CDM 2015 for small contractors

CDM 2015 applies to construction work, including many jobs that never reach the notification threshold. Notification is not the same thing as “CDM does not apply”. A domestic re-roof, a shop refit and a day of brickwork can all be construction work.

The contractor’s duty is to plan, manage and monitor the work so it is carried out without risks to health and safety, so far as is reasonably practicable. HSE’s L153 is the guidance most people mean when they say “the CDM book”. It expects the plan to be proportionate. A two-person plastering job does not need the paperwork of a city tower. It does need a plan.

What a small gang is usually missing

• Anyone has thought about other trades and the public, not only their own crew.
• The welfare, the access and the sequence exist before the materials are on the drive.
• The significant findings are written somewhere a new starter can be shown.

A RAMS can be that record for the task. It is not the construction phase plan for a project with more than one contractor, and it is not a design risk assessment. Saying “RAMS in place” does not close CDM.

Domestic clients

A domestic client has duties too, but those duties are usually passed to the contractor or the designer. You should not assume the householder will provide a construction phase plan. If you are the only contractor, you still plan your own work. The roofing and scaffolding samples are written with that in mind.

Fire, dust and height sit beside CDM

CDM does not switch off the Work at Height Regulations 2005, COSHH, or fire precautions. HSG168 is the construction-fire guidance. A COSHH assessment is still required when the work creates or uses a hazardous substance. Put those controls in the method, or the CDM plan is a contents page with nothing behind it.

RamsBox drafts are marked for competent-person review. They do not appoint you as principal designer, and they are not affiliated with HSE.