Do the regulations apply to your particular project? If you are undertaking any “construction work” then the CDM Regulations will apply to your project in part or full.
Do you need a Principal Designer? If the project is “construction work” either in a domestic environment (e.g. within your own home) or for a commercial client then if the project will have more than one contractor on site at any one time then a Principal Designer is required.
Do the regulations apply to DIY? If you are undertaking the work yourself in your own home then they do not apply.
Does the project need to be notified to the Health and Safety Executive? If the project is less than 30 days duration and will not have more than 20 persons on site at any one time or will be completed in less than 500 person days – no notification is required to be issued. If one is needed then the Client should complete this online https://www.hse.gov.uk/forms/notification/f10.htm
Who can be the Principal Designer? Generally the lead designer can undertake this role in addition to other duties although they may employ a consultant to assist them with their duties.
The Principal Designer will usually be an organisation or, on smaller projects, they can be an individual with; a technical knowledge of the construction industry, relevant to the project and the understanding and skills to manage and co-ordinate the pre-construction phase, including any design work carried out after construction begins.
Who is a CDM advisor? The Client has duties under CDM and as such they may want a consultant to assist them with these that are stated in the regulations.
If you have any doubts feel free to call us to discuss your particular project and we will advise accordingly.
For additional details the Health and Safety Executive has a section on their website specifically relating to CDM regulations: http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm
The HSE leaflet entitled “Want construction work done safely?” which is subtitled “A quick guide for clients“ is available at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg411.pdf
Also the Association for Project Safety https://www.aps.org.uk/ may be of use.