Help is at hand for new CDM regs

Are you are dreading getting to grips with the new Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations coming into force in April 2007? Help may be at hand in the form of guidance documents on the revised regs, which will be available from January.

The guidance is being drawn up by an industry group set up by the Health and Safety Commission’s construction advisory committee. The group’s chair is Kevin Fear, head of health, safety and environment at the CITB-Construction Skills.

Fear said the documents would explain to both employers and employees what they will have to do under the new rules, plus how the regulations will affect how they work within the project team. He said the guidance would link to the Approved Code of Parctice, which is also due to be published early next year.

The group said it welcomed input from all members of the industry. Anyone interested in contributing can contact Fear: Kevin.fear@citb.co.uk or 01485 577451.

The group includes a number of industry bodies, including: Association for Project Safety, Construction Confederation, ConstructionSkills, Home Builder Federation, Institution of Occupational Health & Safety, Institution of Structural Engineers and the Strategic Forum for Construction.