Embarking on a construction project on your property is an exciting process, but it can also come with questions, especially around health and safety. Our team is here to guide you through every step with care, clarity, and professionalism. Itâs crucial to understand your responsibilities and how our team can help you ensure safety throughout.
Why Health and Safety Matters â Even on Domestic Projects
Every construction project â large or small, commercial or domestic â carries risks that must be carefully managed. Clients, designers, contractors, and others working to put your building together all have duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015).
CDM 2015 at a Glance
These are UK regulations aimed at managing health, safety, and welfare during construction projects. Key aspects include:
- Legal Framework: This covers the set legal requirements for ensuring health, safety, and welfare during construction work.
- Dutyholders: The regulations provide defined roles including clients, designers, principal contractors, and contractors, each with specific responsibilities.
- Project Notification: This means projects must be notified to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) if they exceed specified durations or workforce thresholds.
- Health and Safety Coordination: The regulations emphasise planning, cooperation, coordination, and competence throughout the project.
- Compliance: The regulations also warn that non-compliance can result in legal repercussions and jeopardise project completion.
These regulations apply to construction projects of all sizes and types, aiming to reduce accidents, injuries, and ill health in the construction industry.
Understanding Your Responsibilities
Responsibilities differ slightly depending on whether your construction work is domestic or commercial.
Responsibilities for Domestic Projects
If youâre having work done on your home or the home of a family member and the work isnât connected to a business, itâs considered a domestic project. This makes you a domestic client. As a domestic client, your responsibilities will be passed onto others who are carrying out the construction work on your behalf. This means theyâll normally pass to:
- The contractor: If itâs a single-contractor project, they will take on your responsibilities as well as the ones they already have. Typically, this will involve little more than what they already do in relation to health and safety.
- The principal contractor: This is for projects with more than one contractor. If the domestic client has not appointed a principal contractor, the clientâs duties must be carried out by the contractor in charge of the construction work.
You are not expected to understand or enforce regulations when you are a domestic client, but you should always ensure you’re hiring qualified, experienced professionals.
Principal Designers
A principal designer is an organisation or individual appointed by a client to take control of the pre-construction phase of any project that involves more than one contractor. They also have an important role in health and safety and how risks are managed throughout the project. This is because design decisions during the pre-construction phase have a significant role in ensuring the project is delivered in a way that secures health and safety on the site.
If a domestic client has appointed an architect or another designer on a project involving more than one contractor, they can ask them to manage the project and take on the client’s duties instead of the principal contractor. The designer will then take on the responsibilities of the principal designer. However, they must have a written agreement with the domestic client, confirming that they have agreed to take on the client’s duties as well.
Any designer in charge of coordinating and managing a project is assumed to be the principal designer. But, if there is no written agreement with the domestic client that confirms theyâre taking on the client’s duties, the duties automatically pass to the principal contractor.
Responsibilities for Commercial Projects
A commercial client is any individual or organisation that carries out a construction project as part of a business. If you’re commissioning a construction project in a commercial setting, your responsibilities under CDM 2015 are more clearly defined than for domestic clients.
As a commercial client, you must ensure that health and safety are considered and managed throughout the entire project.
Your legal responsibilities include:
- Appointing competent professionals, including a principal designer and principal contractor.
- Ensuring there is a written construction phase plan in place before work begins.
- Allocating sufficient time and resources to allow the project to be carried out safely.
- Communicating effectively with those involved in the design and build process.
Health and Safetyâs Advantages
A well-planned, safely managed build doesnât just protect those working on-site, it also creates a smoother, more straightforward experience for you. Fewer delays, clearer communication, and tidy, well-run working conditions all contribute to a project that stays on track, on budget, and free from unnecessary stress.
We believe that peace of mind is just as important as craftsmanship. Thatâs why our health and safety approach is designed not only to meet regulations but to make your journey from concept to completion as seamless as possible.
Our Health and Safety Planning in Practice
Planning for health and safety begins at the design stage, where we identify potential risks and tailor our approach accordingly. Every project is unique, and we take time to understand your specific needs before progressing. We also work with trusted and approved contractors who share our commitment to best practices. This ensures every element of your build is carried out by skilled professionals with safety front of mind when you choose to work with them as well as us.
All of our oak frames are precision-cut off-site at our Sussex workshop using advanced machinery. This greatly reduces on-site construction risks and minimises disruption at your property.
Our Q-Mark-certified manufacturing and regularly performed health and safety checks also mean you can rely on consistent quality and strict controls at every stage.
Are You Ready to Start Your Project?
Whether youâre dreaming of a handcrafted garden room, a bespoke oak-framed garage or a beautifully detailed extension, weâre here to bring your vision to life â safely, smoothly, and with the care it deserves. From your first conversation with us to the final piece of joinery, youâll be supported by a team that puts craftsmanship, quality, and safety first.
Get in touch today to discuss your ideas, ask any questions, and take the first step towards a truly exceptional, well-managed build.
