Essentials of being a principal contractor
Posted on 28th April 2022 at 10:43
If you own or run a construction company, you will no doubt be aware of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). Our blog this month provides clarity on the basics of what you need to know.
According to the HSE “a principal contractor (PC) is the contractor with control over the construction phase of a project involving more than one contractor. They are appointed as early as possible by the client (commercial or domestic), before construction starts, to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety during this phase”.
A principal contractor cooperates closely with the client and the principal designer and influences how the risks to health and safety are managed during the construction project. The PC ensures that requirements are understood and implemented. To do this the PC should:
• allow time to plan the work of the construction phase to identify any risks to health and safety and the control measures which need to be put in place
• record details in a construction phase plan
• work with the client throughout the project
• liaise with the principal designer during the pre-construction phase
A principal contractor must be able to demonstrate that they have the skills, knowledge, experience to carry out the work they are being appointed for. Therefore, when you take on a construction project it’s important to ensure that you understand the scale and the complexity of the project. Also, that you understand the risks to health and safety before you accept the work.
To help you assess your capability for a project you may check your training and professional records and have experience of successfully undertaking similar projects. As well as a Pre-qualification assessment for example, SMAS, CHAS or businesses can use the standard self-assessment health and safety pre-qualification questions in Publicly Available Specification PAS 91.
If you require any further information on our Health and Safety Services please click here alternatively click on tags below for further reading.
All our blogs are written by our team of expert consultants, to speak with one our consultants you can fill out the form below, email us at info@auxil.co.uk or telephone 0330 088 4352.
Tagged as: CDM, CDM regulations, Construction Safety, Construction Safety Consultancy, Health and Safety, Principal Contractor
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