Principal Designers London

 

We are specialist Principal Designers London giving  CDM 2015 advice having both Construction and Safety qualifications. Consequently we can help Design and Surveyor teams with their duties. We have covered various projects from Canals through to luxury Hotels and Places of Worship.  Consequently they will plan and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase with the Clients / Designers assistance in an easy pragmatic fashion.

All construction sites where it is anticipated that there will be more than one contractor commercial Clients have a responsibility to appoint a Principal Designer.

We can arrange London Construction Site Safety inspections and  Construction Phase Plans for a reasonable fee.

Please phone for a free consultation on 07979 472264.

 

Principal Designers London

 

The Principal Designers role is to plan, manage and monitor the co-ordination of health and safety in the pre-construction design phase of the project. They also ensure competency of all other Designers and advise the Client of whether the Principal Contractor is suitably qualified for safety aspects of the project.

On a domestic Client project where the domestic Client does not appoint a Principal Designer, this role must be carried out by the Principal Contractor. The HSE F10 form is now required on domestic projects if the manpower requisite is met.

Therefore it is preferable to have the Lead Designer to perform the duty assisted by ourselves however the Client can also appoint what is now termed a CDM adviser. Commercial Clients are now fully responsible for safety failings within these new Regulations but Domestic Clients are still exempt. Unless a Principal Designer is appointed in writing they do not assume the role.

See Health and Safety Executive website  www.hse.gov.uk

HSE FFI Tip

To avoid site closures and fixed fee intervention the qualification known as CITB SMSTS Card is the preferred level required to run a safe construction site although other similar training courses will suffice such as NEBOSH etc.

Follow Principle Designers London on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cdmdesign

Principal Designers

 

NEWS

Planning applications

HSE is a statutory consultee for planning applications that involve or may involve a relevant building.

As part of your planning application to the local planning authority, you will need to show that you have:

  • considered fire safety needs relevant to land use planning for the proposed building
  • considered these needs at an early stage
  • incorporated your thinking into your planning application

HSE provides local planning authorities with fire safety input on proposals.

Examples of fire safety needs relevant to land use planning include:

  • site layout
  • water supplies for fighting fires
  • access for fire services

Developers can get pre-application advice about fire safety and land use planning.

As part of the building safety reforms, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will be the building control authority for high-rise buildings.

Design and construction

The building safety reforms introduce decision points during the building’s design, construction and completion.

The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will become the building control authority for high-rise buildings. Applicants will no longer be able to choose their building control body. BSR will assess whether duty holders are considering both:

  • building safety
  • regulatory compliance

BSR will have a range of new enforcement powers throughout the design and construction of a development.

Design

Building safety risks will need to be considered from the initial design phase so that buildings are:

  • safe to use or live in
  • safe to build

Before starting any building work, applicants will need to submit a design application to BSR. The application will include information that shows how the design will:

  • meet the building regulations
  • manage change control
  • help duty holders meet legal requirements, including on:
    • competence
    • golden thread of information about the building

The application will need to show the assumptions that have been made about the occupied building once built. Any assumptions and proposals must be reasonable and justified.

Building work must not start until approved by BSR.

There will be ongoing requirements, including:

  • site inspections at key milestones
  • reporting certain occurrences
  • managing change
  • identifying and storing the golden thread of key information about the building

Some changes in design may need further approval from BSR before works can proceed.

At completion, BSR will:

  • assess the application against the building regulations
  • undertake final inspections of the completed building work
  • assess the documents to be given to the building owner

On approval, BSR will issue a completion certificate.

After a completion certificate is issued, the building will need to be registered. An application to register the building should be made to BSR.

Residential units must not be occupied until the building is registered.

Developments that are built in stages

Any proposals for phased construction or occupation should be agreed at the design stage. Construction work should not start on a phase or stage without approval from BSR.

Principal Designers London

 

HSE Clarification

Principal Designer CDM is not necessarily the Principal Designer for Building Control.

A building regulations principal designer can be an individual or an organisation. They are a designer in control of the design work, and can be, for example:

  • an architect
  • an engineer (structural and others)
  • a surveyor

 

Principal Designers London & Home Counties