CDM 2015 & Managing Construction Work

Under CDM 2015, in what circumstances must a client appoint a principal designer and a principal contractor?

• AWhere the work includes demolition or structural alteration
• BWhere more than one contractor is involved at any time✓
• CWhere the contract value exceeds a threshold set by the HSE
• DWhere the work will last over 30 working days

Answer: Regulation 5 requires the appointments in writing whenever more than one contractor is, or is likely to be, working on the project at any time, however short or small the job. Duration is relevant only to notification, there is no value threshold in CDM 2015, and demolition triggers written arrangements rather than the appointments.

A commercial client engages three contractors for a refurbishment but never appoints a principal contractor. Who carries the principal contractor's duties?

• AThe lead designer's practice
• BThe client organisation itself✓
• CThe contractor first on site
• DThe principal designer

Answer: Regulation 5(3) and (4) provide that where a client fails to make the required appointments, the client must fulfil the duties of the principal contractor and principal designer itself. The duties do not default to whichever contractor happens to arrive earliest, and the principal designer, if one exists, has a separate role in the pre-construction phase.

Which document does CDM 2015 require on every construction project, whatever its size or duration?

• AA written record of demolition arrangements
• BA construction phase plan✓
• CA health and safety file
• DAn F10 notification to the HSE

Answer: A construction phase plan setting out the arrangements for managing the work must exist before the construction phase begins on every project, prepared by the principal contractor or, where there is only one contractor, by that contractor. A health and safety file is needed only with more than one contractor, an F10 only when the notification thresholds are met, and written demolition arrangements only where demolition takes place.

On a project where only one contractor is engaged, who must draw up the construction phase plan?

• AThe client
• BThe designer of the works
• CThe principal designer
• DThat sole contractor✓

Answer: Regulation 15 places the duty on the contractor where there is only one, because no principal contractor is appointed on a single-contractor project. The client must ensure the plan is drawn up but does not write it, and designers, whether or not a principal designer exists, have no duty to produce it.

On which projects does CDM 2015 require a health and safety file to be prepared?

• AThose lasting more than 30 working days
• BThose involving more than one contractor✓
• CThose that are notifiable to the HSE
• DThose undertaken for a domestic client

Answer: The health and safety file is required on every project with more than one contractor, prepared by the principal designer and handed to the client for use in future work on the structure. Duration and notifiability no longer decide whether a file is needed, and domestic projects follow the same more-than-one-contractor rule as any other.

A project is programmed to last 40 working days with a peak of 15 workers on site at any one time, totalling 420 person-days. Must it be notified to the HSE?

• AYes, because it exceeds 400 person-days of work
• BYes, because it will last more than 30 working days
• CNo, because neither notification threshold is met✓
• DYes, because more than 10 workers will be on site

Answer: Notification is required only where the work will exceed 30 working days and have more than 20 workers at the same time, or where it exceeds 500 person-days. This project passes the 30-day mark but never reaches more than 20 workers, and 420 person-days does not exceed 500, so the client need not submit an F10.

On a project with several contractors, which CDM 2015 duty holder must ensure that every worker receives a suitable site induction?

• AThe client
• BThe HSE inspector for the area
• CThe principal contractor✓
• DThe principal designer

Answer: Regulation 13 makes the principal contractor responsible for ensuring a suitable site induction is provided, covering site rules, hazards, emergency arrangements and welfare. The client must check that management arrangements are in place but does not deliver inductions, the principal designer's role is in the pre-construction phase, and HSE inspectors enforce the law rather than train the workforce.

Which CDM 2015 duty holder is responsible for providing pre-construction information to the designers and contractors being appointed?

• AThe client✓
• BThe building control body
• CThe HSE construction division
• DThe principal contractor

Answer: Regulation 4 requires the client to provide pre-construction information, covering the site, existing structures and known hazards, as soon as practicable to every designer and contractor being appointed. The principal designer helps to gather it, but the principal contractor is a recipient rather than the source, and neither the HSE nor building control supplies it.

A homeowner engages a single builder to extend their house. Under CDM 2015, who carries the client's duties?

• AThe builder carrying out the work✓
• BThe homeowner, as the client
• CThe local authority building control
• DThe architect who drew up the plans

Answer: Domestic clients are not expected to manage their own projects, so regulation 7 transfers the client duties to the contractor where there is only one, or to the principal contractor where there are more, unless a written agreement puts them on the principal designer. Building control has no CDM duties, and an architect takes on client duties only by such a written agreement.

Under CDM 2015, from what point must the welfare facilities listed in Schedule 2 be available on site?

• AWithin the first week of work starting on site
• BFrom the start of the construction phase✓
• COnce more than five workers are on site
• DOnce the project has been notified to the HSE

Answer: The principal contractor must ensure suitable welfare facilities are provided from the start of the construction phase and maintained throughout it, so toilets, washing facilities, drinking water and rest facilities must be ready before any workers arrive. There is no grace period, no headcount trigger and no link to notification.

What must washing facilities provided under Schedule 2 of CDM 2015 include?

• AA shower cubicle for every ten workers
• BA separate wash area for each subcontractor
• CHot and cold or warm running water✓
• DCold running water and paper towels only

Answer: Schedule 2 requires washing facilities with a supply of clean hot and cold, or warm, water, together with soap or other cleaning agents and towels or another means of drying, with showers only where the nature of the work requires them. Cold water alone is not compliant, there is no fixed shower ratio, and facilities can be shared between contractors.

A designer finds that a risk arising from the design cannot be eliminated. What must the designer do next under CDM 2015?

• ARecord it in the accident book for the client to review
• BReport it to the HSE before the design is issued
• CReduce it and provide information about the residual risk✓
• DTransfer it to the principal contractor by a contract clause

Answer: Regulation 9 requires designers to eliminate foreseeable risks so far as reasonably practicable and, where that is not possible, to reduce or control them and give information about the remaining risks to those who need it. Risks cannot be contracted away, the HSE does not approve designs, and the accident book is for recording injuries, not design hazards.

Before demolition or dismantling begins, what does regulation 20 of CDM 2015 require?

• AA deferred prohibition notice to be lifted by the HSE inspector
• BWritten arrangements for the demolition to be recorded beforehand✓
• CA structural engineer to be present throughout the demolition
• DAn F10 notification of the demolition to be sent to the HSE

Answer: Regulation 20 requires that the arrangements for carrying out demolition or dismantling are recorded in writing before the work starts, so that the planned sequence and controls are clear to everyone involved. Notification depends on the general thresholds rather than on demolition itself, prohibition notices are enforcement tools, and continuous engineer attendance is not a legal requirement.

Which of these is a duty placed on the principal contractor by CDM 2015?

• AProviding pre-construction information to appointed designers
• BPreventing unauthorised people from getting onto the site✓
• CPreparing the health and safety file for handover to the client
• DNotifying the HSE where the thresholds are met

Answer: Regulation 13 requires the principal contractor to take reasonable steps to prevent access by unauthorised persons, typically through hoarding, secure gates and signing-in procedures. The health and safety file is prepared by the principal designer, pre-construction information comes from the client, and the client is responsible for notifying the HSE.