Client

The main duty for clients is to make sure their project is suitably managed, ensuring the health and safety of all who might be affected by the work, including members of the public. CDM 2015 recognises two types of client:

• commercial clients  have construction work carried out as part of their business. This could be an individual, partnership or company and includes property developers and companies managing domestic properties
• domestic clients  have construction work carried out for them but not in connection with any business – usually work done on their own home or the home of a family member. CDM 2015 does not require domestic clients to carry out client duties as these normally pass to other duty holders

Designer

Designers can be architects, consulting engineers and quantity surveyors, or anyone who specifies and alters designs as part of their work. They can also include tradespeople if they carry out design work. The designer's main duty is to eliminate, reduce or control foreseeable risks that may arise during construction work, or in the use and maintenance of the building once built. Designers work under the control of a Principal Designer on projects with more than one contractor.

Principal Designer

The principal designer's main duty is to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health & safety during this phase, when most design work is carried out.

One of the fundamental requirements within The Construction (Design & Management Regulations) (CDM) 2015, is the need for the client to appoint a competent Principle Designer, to coordinate with all parties in provision of necessary information to adequately deal with Health & Safety issues, to ensure risks are eliminated (designed out), reduced or controlled. Though appointed by the client the Principal Designer is to advise the client of their duties and assist them in compliance at all stages of the project.

In terms of a project there are a number of defined stages:

1. Pre-Construction/Design
2. Construction
3. Use and maintenance

Principal designers have an important role in influencing how risks to health and safety are managed throughout a project. Design decisions made during the pre-construction phase have a significant influence in ensuring the project is delivered in a way that secures the health and safety of everyone affected by the work.

Principal Designers must:

• Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase. In doing so they must take account of relevant information (such as an existing health and safety file) that might affect design work carried out both before and after the construction phase has started.
• Help and advise the client in bringing together pre-construction information, and provide the information designers and contractors need to carry out their duties.
• Work with any other designers on the project to eliminate foreseeable health and safety risks to anyone affected by the work and, where that is not possible, take steps to reduce or control those risks.
• Ensure that everyone involved in the pre-construction/design phase communicates and cooperates, coordinating their work wherever required.
• Liaise with the principal contractor, keeping them informed of any risks that need to be controlled during the construction phase, helping them to prepare the Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan.
• Liaise with the principal contractor, in preparing the Health & Safety File keeping them informed of any risks that need to be controlled during the construction phase, helping them to prepare the Construction Phase Health & Safety Plan, ensuring this is appropriately updated and reviewed.
• At the end of the project, to ensure the Health & Safety File is complete and passed onto the client (the client must ensure the H&S File is retained and made available for any future construction work).

Principal Contractor

A contractor appointed by the client to manage the construction phase on projects with more than one contractor. The principal contractor's main duty is to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety during this phase, when all construction work takes place.

Contractor

An individual or business in charge of carrying out construction work (eg building, altering, maintaining or demolishing). Anyone who manages this work or directly employs or engages construction workers is a contractor. Their main duty is to plan, manage and monitor the work under their control in a way that ensures the health and safety of anyone it might affect (including members of the public). Contractors work under the control of the principal contractor on projects with more than one contractor.

Worker

An individual who actually carries out the work involved in building, altering, maintaining or demolishing buildings or structures. Workers include: plumbers, electricians, scaffolders, painters, decorators, steel erectors and labourers, as well as supervisors like foremen and charge hands. Their duties include cooperating with their employer and other duty holders, reporting anything they see that might endanger the health and safety of themselves or others. Workers must be consulted on matters affecting their health, safety and welfare.