Who Is The Principal Contractor?
The Principal Contractor is appointed by the Client and assumes primary responsibility for overseeing the construction phase of projects involving multiple contractors.
If The Client fails to formally appoint a Principal Contractor on those projects that require one, under the terms of CDM 2015, they are assumed to have undertaken this role and all the responsibilities.
The Principal Contractor must possess the necessary competence, skills, knowledge, and experience relevant to the specific work and the health and safety risks associated with it. This ensures effective management and coordination throughout the construction phase, promoting safety and compliance with regulations.
The Principal Contractor
The Principal Contractor must be appointed by the client to control the construction phase of any project involving more than one contractor. Principal contractors manage all health and safety risks during the construction phase so they need the skills, knowledge, experience and, organisational capability to carry out this work.
They will assess each Contractors’ H&S credentials and qualifications and check their submitted Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMs). In close liaison with the Principal Designer, they will compile a safe sequencing of works, paying particular attention to where trades overlap and interface.
They will create a safety exclusion zone around the works, with recoded access controls to ensure only formally inducted individuals are allowed in the work area, with suitable PPE or accompaniment. They are responsible for ensuring that all welfare provisions and first aid cover are in place to support all workers on the site, and for supplying all staff with inductions.
They must ensure all safety signs are in place, and that in the event of an accident, there are clear procedures that are understood by all as to immediate actions required. Post project they also compile the final H&S file, bringing together the post project maintenance and safety files from each trade/contractor into one site control document.
The Principal Designer
The Principal Designer must also be appointed by the Client in projects involving more than one contractor. They must be an organisation or an individual with sufficient knowledge, experience and ability to carry out the role.
Principal designers use their planning and design skills to ensure that the physically designed construction and ongoing maintenance arrangements of the installed project have had all H&S aspects of how they have been designed taken into consideration. This can often lead to just subtle changes in final design that will make the project safer to install and safer to carry out future maintenance works.
They will add further protection and confidence to The Client by commenting on the adequacy of the arrangements put in place by the Principal Contractor as required, and work closely with the PC to ensure that the design of the sequence of works puts the minimisation of H&S risks at the core of planning considerations.
The Client
The client is anyone who has construction work carried out for them. The main duty for clients is to make sure their project is suitably managed, ensuring the health and safety of all who might be affected by the work, including members of the public.
CDM 2015 recognises two types of client, commercial and domestic.
The Contractor
A contractor is anyone who directly employs or engages construction workers or manages construction work. Contractors include sub-contractors, any individual self-employed worker or business that carries out, manages or controls construction work. They must have the skills, knowledge, experience and, where relevant, the organisational capability to carry out the work safely and without risk to health.
NSI Projects is a trading name of Northern Storage and Interiors Ltd.
Company Number: 02812585 VAT No.: 153389353
