design?
A design could include drawings, sketches, design details, specifications and product selection, bills of
quantity or calculations, prepared for the purpose of constructing, modifying or using a building or
structure, a product, or system (such as a mechanical or electrical system).
CDM 2015 provides a broad definition of a designer. They could be an organisation or individual
who prepares or modifies a design for any part of a construction project, including temporary
works.
1.3 The role of a designer

As a designer your decisions can affect the health and safety of workers and others who will construct,
maintain, repair, clean, refurbish and eventually demolish or remove the building or structure, as well as
those who will use it as a completed workplace.
Not taking into account of the risks arising from the design can adversely affect the project and make it
harder for contractors to manage those risks.
Your design forms an important part of delivering a project safely and without risks to health.
Designers must:
 understand and be aware of significant risks that construction workers can be exposed to, and
how these can arise from design decisions
 have the right skills, knowledge, and experience, and be adequately resourced to address the
health and safety issues likely to be involved in the design
 check that clients are aware of their duties
 co-operate with others who have responsibilities, in particular the principal designer
 take into account the general principles of prevention when carrying out design work (which are
set out in Annex D)
 provide information about the risks arising from their design
 co-ordinate their work with that of others in order to improve the way in which risks are
managed and controlled.
1.4 Being appointed and appointing others

You and anyone you engage to help you with a design must have the appropriate skills, knowledge,
training and experience to do the work. You may be asked to demonstrate this by providing simple
evidence, such as proof of membership of a professional institution, references from previous clients or
by showing examples of past work on similar projects.
You should also consider whether you have any gaps in your own knowledge or experience and, if so,
seek out other professionals to help you.
If you appoint another designer (for example, a specialist) you should make enquiries about their skills,
knowledge and experience to ensure they are capable of carrying out the job in question.
For smaller jobs, you should look for straightforward evidence, for example by requiring references from
previous construction work they have carried out.


For more complicated or higher risk jobs, further enquiries will be needed. For example, experience of
previous work with a designer may provide evidence that they have the right attributes to do the job.
The Public Available Specification PAS 91 provides a set of health and safety questions that can be
asked by construction clients and those who appoint designers and contractors as part of the pre-
qualification process for construction projects.
Only make enquiries for information that will address the anticipated risks and capability of the
supplier – excessive or duplicated pre-qualification and other paperwork should be avoided
because it can distract attention from the practical management of risks.


2 What do you have to do?
2.1 Make clients aware of their duties

When the client engages you to carry out design work you must make sure that they understand their
responsibilities under CDM 2015 before you start. If the client needs more details about their
responsibilities, refer them to the Industry guidance for clients (CDM15/1).
On projects with more than one contractor the client will appoint a principal designer. If you are working as
one of a team of designers, it is important that you know who the principal designer is, and that you co-
operate with them.
If you are the only designer involved on a project then you are deemed to be the principal
designer and you will have additional responsibilities. Refer to the Industry guidance for principal
designers (CDM15/5) for further information.
2.2 Prepare and modify designs for safety and health

Designers can help to avoid and reduce the risks that arise during construction and associated work.
When preparing or modifying designs, your first aim is to eliminate risks to anyone who may be affected
by your design or, if that is not possible, to reduce or control the risks.
Design is rarely a simple one-step operation. It usually involves you making changes as a result of
discussion with others and as more information becomes available. Your design may also become
more detailed as project goes from concept to fully detailed proposals.
Your design will require you to apply your professional or trade expertise to produce information needed
by others. They will be relying on you to do this so you should make sure that the information can be
clearly understood by those who will use it.
2.3 Eliminate, reduce and control risks through design

As a designer you will need to take account of the general principles of prevention (which are set out in
Annex D) when preparing or modifying your design. The principles provide a framework within which a
design is considered for any potential health and safety risks which may affect:
 workers, or anyone else who may be affected during construction

 those who may maintain or clean the building once it is built
 those who use the building as a workplace.
Health and safety risks must be considered alongside other factors that influence the design, such as cost,
fitness for purpose, aesthetics and environmental impact.
When considering health and safety risks, you are expected to do what is reasonable at the time that
the design is prepared, taking into account current industry knowledge and practice.
Risks that cannot be addressed at the initial stage of a project should be reviewed later on , during the
detailed design stage.
You should take into account the requirement for maintenance, cleaning and access to the finished
project. Discussing this with those who will be carrying out this work is important. They may have
established methods of working or specific needs or suggestions which you will need to consider in your
design.
The level of detail required in passing on information about risks should be proportionate to the risks
involved. Insignificant risks can usually be ignored, as can risks arising from routine construction activities,
unless the design compounds or significantly alters these risks.


You could offer suggestions for inclusion in the pre-construction information about how elements of the
final structure can be utilised during the construction phase, for example by installing the permanent
stairs early in the build to reduce the need for scaffolding or temporary access. This will not only have
health and safety benefits but could also reduce the project’s overall time and cost.
Any records you wish to keep should not be overcomplicated, but proportionate to the risks involved so
that you can go back and remind yourself or explain why decisions were made if you are challenged
about them. Examples you may wish to record include minutes or notes of meetings, notes on drawings
and sketches, as well as risk registers and similar items on more complex projects.
If you are unsure how the design might be constructed, or are not aware of certain construction or
maintenance techniques, talk to possible contractors, specialists, manufacturers or suppliers before
completing your design.
2.4 Co-operate and co-ordinate with others

You must co-operate with the client, other designers and anyone else who provides you with information,
in particular the principal designer.
You should co-ordinate and communicate with others to provide clear information on any risks which
remain to be controlled. This includes temporary and permanent works designers, who should themselves
co-operate to ensure that their designs are compatible with each other.
Depending on the nature and extent of design work, there may be a need to carry out design reviews
in order to focus on areas of the design where there are health and safety risks requiring resolution.
On projects where more than one contractor is involved, the principal designer should take the lead in
managing this review process. For example, they may ask you to review your design when a subsequent
designer or contractor asks for a change. On smaller projects these reviews could be part of normal
project meetings.
Reviews enable the project team to focus specifically on health and safety matters. They are most
effective when held at the earliest opportunity so that risks can be identified and then eliminated or
reduced in good time. The need for such reviews is likely to continue throughout the project. This is
particularly necessary where there are changes to requirements or designs later in the project.


3 Information required by the designer

You will need key pieces of information in order to carry out your design. These should be provided by the
principal designer and other designers.
3.1 Preparation
You will need the right information at the right time; otherwise you cannot do your job properly, and you
may miss the opportunity to take into account relevant risks which will affect others. You are best
placed to know what you need, so you should take the initiative to obtain it.
Ask yourself the following:
Question Possible answers

What information do I need? Surveys, trial pits, others’ designs and so on.
Why do I need it? To inform your design decisions.
Who do I get it from? Client, utilities company, other designers, tenants.
Establish with the principal designer who is obtaining the information you need and when they are going to
do it. This will help to ensure everyone works together and co-operates.
If there are no suitable arrangements for receiving the information you need, raise it with the principal
designer.
3.2 Information from the client and principal designer

To manage the risks with your design you will need a number of key pieces of information from the client.
Ideally these should come via the principal designer.
Depending on the type and scope of the project you can reasonably expect the following:
 Pre-construction information (see Annex B).

 A client brief, including how the finished project will be used.
 Information on the site and ground conditions, any existing structures or operational
activities, noise levels, any restrictions on working hours, existing utility services and
ecological, environmental or heritage constraints.
 Details of the project team (such as the client, other designers, specialist suppliers,
contractors, principal contractor, existing users and so on).
 The methods for communicating during the design, including how you will communicate
information such as design risks and the level of detail. Methods could include drawings,
registers, electronic systems, email and web-based systems.
 Information held by others (such as other designers) which may affect your design,
including any changes you will need to consider.
 The format required for information that will be included in the health and safety file.
3.3 Information from other designers

Where other designers are working on the project, you may need to know about any parts of their design
that will have an impact on your work. This information should be given to you.


The information you receive should be clear and concise with the significant health and safety issues
identified. For example:
 designers’ drawings and reports with special requirements such as temporary loadings,
access or build requirements for installation or maintenance
 sequences of construction where this may affect your design, for example a wall may need
to remain in place until a beam has been installed
 specialist guidance if appropriate, such as fire prevention or commissioning requirements
 any residual risks (risks which they have not designed out) such as unusual shapes,
openings, exposed edges, materials or loads, along with information on controlling these
risks, such as required sequences of installation or stability requirements .
3.4 Information from contractors

It may be necessary to work with the principal contractor, other contractors or a specialist contractor to
help you or them understand and deal with any design risks and where they carry out design. Such
information may include:
 details of construction plant and access which may affect the design, for example the
position of cranes and hoists, locations where materials might be unloaded, stored and
distributed, or traffic management and public protection measures
 arrangements for deliveries which may require additional protection or design, such as on
weak structures, on roadways or near members of the public
 details of proposed sequencing which may introduce additional risks that you, as
designer, may be able to reduce (for example through detailing)information on materials or
methods of work which may be introduced to avoid health risks, such as wet-cutting
masonry or off-site painting
 details of any interface with temporary works, such as excavations and scaffolds, and
including working space
 specialists’ drawings and details, which may include loadings, details of any restrictions
relating to the construction, installation, commissioning, maintenance or replacement of
specialist works. For example, walls may have to be constructed out of sequence to allow
equipment to be taken into a building but this may affect stability or detailing
 workers’ views on how the risk management of certain tasks should be improved, for
example how certain elements may be handled, installed or maintained.
3.5 Information from other interested parties

Other requirements or constraints in your design from parties such as planning or building control, the
Environment Agency, heritage bodies and utility providers will need to be considered.


4 Information provided by the designer

You are expected to provide information about your design to help protect those constructing and
subsequently using or maintaining the building or structure.
4.1 Preparation
You need to provide the right level of information to the right people at the right time.
Information should be project specific and of suitable detail to those who need it.
You should agree with the principal designer how information will be exchanged.
This may include risks that, due to the nature of the project or design, could be difficult to manage, are
unusual or not likely to be obvious.
Difficult to manage These may be common risks but be in awkward situations, such as:
• lack of space for the erection of standard scaffolding or for

deliveries
• proximity of gas mains or overhead power lines.
They may also relate to the nature of the risk, for example working in
close proximity to the public could present a risk of injury.
Unusual These may be common risks occurring in unusual circumstances.
They might also be unusual because of the nature of the construction
method or site conditions, for example:
• unstable or contaminated ground
• asbestos
• lead paint.
Not likely to be You may have had some time to familiarise yourself with the project but
obvious to a the contractor, at the pricing stage, may not be aware of some of the less
contractor or obvious risks, such as:
designer
• structural issues associated with working around existing
foundations
• fragile roofs or fragile surfaces.
4.2 Information for the client

You must provide the client with health and safety information that might affect them during or after
construction, for example, details of how to clean, access or maintain parts of your design.
4.3 Information for the principal designer

You must provide certain information to the principal designer:
 Information relating to your designs, including any unusual remaining risks and the key
assumptions and decisions you have made. This is an important part of the pre-
construction information which will be provided to the principal contractor.


 Details of significant risks that are a part of your design. This could include sequencing of
erection, any phased handovers or the temporary support that is required.
 Information for inclusion in the health and safety file. This might include information which you
have gathered during the preparation or in the course of your design that could be of
future use to the client or end user in the use , maintenance, future work on, or demolition
of the structure.
For further information on the health and safety file, see Annex C.
4.4 Information for other designers

You must provide to other designers:
 design loads, where you are responsible for the
selection of plant, equipment, materials or civil and structural design
 design parameters, where they could affect how others design their elements of the work, for exam
ple the need for maintenance access, ventilation, power and waste, sequences and stability.
 key principles used in your design, such as loads, and stability, principles used for avoiding dispro
portionate collapse, principles and precautions relating to fire, and assumptions of the
ground conditions
 design drawings relevant to their designs, with significant risks, such as existing services,
clearly identified
 specifications, but only to the extent that these will inform their designs
 information you have obtained to aid your design that could be useful to others,
for example information from structural and asbestos
surveys, highways authorities, utility owners, site security history
and contaminated land information. Some of this information may have originally come
through the principal designer.
4.5 Information for principal contractors and contractors

You must provide to the principal contractor and contractors:
 Any relevant assumptions your design makes, such as temporary works or sequencing
required where these are not obvious to a competent contractor. For example, you should
identify whether a wall will become unstable if it is unsupported while carrying out work
nearby, or the way in which you have assumed temporary props or platforms will be
installed or used.
 Any survey or report obtained as part of your appointment that could be useful to others in
the management of health and safety.
You should consider the user of the information and how best to provide it. For example
information that a contractor needs on site is probably best shown on drawings and not in
specifications or margin notes.


5 What does good look like?

This section identifies good practice. Whilst the examples provided are not a requirement of the CDM
regulations, they may help you to be more effective as a designer. The examples are not exhaustive but
illustrate how a designer can contribute to the success of the project.
5.1 Undertake an early site visit

This should assist you with the review of the existing hazards, as well as helping you to understand the
site arrangements and conditions. A site visit should help you determine how your design interacts with
others. Where possible, involve the client or principal designer in your site visit to identify and
understand any potential issues arising from the design.
5.2 Use building information modelling (BIM)

If the project is set up to use building information modelling (BIM) there may be opportunities to use this
in your role as designer . It could help you to:
 assess the use of health and safety information
 obtain existing information in order to help with your design
 obtain design information from other designers to review health and safety risks
 obtain pre-construction information
 develop a database of good practice guides and prompt lists
 record significant risks
 co-ordinate temporary and permanent work designs
 avoid clashes between design elements, such as plant, and structural components.
5.3 Use RAG lists

Using Red-Amber-Green (RAG) lists is a practical aid to designers on what to eliminate or avoid, and what
to encourage. For an example refer to Annex E.


6 Advice for designers working for domestic clients

Domestic clients are people who have construction work carried out on their own home, or on the home of
a family member.
When working on a project for a domestic client your role is very similar to that undertaken for other
clients. The main difference when working for a domestic client is that the contractor (on a single
contractor project), or the principal contractor (on a multi-contractor project) will normally assume the client
duties.
If so, you will need to work with the contractor or principal contractor (as appropriate) in their role as
‘client’ for the project, as well as liaising with them in their role as contractor or principal contractor.
A domestic client can choose to have a written agreement with the principal designer that they will carry
out the client duties. In this case, you and the other designers will need to work with the principal designer
in their role as the ‘client’.
When domestic clients make no appointments

Where the domestic client does not appoint a principal designer, a principal designer must still be in place
and will normally be the first designer engaged during the pre-construction phase.
If you are the only designer then this will be you, and you will need to familiarise yourself with the role
and duties of the principal designer. Refer to the Industry guidance for principal designers (CDM15/5) for
further information.


Annex A
CDM duty holders and their roles summarised
CDM duty holders* – who are they? Summary of role/main duties
Clients
Organisations or individuals for whom Make suitable arrangements for managing a project. This includes
a construction project is carried out. making sure that:
 other duty holders are appointed
 sufficient time and resources are allocated.
Clients must also make sure that:
 relevant information is prepared and provided to other duty
holders
 the principal designer and principal contractor carry out their
duties
 welfare facilities are provided.
Domestic clients
People who have construction work Domestic clients are in scope of CDM 2015, but their duties as a
carried out on their own home, or the client are normally transferred to:
home of a family member, that is not  the contractor, on a single contractor project, or
done in furtherance of a business,  the principal contractor, on a project involving more than one
contractor.
whether for profit or not.
However, the domestic client can choose to have a written
agreement the principal designer to carry out the client duties.
Principal designers**
Designers appointed by the client in Plan, manage, monitor and co-ordinate health and safety in the pre-
projects involving more than one construction phase of a project. This includes:
contractor. They can be an  identifying, eliminating or controlling foreseeable risks
organisation or an individual with  ensuring designers carry out their duties.
sufficient knowledge, experience and Prepare and provide relevant information to other duty holders.
ability to carry out the role.
Liaise with the principal contractor to help in the planning,
management, monitoring and co-ordination of the construction
phase.
Designers
Those who, as part of a business, When preparing or modifying designs, eliminate, reduce or control
prepare or modify designs for a foreseeable risks that may arise during:
building, product or prepare or modify  construction
designs to system relating to  the maintenance and use of a building once it is built.
construction work. Provide information to other members of the project team to help
them fulfil their duties.
Principal contractors
Contractors appointed by the client to Plan, manage, monitor and co-ordinate the construction phase of a
co-ordinate the construction phase of project. This includes:
a project where it involves more than  liaising with the client and principal designer
one contractor.  preparing the construction phase plan
 organising co-operation between contractors and
co-ordinating their work.
Ensure that:
 suitable site inductions are provided
 reasonable steps are taken to prevent unauthorised access
 workers are consulted and engaged in securing their health
and safety
 welfare facilities are provided.



Contractors
Those who do the actual construction Plan, manage and monitor construction work under their control so
work. They can be either an individual that it is carried out without risks to health and safety.
or a company. For projects involving more than one contractor, 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.
For single-contractor projects, prepare a construction phase plan.
Workers
The people who work for or under the They must:
control of contractors on a  be consulted about matters which affect their health, safety
construction site and welfare
 take care of their own health and safety and that of others
who may be affected by their actions
 report anything they see which is likely to endanger either
their own or others’ health and safety
 co-operate with their employer, fellow workers, contractors
and other duty holders.
* Organisations or individuals can carry out the role of more than one duty holder, provided they have the
skills, knowledge, experience and (if an organisation) the organisational capability necessary to carry out
those roles in a way that secures health and safety.
** Principal designers replace the role undertaken by CDM co-ordinators under CDM 2007.


Annex B
Pre-construction information
What is pre-construction information?
1. Pre-construction information provides the health and safety information needed by:
a. designers and contractors who are bidding for work on the project, or who have already been
appointed, to enable them to carry out their duties
b. principal designers and principal contractors in planning, managing, monitoring and co-ordinating
the work of the project.
It also provides a basis for the preparation of the construction phase plan. Some material may also be
relevant to the preparation of the health and safety file (see Annex C).
2. Pre-construction information is defined as information about the project that is already in the client’s
possession or which is reasonably obtainable by or on behalf of the client. The information must:
a. be relevant to the particular project
b. have an appropriate level of detail
c. be proportionate, given the nature of the health and safety risks involved.
3. Pre-construction information should be gathered and added to as the design process progresses to
reflect new information about the risks to health or safety and how they should be managed. Preliminary
information gathered at the start of the project is unlikely to be sufficient.
4. When pre-construction information is complete it must include proportionate information about:

a. the project, such as the client brief and key dates of the construction phase
b. the planning and management of the project, such as the resources and time being allocated to
each stage of the project and the arrangements to ensure there is co-operation between duty
holders and that the work is co-ordinated
c. the health or safety hazards of the site, including design and construction hazards and how they
will be addressed
d. any relevant information in an existing health and safety file.
5. The information should be in a convenient form and be clear, concise and easily understandable to
allow other duty holders involved in the project to carry out their duties.


Annex C
The health and safety file
The health and safety file is defined as a file appropriate to the characteristics of the project, containing
relevant health and safety information to be taken into account during any subsequent project. The file is
only required for projects involving more than one contractor.
The file must contain information about the current project that is likely to be needed to ensure health and
safety during any subsequent work such as maintenance, cleaning, refurbishment or demolition. When
preparing the health and safety file, information on the following should be considered for inclusion:
a. A brief description of the work carried out.
b. Any hazards that have not been eliminated through the design and construction processes, and
how they have been addressed (for example, surveys or other information concerning asbestos,
contaminated land, water-bearing strata, buried services and so on).
c. Key structural principles (for example, bracing or sources of substantial stored energy including
pre- or post-tensioned members) and safe working loads for floors and roofs
d. Hazardous materials used (for example, lead paints and special coatings.
e. Information regarding the removal or dismantling of installed plant and equipment (for example,
any special arrangements for lifting such equipment).
f. Health and safety information about equipment provided for cleaning or maintaining the structure.
g. The nature, location and markings of significant services, including underground cables, gas
supply equipment and fire-fighting services.
h. Information and as-built drawings of the building, its plant and equipment (for
example, the means of safe access to and from service voids, and the position of
fire doors).
There should be enough detail to allow the likely risks to be identified and addressed by those carrying out
the work and be proportionate to those risks.
The file should not include things that will not help when planning future construction work, such
as pre-construction information, the construction phase plan, construction phase risk
assessments or contractual documents.


Annex D
The general principles of prevention
Designers must take into account the general principles of prevention when preparing
or modifying a design.
General principles of prevention Examples of applying them in practice
A Avoiding risks by asking if you can get rid of Move air conditioning plant on a roof to ground
the problem (or hazard) altogether. level, so that work at height is not required for
either installation or maintenance.
Position a door away from a traffic route.
Design a roof with a high parapet to eliminate the

risk of falls.
B Evaluating the risks that cannot be avoided. Work out whether the effort and expense of
installing a fixed access system is appropriate if an
area is only occasionally reached and the work can
be done using a MEWP.
C Combating the risks at source. Arrange for services to be isolated and diverted to
where they will be away from the work area.
D Adapting the work to the individual, Provide workstations at an appropriate height.
especially the design of workplaces, the
type of work equipment and the choice of Position lighting so it can be accessed easily for
working and production methods, with a maintenance, such as by positioning bulkhead
view, in particular, to reducing the health lights on landings and not halfway down staircases.
effects of monotonous work and work at a
predetermined rate.
E Adapting to technical progress: consider new Specifying self-cleaning glass.

techniques or technologies.
Prefabricating elements off-site.
F Replacing the dangerous with the non- Switch to using a paving block that is lighter in
dangerous or the less dangerous. weight.
Substitute solvent- based products with water-based

equivalents.
Recycled tyre kerbs instead of heavy concrete

ones.
G Developing a coherent overall prevention Specify that all blocks should be cut using block
policy which covers technology, organisation splitter techniques rather than mechanical cutting,
of work, working conditions, social which produces large amounts of harmful silica
relationships and the influence of factors dust.
relating to the working environment.
Set standards.
H Giving collective protective measures priority Make provision for traffic routes so that barriers
over individual protective measures, and can be provided between pedestrians and traffic.
make provisions so that the work can be
organised to reduce exposure to hazards. Fixed edge protection (barriers) rather than running
lines.
I Giving appropriate instructions to Information on drawings or instructions, such as
employees. intended sequencing.


Annex E
CDM Red, amber, green (RAG) lists
RAG lists are practical aids to designers on what to eliminate, avoid and encourage.
Red lists
Hazardous procedures, products and processes that should be eliminated from the project
where possible.
 Lack of adequate pre-construction information (e.g. asbestos surveys, details of geology,
obstructions, services, ground contamination and so on).
 Hand-scabbling of concrete (e.g. ‘stop ends’).
 Demolition by hand-held breakers of the top sections of concrete piles (pile cropping
techniques are available).
 Specification of fragile roof lights and roofing assemblies.
 Processes giving rise to large quantities of dust (e.g. dry cutting, blasting and so on).
 On-site spraying of harmful substances.
 Specification of structural steelwork which is not purposely designed to accommodate safety
nets.
 Designing roof mounted services that require access (for maintenance and so on), without
provision for safe access (e.g. barriers).
 Glazing that cannot be accessed safely. All glazing should be anticipated as requiring
cleaning replacement, so a safe system of access is essential.
 Entrances, floors, ramps, stairs and escalators not specifically designed to avoid slips and
trips during use and maintenance, including taking into account the effect of rain water and
spillages.
 Design of environments involving adverse lighting, noise, vibration, temperature, wetness,
humidity and draughts or chemical and/or biological conditions during use and maintenance
operations.
 Designs of structures that do not allow for fire containment during construction.
Amber lists
Products, processes and procedures to be eliminated or reduced as far as possible and only
specified or allowed if unavoidable. Including amber items would always lead to the provision
of information to the principal contractor.
 Internal manholes and inspection chambers in circulation areas.
 External manholes in heavily used vehicle access zones.
 Specification of ‘lip’ details (i.e. trip hazards) at the tops of pre-cast concrete staircases.
 Specification of small steps (e.g. risers) in external paved areas.
 Specification of heavy building blocks (e.g. those weighing more than 20kgs).
 Large and heavy glass panels.
 Chasing out concrete, brick or blockwork walls or floors for the installation of services.
 Specification of heavy lintels (slim metal of hollow concrete lintels are better alternatives).
 Specification of solvent-based paints and thinners, or isocyanates, particularly for use in
confined areas.
 Specification of curtain wall or panel system without provision for tying or raking scaffolds.
 Specification of blockwork wall more than 3.5 metres high using retarded mortar mixes.
 Site traffic routes that do not allow for one-way systems and/or vehicular traffic segregated
from site personnel
 Site layout that does not allow adequate room for delivery and/or storage of materials,
including site specific components.
 Heavy construction components which cannot be handled using mechanical lifting devices
(because of access restrictions/floor loading and so on).
 On-site welding, in particular for new structures.
 Use of large piling rigs and cranes near live railways and overhead electric power lines or
where proximity to obstructions prevents guarding of rigs.


Green lists
Products, processes and procedures to be positively encouraged.
 Adequate access for construction vehicles to minimise reversing requirements (one-way
systems and turning radii).
 Provision of adequate access and headroom for maintenance in plant room, and adequate
provision for replacing heavy components.
 Thoughtful location of mechanical and electrical equipment, light fittings, security devices
and so on to facilitate access, and placed away from crowded areas.
 Specification of concreate products with pre-cast fixings to avoid drilling.
 Specification of half board sizes for plasterboard sheets to make handling easier.
 Early installation of permanent means of access, and prefabricated staircases with hand
rails.
 Provision of edge protection at permanent works where there is a foreseeable risk of falls
after handover.
 Practical and safe methods of window cleaning (e.g. from the inside).
 Appointment of a temporary works co-ordinator (BS 5975)
 Off-site timber treatment if PPA- and CCA-based preservatives are used (boron or copper
salts can be used for cut ends on site).
 Off-site fabrication and prefabricated elements to minimise on site hazards.
 Encourage the use of engineering controls to minimise the use of personal protective
equipment.


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The Construction (Design and Management)

Industry guidance for

Published by CITB, Bircham Newton, King’s Lynn, Norfolk, PE31 6RH

 Construction Industry Training Board 2015

CITB is registered as a charity in England and Wales (Reg No 264289)

First published 2015

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 1 of 20

2 What do you have to do? ............................................................ 6

3 Information required by the designer ........................................ 8

4 Information provided by the designer ...................................... 10

5 What does good look like?........................................................ 12

6 Advice for designers working for domestic clients ................ 13

Annex A: CDM duty holders and their roles summarised ......... 14

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 2 of 20

1.2 Who is a designer?

‘Designers’ can be architects, consulting engineers, interior designers, temporary work engineers,

1.3 The role of a designer

1.4 Being appointed and appointing others

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 4 of 20

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 5 of 20

2 What do you have to do?

2.1 Make clients aware of their duties

2.2 Prepare and modify designs for safety and health

2.3 Eliminate, reduce and control risks through design

 workers, or anyone else who may be affected during construction

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 6 of 20

2.4 Co-operate and co-ordinate with others

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 7 of 20

3 Information required by the designer

Ask yourself the following:

Question Possible answers

Who do I get it from? Client, utilities company, other designers, tenants.

3.2 Information from the client and principal designer

 Pre-construction information (see Annex B).

3.3 Information from other designers

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 8 of 20

3.4 Information from contractors

3.5 Information from other interested parties

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 9 of 20

4 Information provided by the designer

Difficult to manage These may be common risks but be in awkward situations, such as:

• lack of space for the erection of standard scaffolding or for

Unusual These may be common risks occurring in unusual circumstances.

4.2 Information for the client

4.3 Information for the principal designer

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 10 of 20

4.4 Information for other designers

4.5 Information for principal contractors and contractors

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 11 of 20

5 What does good look like?

5.1 Undertake an early site visit

5.2 Use building information modelling (BIM)

5.3 Use RAG lists

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 12 of 20

6 Advice for designers working for domestic clients

When domestic clients make no appointments

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 13 of 20

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 14 of 20

CDM15/4 DRAFT Page 15 of 20