REQUEST FOR PRE-CONSTRUCTION INFORMATION - 07.06.2016

Extracting safety details from the client

The law

Clients of any building work have a duty to pass on pre-construction information under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015). However, not many are familiar with these regulations or their responsibilities.

As a contractor, rather than trying to manage without these details, or muddle through, you can ask the client to fill in the gaps. By equipping yourself with our new request for pre-construction information document you can do this quite efficiently.

How to use the form

The first half page of the form is taken up with an introduction. Here you can complete:

• name of your business and the client
• the reason for the request, e.g. to prepare a tender or construction phase plan
• project name
• project location
• the contact details for returning the completed form and accompanying information.

There are also instructions for the recipient of the form. They are asked to tick “Yes” against the items which they are able to supply, and otherwise mark the questions as “No” or “N/A” (not applicable).

Construction work varies enormously in complexity and we’ve allowed for that by including a broad range of information categories.

Tip. To make life easier for all concerned, before putting the form into use, remove references to non-applicable documents. If you don’t and it’s full of irrelevant points you might irritate the client before you’ve started, or simply bore them so that they miss essential items.

What’s covered?

Section one is titled “Project description” . It sets out the framework for the job including the scope of works, drawings and programme timings.

This is followed by the “Client’s considerations and management requirements” covering practical arrangements such as lines of communication, site parking rules, weight restrictions and welfare facilities.

Section three prompts the client to pass on hazard information, e.g. asbestos, confined spaces, hazardous materials stored on site and underground services. Rather than list every conceivable option, the section ends with “Any other health or safety hazards arising from the client’s activities” .

CDM 2015 obliges clients to pass on any information which arose when the project plans were created. These matters are covered in the fourth section. They include any risks which the architect was unable to eliminate through careful design and materials which require special handling.

The final section asks about arrangements for the “health and safety file” , a folder of information which assists with the ongoing management of the structure once the project has finished.

For a copy of our new request for pre-construction information document, visit http://tipsandadvice-healthandsafety.co.uk/download (HS 14.19.05).