Taking more time to get CDM changes right

A Chartered Institute of Building [CIOB] product story

Edited by the Buildingtalk editorial team Mar 3, 2006

The HSE said that the revised Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations would be implemented in Spring 2007.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said that the revised Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations would be implemented in Spring 2007.

But in response to the three-month consultation exercise the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) has agreed to postpone implementation from 2006-10-01.

The new timetable has the support of the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) CDM Review Working group.

Stephen Williams, HSE's chief inspector of construction, commented: "The revised CDM Regulations will replace the two key sets of existing regulations.

When we began our review of those regulations, the HSC set us some important and challenging objectives.

HSE and its partners believe we are well on the way to producing a set of replacement regulations which will achieve those objectives, but we would be selling ourselves short if we rushed our proposals through.

"We need more time to make sure we get the changes right and the industry also needs to have adequate time to familiarise itself with the finalised CDM package".

HSC discussed the emerging findings of the consultation at its open meeting in December 2005, and decided the new regulations should be supported by an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and industry-produced guidance.

To give time to prepare for the regulatory changes, HSE intends to make a final draft of the code of practice available three months in advance of the regulations coming into force.

In the meantime HSE will be working with the industry to co-ordinate production of industry-specific guidance as agreed by the HSC.

The Construction Industry Council (CIC), of which CIOB is a member, will be preparing guidance notes to the Approved Code of Practice.

CIC's membership embraces all built environment design professionals and many clients and managers for whom the guidance notes will be directly relevant.

CIC is also planning to develop training programmes through its involvement in Construction Skills.

It is hoped that by cooperating with other industry bodies the guidance notes will be accepted as the industry standard.