What the Law Says

 

About CDM Regulations in Construction Projects.

 

If you work in construction anywhere in the South of England, the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015 (CDM) apply to your project. That includes conversions, new builds, refurbishments, and large infrastructure work. CDM is not optional and enforcement is increasing every year.

 

The law sets out legal duties for clients, designers, contractors, principal designers, and principal contractors. The HSE is actively inspecting sites across the South of England. Our role is to keep you compliant and more importantly your staff and sites safe.

 

What is 'CDM'?

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CDM is the law that governs health and safety in construction. It requires you to plan work properly, manage risk before it reaches site, and keep clear records throughout the project.

 

It applies from the first design meeting through to completion and handover. You cannot ignore it, even on smaller jobs.

 

Who Has Legal Duties

• Clients: anyone who commissions building work. We support clients from early planning through to handover, helping define project needs, develop compliant documentation, and manage their duties under CDM.

• Designers: including architects, engineers, and consultants. We work alongside the design team to coordinate risk from the start and produce usable, practical pre construction information.

• Contractors: anyone who carries out the work. We assist with construction phase planning, RAMS reviews, and site safety documentation.

• Principal Designer: plans and manages health and safety during design. Soldi CDM and Fire regularly acts as principal designer on projects across the South of England, including large complex schemes.

• Principal Contractor: manages health and safety during construction. Where needed, we can act as principal contractor for CDM purposes, working closely with the client to set the right structure and strategy from day one.

 

What the Law Requires.

 

Under CDM 2015, you must:

• Plan work safely from the start

• Provide pre-construction information

• Appoint competent people

• Produce risk assessments and method statements

• Coordinate design risks and site risks

• Have a construction phase plan before work starts

• Provide adequate welfare facilities

• Keep clear records for handover

• Maintain a health and safety file

 

When is a Project Notifiable?

 

A construction project becomes notifiable to the HSE when it meets either of the following:

• It lasts longer than 30 working days and has more than 20 workers on site at any one time.

• It exceeds 500 person days of labour in total.

 

In these cases the client must submit an F10 form to the HSE before work starts. The F10 includes contact details of the client, principal designer, and principal contractor along with key job details. Failing to notify is a legal breach.

 

We handle F10 submissions for our clients and make sure appointments are formal, documentation is in place, and welfare is sorted before work begins.

 

Common Mistakes

• No formal appointments made.

• RAMS not specific to the task or site

• Design risks not reviewed before site works begin

• No construction phase plan in place

• Incomplete or missing welfare provision

• Health and safety file not ready at handover

 

In all of these cases, the client can be held responsible, not just the contractor.

 

Why CDM Matters.

 

CDM protects workers and clients. If something goes wrong and the law has not been followed, you could face enforcement action, stop notices, or prosecution. CDM compliance is now also part of pre-qualification for most frameworks and private sector tenders.

 

What We Do:

 

Soldi CDM and Fire works across the South of England from Gloucester to London to Penzance to Southampton. We act as CDM advisors and principal designers for developers, contractors, and property owners.

 

We support projects with:

• CDM compliance and legal checks

• Principal designer duties

• Construction phase plans and RAMS

• Fire risk input during design

• Pre-construction information packs

• Full support through to handover

• F10 notifications and document setup

 

We make CDM practical, clear, and legally correct without delay, confusion, or overcomplication.