2015 was a big year in the world of construction. It saw the introduction of a new set of regulations which cover Construction (Design and Management). These new regulations replaced the old ones, which were brought in in 2007. These CDM 2015 regulations were intended to minimise the risk of harm befalling participants of construction projects.
While construction has seen significant improvements in health and safety in recent years, it remains one of the most accident prone industries to work within. The government therefore decided, in close collaboration with industry experts, that the regulations were in need of overhaul.
This means that those working in the industry would need to familiarise themselves with the changes.
The good news is that many of the changes were intended to make the regulations easier to understand – one of the biggest complaints about the old regulations were that they used overly arcane terminology. Some of the words were often misunderstood. It is hoped that in future this will be avoided.
The bad news is that there are a great deal of them and so those working in the construction industry – even those in less significant roles – will need to devote a not-insignificant chunk of time toward getting to grips with them.
The best way of doing this is to go on a CDM Awareness course of the sort. For those in lesser, supportive roles, who are only looking to get the bare essentials, a one-day course is sufficient for all of the required training.