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Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (NI) 2007. A Client’s Perspective. Pat Hannaway CMIOSH MCIWEM MIWO I.Eng. Between 2007 and 2010, N.I. Water (Engineering and Procurement Directorate) will invest in the following areas of new construction. Improving our water
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Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (NI) 2007 A Client’s Perspective Pat Hannaway CMIOSH MCIWEM MIWO I.Eng
Between 2007 and 2010, N.I. Water (Engineering and Procurement Directorate) will invest in the following areas of new construction. • Improving our water • £284M in water treatment, storage and distribution • Improving our sewerage • £492M in sewer replacement and wastewater treatment • That’s almost one million pounds per working day!
Summary of our CDM duties • Ensure suitable arrangements for management of health and safety are in place throughout the project: • People affected by the construction work • Suitable welfare arrangements during construction • Structures to comply with Workplace (Health, safety and welfare) Regulations. • Provide the right information to the right people at the right time (Existing H&S files, services, ground condition, time to plan the work, etc).
What has changed for us – Competency checks • Comprehensive competency checks on all duty holders. • Standardised across organisation. • Requires more scrutiny, and more time consuming, resulting in added costs and slight delays.
What has changed for us – Information exchange • Clearer guidance on pre-contract information to tenderers. • But increased time spent on gathering all of the information. • Clearer guidance on pre-construction phase information from contractors. • Makes assessment of risk management clearer and more uniform. Input from co-ordinator welcomed.
What has changed for us – Role of “Co-ordinator” • CDM Co-ordinator • Advising on others competencies – new duty. • Present throughout project – new: resulting in increased professional fees • Providing advice / recommendation on construction phase plan – partially new • Facilitate communications & co-operation between all parties - new but potentially confusing: overlaps with Project Manager duties
What has changed for us – Role of “Designers” • Design work. • Consultants no longer able to rely on “Self Certification” for competencies (HSE Web guidelines removed). • Increased time and resources spent by Client checking their competencies, resources and management systems.
What has changed for us – Role of “Agent” • No longer able to delegate duties to an agent • We rarely appointed “agents” • Did not see agents as a means of avoiding legal duties • Financial control by “agents” had drawbacks: difficult to budget / exercise control. • Overall impact is minimal
What has changed for us – Time and Resources • Allow sufficient time and resources • Minor / medium sized projects: this is easily achievable and has been in place previously. • Very large project may present difficulties with regard to adequate time allocation. Predicting time required for multiple stages over a number of years may present potential operational and / or contractual difficulties.
What has changed for us – Construction phase plan • Previous ambiguity regarding suitability of initial construction phase plan now clarified. • Client (with help of co-ordinator) to ensure that it is project-specific and suitable (ACOP para’ 76). • Minor increases in Client time & co-ordinator’s fees anticipated.
What has changed for us – Principal Contractor. • P.C. to make suitable welfare arrangements from start and throughout construction phase. • A very welcome, long overdue move. • Majority of our contractors already do this. • We anticipate a minor increase in contract costs on smaller (notifiable) schemes (e.g. multiple locations & short duration). • Allowing PC time to plan the work: now specified in the contract.
Overall impact. • We welcome the CDM Regulations as a tool to improve construction health and safety. • They integrate with our vision of “Zero Accidents” • Very few changes have been necessary to our procedures arising from the new Regulations. • Minor increased costs are anticipated, but we think that CDM 2007 will result in a reduction in accidents and Civil Liability claims against us.