Personal health and safety at the construction site - Essay Example

A high level of risk is inherent in the construction work. The heavy equipment, channels of electric supplies, and mechanical operations all make construction work very risky from the point of view of safety. Almost a third of all fatalities in the construction projects happen during the execution of a project (hes.gov.uk, n.d.). If the CDM coordination is not done appropriately, the finished structure might be unsafe for use and maintenance, and lack its potential to deliver good value for investment to the client.

Ideally, the CDM coordinator is appointed while the project is in its conceptual stage before the completion of the initial design work of the project (hse.gov.uk, n.d.). This provides the CDM coordinators with an opportunity to decide the feasibility of the project and identify possible constraints related to client’s expectations and project’s execution. It is crucial to appoint a CDM coordinator before the commencement of the detailed design. The client has to appoint a CDM coordinator when the duration of a project is more than 30 days or when the number of person days of work exceeds 500 (cdm-regulations-uk.co.uk, n.d.).

This requirement also stands for the planning supervisor, though a CDM coordinator, unlike a planning supervisor, needs to help the client fulfill the duties, particularly the adequacy of arrangements of other duty holders. Before the appointment of a CDM coordinator, nothing more than the initial design work should be completed. The CDM coordinators that are appointed on the construction sites assume the responsibilities declared in the CDM 2007. These responsibilities include cooperating and coordinating with the organizations for the personnel’s health and safety benefits.

The CDM coordinators need to ensure that their training is up-to-date and the work is done safely. They need complete briefing before doing work that is high in risk. The CDM coordinators should get appropriate certifications to do the work competently (newlifecleaning.com, n.d.). A CDM coordinator can provide a principal contractor with assistance in numerous aspects of health and safety including development and implementation of a documented plan and rules of the construction site, advice on the facilities of site security, evaluation of the appointees’ competence, and advice on the site induction training (SHERWOOD SURVEYORS, 2013).

Evaluation of the duties and responsibilities of a CDM coordinator suggests that he assumes a major role in the entire project life-cycle starting from the concept of the project through to the feasibility studies, design, execution, monitoring and control, and the delivery of the project. As the name of this job suggests, the CDM coordinator ensures coordination between the design, construction, and management of the project. This includes all aspects that are directly or indirectly related to the work, such as management of health and safety of the personnel, protection of environment, and flow of communication between the project parties.

Analysis of these responsibilit