Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
The latest revision of the regulations in 2015 created the role of Principal Designer, for which we undertook training accredited by the Association for Project Safety (APS).
We are associate members of the APS, who are a leading professional institution in the field of construction health and safety.
We have acted in the various statutory roles created since the introduction of theConstruction (Design and Management) Regulations in 1994. The regulations are accredited with having substantially reduced the number of fatal and serious injuries within the construction industry.
The Principal Designer
A Principal designer is a designer (from an organisation or an individual) who is appointed by the Client to take control of the pre-construction phase of any project involving more than one contractor.
Principal Designers have an important role in influencing how the risks to health and safety are managed throughout a project.
Design decisions made during the pre-construction phase have a significant influence in ensuring the project is delivered in a way that secures the health and safety of everyone affected by the work.
Client confidence
Our clients, whether a large corporation or an individual property owner, can have complete confidence that we provide expert, impartial advice at every stage of the appointment.
Acting as Principal Designers Fox Associates complete the following tasks:
Coordination
Plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase. In doing so they must take account of relevant information (such as an existing health and safety file) that might affect design work carried out both before and after the construction phase has started.
Advising the Client
Help and advise the client in bringing together pre-construction information, and provide the information designers and contractors to carry out their duties.
Working with designers
Work with any other designers on the project to eliminate foreseeable health and safety risks to anyone affected by the work and, where that is not possible, take steps to reduce or control those risks
Communication & cooperation
Ensure that everyone involved in the pre-construction phase communicates and cooperates, coordinating their work wherever required.
Liaison with the contractor
Liaise with the principal contractor, keeping them informed of any risks that need to be controlled during the construction phase.
Domestic Clients
On a domestic client project where the domestic client does not appoint a principal designer, the role of the principal designer must be carried out by the designer in control of the pre-construction phase.
When working for a domestic client, the client duties will normally be taken on by another duty holder (often the principal contractor on projects involving more than one contractor). However, the principal designer can enter into a written agreement with the domestic client to take on the client duties in addition to their own.
How we differ from our competitors
As a chartered building surveying and project management practice, we are clearly differentiated from the rest of the market by our enhanced technical knowledge and professional standards.
We are regulated by the RICS, the world’s leading professional body for qualifications and professional standards in construction, property, land and infrastructure.
