Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM)

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) set out how health, safety and welfare must be managed on construction projects in the UK.

They apply to all construction work, regardless of size, and are designed to ensure that risks are identified early, responsibilities are clear, and work is properly planned and coordinated.

For employers, CDM is not a site-only concern. It directly affects how projects are scoped, how contractors are appointed, how work is planned, and how health and safety risks are controlled across the full project lifecycle.

What are the CDM Regulations?

CDM 2015 is the primary legal framework governing health and safety in construction. Its focus is on preventing harm through planning and design, rather than reacting to incidents once work has started.

The regulations require duty holders to:

• Plan construction work so it can be carried out safely

• Manage and coordinate activities between different parties

• Communicate risks clearly throughout the project

• Maintain suitable welfare and working conditions

This approach reflects a shift away from paperwork-led compliance towards practical risk control.

Who CDM applies to

CDM 2015 applies to all construction projects, including:

• Commercial developments

• Domestic building work

• Refurbishments, repairs and maintenance

• Demolition and structural alterations

On domestic projects, some client duties are normally transferred to other duty holders, but the legal responsibilities still exist and must be fulfilled as part of wider employer health and safety duties.

CDM roles and responsibilities (employer view)

CDM defines roles based on influence over risk, not job titles. Employers may hold more than one role depending on how a project is organised.

Client

The client has overall responsibility for ensuring health and safety arrangements are in place. This includes appointing competent duty holders, allowing sufficient time and resources, and ensuring that risks are managed from the outset.

From an employer perspective, client duties are often where compliance failures begin, particularly where projects are rushed or poorly scoped.

Designers

Designers must consider how their design decisions affect construction, maintenance and future use. Employers acting as designers are expected to reduce foreseeable risks through design, not pass them down the chain.

Principal Designer

The Principal Designer coordinates health and safety during the pre-construction phase. This role exists to ensure that design risks are identified early and that information is shared before work starts on site.

Principal Contractor

The Principal Contractor manages health and safety during construction. This includes planning work activities, coordinating contractors, and ensuring that control measures are followed consistently on site.

Contractors and workers

Contractors must manage the risks of their own work and cooperate with others. Workers are required to follow procedures, use control measures correctly, and raise concerns when something is unsafe.

Key CDM documentation

CDM relies on proportionate documentation to support safe delivery, not excessive paperwork. Core documents include:

• Pre-construction information

• Construction phase plan

• Health and safety file

For employers, these documents provide evidence of planning, coordination and risk control, particularly if an incident or inspection occurs.

When CDM projects must be notified

Some projects meet thresholds that require formal notification to the regulator. Notification reflects project scale only, It does not change or remove any legal duties.

Why CDM matters to employers

From an employer perspective, CDM compliance supports:

• Clear accountability across projects

• Better control of health and safety risks

• Reduced likelihood of enforcement action

• Fewer disruptions caused by incidents or unsafe working

CDM failures often stem from poor planning, unclear roles, or inadequate coordination, rather than from site-level behaviour alone.

Final thoughts

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are about managing risk through planning, coordination and accountability. For employers, effective CDM compliance starts long before work begins on site and continues through design, delivery and future use of the structure.

Understanding your responsibilities and having clear processes in place to manage risk, documentation and oversight makes it easier to meet CDM duties consistently across projects. Reviewing how you approach health and safety management can help ensure those responsibilities are supported in practice, not just on paper.