Part 4: What clients must do for 'notifiable projects'

As well as the duties already outlined in part 3, clients have additional responsibilities when it comes to 'notifiable projects'.

The first is the appointment of a "CDM co-ordinator" (individual or company) to advise and assist with the clients' duties, and who will co-ordinate the arrangements for health and safety during the planning phase.

The CDM co-ordinator must be competent and adequately resourced - including enough time to prepare for construction work commencing. CDM co-ordinators, as well as helping the client meet their obligations, have their own specific duties under the Regulations.

One of their main duties is the preparation of the "health and safety file" - often referred to as 'the file'.

'The file' acts as a source of information to help reduce risks and costs involved in future construction work, including cleaning, maintenance, alterations, refurbishment and demolition. This is normally passed to the client following completion of the construction phase in an agreed format.

The client must co-operate by providing information relating to 'the file' to the CDM co-ordinator. It is the co-ordinators responsibility to make sure that 'the file' is prepared, reviewed or updated ready for hand-over at the end of the construction work.

This must then be kept available for for any future construction work or to pass on to any new owner of the premises.

Principal contractor

Clients must also appoint ONE competent and adequately resourced "principal contractor" to plan and manage the construction work. Their key duty is to the health and safety of everyone carrying out construction work, or who is affected by the work.

Principle contractors should be appointed early enough to work with designers and to ensure that welfare facilities are in place for the work commencing.

Clients also need to ensure that the construction phase does not start until the principal contractor has put together a suitable "construction phase plan". With the help of the CDM co-ordinator, clients must ensure that the plan is "project specific and suitable".

Practical construction work must not begin until the principal contractor has prepared the construction phase plan and also the client must ensure that adequate welfare facilities are in place before work commences.