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Principal Designer CDM H&S Site Audits

CDM Principal Designer in Bath, Bristol, Wiltshire, Frome & Beyond

Leading certified architecture, engineering and surveying services in the South West. Contact our experts to discuss your options today.

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WBC the experienced and competent Principal Designer for your construction project

Designer, Developer, D&B Contractor, Architect or Client. How does CDM effect you?


The Role of Principal Designer (CDM Consultant)

Legally if you are involved with the design of buildings a Principal Designer needs to be appointed to manage the H&S aspects of the design. Previously called the CDM Coordinator or CDM Consultant, the principal designer role is often carried out by the lead designer but in many cases, they may lack the relevant H&S Experience to adequately discharge their duties. Western Building Consultants having been involved as CDM Coordinator in Bath since 2008 have over 10 years’ experience helping developers and designers comply with the regulations.

With the amendment to the regulations in April 2014, the designers of buildings have once again been handed the accountability for the health & safety of construction projects. We provide our principal designer services directly to our clients such as developers but also designers that want to outsource the whole role or some of the responsibilities so they can focus on their projects from a purely design aspect. We also provide consultancy to practices wishing to review their procedures and practices in relation to CDM. Many smaller practices don’t fully understand their obligations and the fact the regulations now apply to all projects including residential extensions.

In our role as a CDM advisor and Principal designer in Bath, we can assist and advise domestic and commercial clients regarding their duties and liaise with the project team to ensure Health & Safety in construction is maintained at the highest level. We provide these services in Bath and the South West.

When is an F10 Notification to HSE Required?

The criteria for a project requiring a F10 notification has changed with the last amendment to the CDM regulations. The requirement to notify the HSE is as follows:

“Planned construction work will last longer than 30 working days and involves more than 20 workers at any one time; or where the work exceeds 500 individual worker days.”

If Western Building Consultants is appointed as Principal Designer, we would produce the pre-construction phase information, which is in the form of a Pre-Construction Phase plan where we assess the existing onsite risks and design risks associated with the project. If the project is notifiable under CDM regs, we will also submit the F10 to the HSE.

Office, Design, Bath, Bristol, Architect, Design

What are the Principal Designer’s duties?

  • 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 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.

 

Often, we would also assist the client in discharging their duties such as:

  • Making suitable arrangements for managing their project, enabling those carrying it out to manage health and safety risks in a proportionate way. These arrangements include:
  • Appointing the contractors and designers to the project (including the principal designer and principal contractor on projects involving more than one contractor) while making sure they have the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability.
  • Allowing sufficient time and resources for each stage of the project.
  • Making sure that any principal designer and principal contractor appointed carry out their duties in managing the project.
  • Making sure suitable welfare facilities are provided for the duration of the construction work.
  • Maintain and review the management arrangements for the duration of the project.
  • Provide pre-construction information to every designer and contractor either bidding for the work or already appointed to the project.
  • Ensure that the principal contractor or contractor (for single contractor projects) prepares a construction phase plan before that phase begins.
  • Ensure that the principal designer prepares a health and safety file for the project and that it is revised as necessary and made available to anyone who needs it for subsequent work at the site.

 

For notifiable projects commercial clients must:

  • Notify HSE in writing with details of the project.
  • Ensure a copy of the notification is displayed in the construction site office.

 

The principal contractor generally produces the construction phase plan, and keeps HS file on site. But we will often provide supplementary information to assist with this.

We have experience working on small and large projects, our past clients include the MOD, architects and large developers such as the PG Group. As well as advising clients on their duties we can also act as Principal Designer in Bath and Bristol or assist other designers to fully discharge their duties.

Health & Safety Site Audits

Western Building Consultants provide site audits for contractors and developers, helping you comply with Construction Design Management and Health & Safety Regulations. We can provide a one-off visit or a package of compliance visits where we carry out a 50-point site audit inspection, including documentation, site set up and a tour of the site and its facilities, these can be programmed or carried out at random to ensure that your team are regularly compliant.

Why use WBC as your Principal Designer?

As fully regulated members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Western Building Consultants are a fully qualified and experienced professional company with years of CDM experience in jobs large and small to help discharge your CDM Coordination/principal designer duties whilst also providing advice on construction health and safety.

Please contact our head office on 01225789307 or email [email protected] to discuss.

Contact one of our team

Sam George MSc BSc (Hons) MCIAT FCABE C.BuildE AssocRICS

T. 01225 789307
E. [email protected]

Jonathan Yard BSc (Hons)

T. 01225 789307
E. [email protected]

Why us

Ethically Minded

Ethically Minded

Being socially responsible and promoting excellent ethics is at the forefront of our business. Our staff are happy and content and this is shown through our positive approach to your project. We work to the highest professional standards as required by both the RICS and CIAT. You can rest assured that when you employ WBC you will be supporting an organisation that champions local, national and international projects through schemes such as FairTrade, Mentoring Plus and the Bath percent club. This is backed up by a rigorous Corporate Social Responsibility Policy. We sponsor many grass roots sports clubs such as Combe Down Rugby Club, Frome Park Bowls Club & Cardiff Harlequins.

Realistic Timescales

Realistic Timescales

We are realistic with timescales and honest about what you will receive. Most people underestimate the time involved with a building project, but we are upfront about what is involved and will be clear about how long a project might take. Throughout the project we will continue to update you about progress and will advise you if there will be a disruption in the timetable.

Varied Architectural Style and Building Types

Varied Architectural Style and Building Types

We have vast planning experience and are adaptable to most architectural styles and ages of buildings. We are perfectly able to adapt to the style of your property from contemporary to traditional, urban to rural. We have designed projects in most styles and can use our broad experience to help design the best solution for your property, using whatever construction technology best suits your needs. Whether you plan a modest alteration or something spectacular WBC can help you achieve your project goals.

Consultant Levels of Knowledge

Consultant Levels of Knowledge

We employ qualified professionals with a variety of skill sets and the latest training. many of our employees have specialist post graduate qualifications. We also train selected staff through university programmes and professional qualifications to ensure our clients get the best trained surveyors and up to date advice. You will receive a professional, comprehensive and cohesive consultation and guidance throughout the project, ensuring that your development is handled with a consultant level of knowledge.

Survey to Completion Guarantee

Survey to Completion Guarantee

We are here for you when you need us, with our survey to completion guarantee. You won’t be left alone, we will fit in wherever you need us in the project or guide you through the whole process. You will have the knowledge that someone is always at hand whatever level of service you need.

Cost Conscious, Value for Money & Fixed Fees

Cost Conscious, Value for Money & Fixed Fees

Whilst offering exceptional value for money we also bring a positive, approachable, pragmatic, realistic and well rounded attitude to your project. You will feel at ease discussing issues with your project, our pragmatic approach to design and refurbishment means that we can often deliver built in VALUE. One example of this is recognising where cost savings can be made in the design without compromising the overall scheme and offering a higher standard of technical specification over many of our competitors, this reduces the need for outside engineering input and ultimately saves you money in fees. We are grounded which means that we can deliver a build in a cost conscious manner in order to make sure our projects are buildable.

Well Networked with Local Knowledge

Well Networked with Local Knowledge

Where we do not have the in house skills to tackle an element of a project we are well networked locally to utilise outside consultants that we have built up relationships with over many years. You will get the best of local knowledge and be introduced to like minded trusted suppliers with excellent professional services.

One Stop Shop

One Stop Shop

We can provide the majority of services required for a small project in house, making us practically a one stop shop. Having most services in house means that we are often fully accountable for the professional services on your project, this ensures simplicity, communication and efficiency. By utilising a multi-disciplinary approach we are able to keep professional costs for the project extremely competitive and hassle free, essentially you only pay for one set of overheads.

Unparalleled Technical Knowledge

Unparalleled Technical Knowledge

We have unparalleled technical knowledge and produce comprehensive architectural designs and surveys. You will be getting market-leading technical advice that has been approached with imaginative problem-solving techniques. This helps us to identify potential problems with a build before they arise.

Our knowledge adds value, an example of this is that most architects do not provide any advice on the structure of a building during the building regulations approval stage, relying on a structural engineer to produce all work relating to the super structure. At Western Building Consultants we provide structural advice on many areas, such as timber design for floors and roofs, limiting the scope of the engineers work and saving you money.

Large Team of Surveyors

Large Team of Surveyors

Having a large team of surveyors means that your project is unlikely to be held up due to other circumstances, there will always be at least two surveyors familiar with the project therefore continuity and a personal service will be retained. On larger schemes a bigger team will be assembled with the required specialist knowledge to fully support your project.

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Newport Office

Merlin House

No 1 Langstone Business Park,

Priory Drive

01633982588

Frome Office

Commerce Park, Unit R17, Marshall Way

01373488566

Bath Office

Western House,

2 Rush Hill

01225789307

Cardiff Office

Sophia House,

28 Cathedral Road

02922679366

Swindon Office

Kingston House,

Lydiard Fields

01793234516

Bristol Office

Studio 1a,

31 Berkeley Square



0117 3294290

South Gloucestershire Office

Unit 2, Byre Workshops, Winterbourne Court Farm Barn, Church Lane, Winterbourne

0117 3294290

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