Application of CDM regulations

Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 1994

Application of Regulations

The regulations apply to Construction Work, which is defined in very wide-ranging terms.

The regulations do not apply where the local authority is the enforcing authority. This is mainly where the people who normally work there carry out internal work and the normal activities have not been suspended. Always check with the HSE if you believe this may apply to you.

For any activity covered by the Regulations, the requirements on the designer apply in every case, even for a domestic client.

For activities involving demolition, there are no exemptions to the regulations.

The scheme must be notified to the HSE if the construction phase:

will be longer than 30 days; or
will involve more that 500 person days of construction work or
The scheme involves demolition.

Most of the regulations, other than the obligations on designers, will not apply where the Client has reasonable grounds for believing that:

the project is not notifiable, and
the largest number of persons at work at any one time carrying out construction work included in the project will be or, as the case may be, is, less than 5.

Domestic clients, where the work is carried out on premises used solely as private dwellings, are exempt from these regulations, although the scheme must still be notified to the HSE where appropriate.

Even where these regulations are not applicable, other Health and Safety legislation will still apply.

What is construction work?

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We are engineers who implement the regulations, not lawyers, and this section covers the areas of legislation with which we are routinely involved. The information in this site is a general overview of the legislation and may well be affected by the particular circumstances of your case.

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