UK Safety Requirements
The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is the primary piece of legislation covering occupational health and safety in the United Kingdom.
The Construction (Design and Management) (CDM) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007) came into force in April 2007. The key aim of CDM2007 is to integrate health and safety into the management of the project and to encourage everyone involved to work together to:
- improve the planning and management of projects from the very start;
- identify risks early on;
- target effort where it can do the most good in terms of health and safety; and
- discourage unnecessary bureaucracy.
These Regulations are intended to focus attention on planning and management throughout construction projects, from design concept onwards. The aim is for health and safety considerations to be treated as an essential, but normal part of a project’s development – not an afterthought or bolt-on extra.
CDM 2007 places legal duties on virtually everyone involved in construction work.
Comprehensive Health and Safety information can be found on the HSE website.
Other health and safety regulations are: