Act now or pay later
April 1st 2007 In place for a decade, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations (CDM) have failed to boost construction site safety levels. So a revised, less beaurocratic version is expected to come into force in April this year. Great. But what does that have to do with the materials handling industry? More than you'd think, says Link 51's Chris Paterson In essence, the revised regulations will apply to all construction projects lasting more than 30 days, or involving an element of design or employing five or more people. Within a warehouse or distribution centre environment, management is most likely to come into contact with the CDM regulations at times when new racking or storage systems are being installed. "The CDM regulations are part of the Health and Safety at Work Act and, as such, come under the auspices of the Health and Safety Executive. They are aimed at improving the overall management and coordination of health and welfare strategies on construction sites and, although your warehouse may not feel like a building site, the HSE classifies the installation of racking as a construction project," explains Chris Paterson of Link 51's Contract Control Department. The CDM Regulations place duties on all those who can contribute to the health and safety of a construction scheme - including clients, designers, contractors and planning supervisors – and require the production of certain documents, such as the health and safety plan and a health and safety file. To comply with the CDM regulations client companies must ensure that a health and safety plan has been developed before any construction work begins. A health and safety file that is available for inspection at any given time must also be produced. For racking installation projects, the degree of detail as well as the time and effort required to comply with the legal duties imposed by CDM regulations will be in proportion to the nature, size and level of health and safety risks involved in the project. Therefore for small projects with minimal accident potential, companies are only required to take relatively simple, straightforward steps and few, if any, specialist skills will be needed. "However," warns Chris Paterson, "when it comes to larger racking projects that may involve several different contractors – lighting engineers, sprinkler fitters as well as the racking installers – being on site at the same time, it is particularly essential that careful consideration is given to the CDM regulations from the outset of the project." Link 51 has produced a comprehensive guide to the CDM regulations. Call the number below for your free copy. More articles from Link 51 (Storage Solutions) Ltd: | 
