The CDM Regulations (as they are often referred to) place specific duties on four key parties to co-ordinate and manage health and safety throughout all the stages of a building project.

The Client who has to ensure that only competent people design and carry out the work and who must appoint a CDM Co-ordinator for larger projects

Designers who are the Architects, Structural Engineers and others who must make sure that the project is designed to minimise any risks to health and safety during construction and in the use of the building.

The CDM Co-ordinator who has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the health and safety aspects of the design of the project and to advise the client on the safety aspects, including the credentials of the proposed contractor.

The Contractor who has to implement the CDM Regulations and all the other health and safety regulations on site.

I am a member of the Association for Project Safety, the professional society that regulates this specialised field of work.

Since the Regulations came into force in 1995, I have been appointed as the Planning Supervisor – now termed the CDM Co-ordinator under the 2007 Regulations - on a wide range of projects, including new-build, conversions and refurbishment, in a variety of locations for a wide range of both private and public sector clients.

As a Chartered Building Surveyor, I understand how a project is developed from its conception, through design consultation, to the appointment of a competent contractor and the ultimate completion of the client’s scheme.