Construction Health and Safety - Essay Example

Otherwise, any designer who may be engaged by a domestic client is obliged to comply with the rules. Construction works refer to construction alteration, upkeep, repair and maintenance, commissioning, renovation, decommissioning, redecoration, fitting-out, demolition or dismantling. It also includes site preparation, exploration and surveys. Failure to comply with the code is treated as evidence of breach of health and safety legislation by a court of law. The regulations cover the responsibilities of clients, the roles of principal contractors and sub-contractors, the roles of designers and planning supervisors (Griffiths and Griffiths, 2011).

The CDM regulations help in the improvement of health and safety in construction industries. When these regulations are followed to the letter, a significant improvement is observed. Then, they ensure that the construction involves the right people at the right time. Risk management is done on time to reduce its vulnerability and possibility of occurrence. The construction team is also able to focus on effective planning and practical management of risks. Every one in the controlling site work is charged with responsibilities of ensuring that work conditions are healthy and safe before work commences.

They also ensure that the work to be done will not expose others into risk. The CDM 2007 places all those involved in construction work with legal duties commonly called duty holders. generally, the CDM regulations is aimed at facilitating, and enhancing the overall management and coordination of health, safety and welfare in the entire process of a construction project to reduce the rate of injuries and serious accidents that occur in the construction industry (Kogan Page Ltd, 2012). The Designers Response These are organisations or persons involved in preparing designs which involves drawing, designing detail, preparing specifications, creating bills of quantities, specifying articles and substances, analysing, calculating and preparing for the construction work.

Designers include architects, structural engineers, building surveyors, mechanical and electronic engineers. The responses on whether the designers’ duties are appropriate, reasonable and proportionate attracted various responses. Recommendations stated that there should be more guidance in the regulations on a risk management hierarchy since they are under considerable economic pressure from clients to reduce the costs. Education was the key to improving designer understanding, especially on risk assessment issues, availability of funds for training on new designer principles in companies struggling to survive (Murdoch and Hughes, 2007).

Half of the accidents could be avoided through better understanding of the relationship between design and construction. The duties however need to be more prescriptive to make them easier to follow. There should be also some responsibility on others who impact the design of the works like local planning departments and local authorities. Greater clarification is required on the definition of design work. Again, the designers need to start a project work after a coordinator has been appointed (Ramsey, 2007).

The Resident Owner or Facilities Manager Response Facilities managers have been the main