Construction (Design & Management) Regulations for churches

CDM is intended to protect the health and safety of those carrying out the work and others who may be affected by it (for example, members of the public).

Under the regulations, a client is someone for whom construction work is carried out. This would include:

• Planning
• Design
• Management

Or other work associated with it until that work is complete.

The meaning of construction work is very comprehensive and can include the alteration, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration, or other maintenance of a structure (including a church).

Many clients are not experts in carrying out construction work, and you are not expected to manage or supervise the work yourself.

However, the decisions you make can influence how it is carried out. This can affect the health, safety, or welfare of those involved. For example, you decide which designer and contractor will carry out the work and how much money, time, and resources are available to complete it.

Where CDM applies, clients are required to:

• Appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor – if there will be more than one contractor working on the project at any time. These appointments must be in writing and made in a timely fashion before the work starts.
• Take reasonable steps to ensure that any designer or contractor they appoint has the skills, knowledge, experience, and capability to fulfil their duties.
• Ensure that adequate arrangements are in place (including the allocation of sufficient time and other resources) for managing and organising any health and safety precautions, including the provision of any necessary welfare facilities. These arrangements should be maintained and reviewed throughout the project.
• Provide information to the designer and contractor, which could include information about what is to be built, the site, and existing structures or hazards that may be present (for example, asbestos, overhead cables, and buried services).
• Notify the Health and Safety Executive of certain construction work as soon as possible before the work starts. Work lasting longer than 30 days with more than 20 workers working at the same time, or involving 500 person days of work, is notifiable. You may ask someone else to do this for you, but it is important to check that they have done so.
• Ensure that an adequate construction phase plan is drawn up by the principal contractor (or contractor if there is only one) before the construction work starts. This plan should explain how health and safety risks will be managed during the work.
• Take reasonable steps to ensure that the principal designer and the principal contractor carry out their duties.
• Ensure that a health and safety file is prepared by the principal designer. This must meet certain requirements and should be handed to you on completion of the work. It should contain relevant information that will help you manage any health and safety risks during future construction work. You should keep the file, make it available to anyone who needs to alter or maintain the building, and update it if circumstances change.