What Happened To The CDM Coordinator?

The CDM coordinator role ended in 2015, but why, and what exactly happened to the CDM coordinator?

Well, the introduction of the CDM coordinator role was made under the CDM 2007 regulations, which came into force in April 2007.

For more than 7 years the CDM coordinator was a well known role within the construction industry since the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (known as CDM) apply to every construction project in Great Britain.

The CDM coordinator role was focused on project health and safety and CDM compliance. The CDM coordinator would assist the client in complying with their CDM duties, check that other project members are complying, and facilitate good communication and cooperation between project team members.

The role of CDM co-ordinator is to provide the client with a key project advisor in respect of construction health and safety risk management matters.

However, the introduction of the CDM 2015 regulations saw the removal of the CDM coordinator role.

So after 8 years, the CDM coordinator role is no more. Duty holders on construction projects no longer have this CDM expert, and must ensure they comply with the duties and responsibilities, without the assistance of a CDM coordinator.

Following the removal of the CDM coordinator role, you might be wondering who has replaced the CDM coordinator, and why?

Well, there is no exact like-for-like replacement.

Along with the removal of the CDM coordinator role, CDM 2015 also saw a shake up of duties and responsibilities, along with the projects they applied to.

One of the main reasons for the change, is to make those already appointed in other roles on the project responsible for CDM duties.

There are still 5 key duty holders under CDM 2015. There is a new role, the role of Principal Designer.

In addition to the Principal Contractor role, the Principal Designer must be appointed by the Client on all projects with multiple contractors, regardless of size or duration.

The Principal Designer takes on some new duties including assisting with the development of the pre-construction information, and coordinating health and safety matters in the pre-construction phase of the project.

The Client also takes on some extra responsibilities including, where necessary, notification to the HSE.

Where previously the CDM coordinator role only required appointment on commercial projects (domestic projects were exempt from the duty holder appointments), under CDM 2015, the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor roles are required regardless of the project type.

While it has been over a year since the new CDM 2015 regulations came into force, it is still taking time for the changes to filter through the construction industry.

The average monthly searches in Google for a CDM coordinator is currently around 1,600 searches per month, even now, over a year after the role was removed.

CDM 2015 is now in force for all construction projects, even if they commenced while the 2007 regulations were still in force, so it is important to ensure your projects complies.