The construction industry and Professor Lofstedt’s Report have indicated that CDM 2007 is working well on the whole and that areas of concern lie mainly with the Approved Code of Practice and the implementation of the Regulations.
The details of the new regulatory package will not be known until the HSE Board Paper is presented in December; however, the HSE will be taking account of the current under-implementation of the EU Temporary Mobile Construction Sites Directive (TMCS), as well as the outcome of the CDM Evaluation, the various Red Tape Challenges and associated Star Chamber reports.
The HSE indicated that the new CDM Regulations would be based much more closely on the requirements of the EU TMCS Directive. Additional duties over and above the requirement of the EU Directive will be considered by the HSE, provided they bring tangible benefits to construction health and safety.
The Association for Project Safety (APS) has said it will highlight to the HSE where it believes the CDM Regulations can be improved and the EU Directive implemented in the UK, without adding more burdens on business and the construction industry.
Said Simon Toseland, Head of Health and Safety at Workplace Law, and a Registered Member of the Association for Project Safety:
“The Lӧfstedt report prioritised CDM as one of the key pieces of health and safety legislation that needed attention, and it appears that the HSE is now taking the opportunity to address the issues. If it can find ways to reduce and simplify the ACoP, it should in the long run benefit the construction industry.”
