The Health and Safety Blog

Duties of Contractors

What Contractors must do for all Projects (Part 2 of the CDM Regulations)
Contractors must ensure:

• Clients are aware of their duties.
• Not start work until they have obtained the pre-construction information from the client (or PC).
• Plan, manage and monitor their own work to make sure that their workers are safe.
• Ensure they and those they appoint are competent and adequately resourced.
•  Inform any contractor they engage, of the minimum time they have for planning & preparation.
• Provide workers (employed or self-employed) with any necessary information, training & induction.
• Report anything that they are aware of that is likely to endanger the H&S of themselves or others.
• Ensure that any design work they do complies with CDM design duties.
• Comply with the duties for site health and safety.
• Co-operate and co-ordinate with others working on the project.
• Consult the workforce.
• Not begin work unless they have taken reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access to the site.
• Obtain specialist advice (e.g. from a structural engineer or occupational hygienist) where necessary.

What Contractors must do for all Notifiable Projects (Part 3 of the CDM Regulations) –
Additional duties for Notifiable projects:

• Check that a CDM co-ordinator has been appointed and HSE notified before they start work.
• Co-operate with the principal contractor, CDM co-ordinator and others working on the project.
• Tell the principal contractor about risks to others created by their work.
• Comply with any reasonable directions from the principal contractor.
• Work in accordance with the construction phase plan.
• Inform the principal contractor of the identity of any contractor he appoints or engages.
• Inform the principal contractor of any problems with the plan or risks identified during their work that have significant implications for the management of the project.
• Inform the principal contractor about any death, injury, condition or dangerous occurrence.
• Provide information for the health and safety file.

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