CDM 2007 and Non-Notifiable Projects – What Do We Need To Be Doing?

The Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations apply to all construction projects – not just those which are HSE notifiable. Here’s how to keep safe and stay within the law. ‘Construction projects’ is a wide ranging term. It includes not just the things you might expect such as bricklaying, demolition and ground works, but also painting and decorating, refurbishment works and maintenance.Within that term there are notifiable projects – those which have a construction period of more than 30 days or involve more than 500 person days – and non-notifiable projects, which last for 30 days or less and do not require the HSE to be alerted, or for the client to appoint a CDM Co-ordinator or a Principal Contractor. CDM, however, still applies and in many ways these types of contracts, where there isn’t one individual specifically employed to co-ordinate CDM issues, are the trickiest to manage. There’ll still be a client, possibly a designer and certainly a number of contractors and it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that CDM regulations are followed.Let’s begin with the client, the person who actually commissions the construction project.As a general principle it’s the client’s responsibility to engage competent contractors who are able to comply with health and safety requirements, provide sufficient information about health and safety and ensure that adequate health and safety management arrangements and welfare facilities are in place. These duties must be maintained for the duration of the project. The client also needs to lead the project team in setting timescales and must ensure adequate preparation and planning time has been allowed. A proper plan would include a clear understanding of what the work is and why it’s happening; who’s doing the work; what they’ll be doing; how long it will take. The client needs to tell their staff what hazards will be created and how they can be avoided. They need to be aware of what risk assessments and method statements will be needed; how contractors will be monitored and problems addressed. All too often clients want contractors to get on and off site as quickly as possible to minimise disruption, but they really need to prepare and plan properly.Clients need to allow adequate time for the job, investigate the available information and communicate properly. Too many clients rely on the contractor ‘finding out as he goes along’. Not only is this contrary to the duties under CDM 2007 it is also inherently unsafe. They also fail to consider the likelihood of asbestos materials being present and don’t check asbestos registers or conduct surveys. Before every project, clients should create a checklist of information. This could include details on hazardous substances or fragile materials on the site, operation and maintenance manuals and detailed drawings, any relevant risk assessments and fire safety arrangements. Other information would include details of where existing services are located, what equipment will be isolated (and who will that affect) and who to talk to about insurance and security. Inevitably, good record keeping is a pre-requisite to all of the above.As mentioned earlier, the client must appoint competent contractors. A comprehensive contractor competency assessment scheme is essential for all organisations who engage with contractors. This will include; assessment procedures for the Twelve Core Competencies referred to in CDM 2007; acceptance of third party accreditation schemes e.g. CHAS, SSIP’s, Construction Line and others; assessment procedures for the Stage 2 part of competency; review of insurances; expectation that a contractor will have a CSCS card scheme in place; evidence of up to date training and experience in similar locations; references and task specific risk assessments.Now let’s move on to the designer.On small projects, designers often won’t recognise CDM as being important to them, but they still have many duties. They need to eliminate hazards as far as possible, reduce risks where elimination isn’t achievable and provide information on those risks. They must consider how the building will be cleaned and maintained and, most importantly, design workplaces so that they meet the requirements of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. In practical terms, designers need to plan properly, no matter how short the project, and research the existing structure and how the project will affect its operation. They must not assume that a small job automatically carries a low risk of health and safety. Designers need to know what’s being done, when and by whom. They need to ensure that the best methods and techniques are being used and that all the relevant information is communicated to others. Above all, designers need to consider the health and safety implication of their designs. They have a duty to consider the health and safety of construction workers when developing their designs. Ease of cleaning and maintenance shouldn’t be sacrificed to a beautiful design, even if such work will only be undertaken rarely.Designers need to have a thorough understanding of workplace law and the Work at Height Regulations. Turning to the contractor… Their duties are probably the most numerous and varied. Not only do they have to plan, manage and monitor construction work so that it is done safely and without risk to health but they also have to provide information and training to the workforce and co-operate with others involved in a construction project. In addition they should inform the client if they believe them to be unaware of their CDM duties and not start work if they believe the project should be notifiable and this hasn’t been done.For their own work, they must produce a health and safety plan, arrange welfare facilities, protect the public and appoint competent sub-contractors. This applies even on short jobs, where there is a tendency to book sub contractors purely on price without checking their competency or health and safety knowledge. Everyone, contractor and sub alike, needs to be aware of their limitations and where they lack experience. Contractors need to have a simple review process in place for asking their sub contractors about their health and safety knowledge. Planning for the job itself is also essential.Unsurprisingly, contractors will often endeavour to please the client by starting on site as soon as possible. As a result, they’re often ill-prepared and take short cuts or improvise to get round obstacles which they could have planned for. Contractors need to have a simple pre-start plan available which includes much of the following; project details such as type of work, where, when; client details, names and contacts; what works are being carried out and by whom and how many people are needed; what equipment and welfare provision is needed; what hazards there are (including fire and asbestos) and what’s in place to deal with the hazards; site access. Naturally, the most important reason for following CDM regulations is to keep everyone involved safe, but don’t think that just because the project isn’t HSE notifiable it’ll fly under the radar.Local authority Environmental Health Officers have the power to enforce CDM in most retail, commercial and hospitality premises where the work is being undertaken as part and parcel of the ongoing business. More and more EHOs are questioning the management of refurbishment and repairs projects as part of their normal enforcement duties. In a recent example, a major retailer commissioned a signage company to take down and re-install the external signage, including all electrical supplies.The project was to last ten days and the signs company had done it before. They carried out the works but their health and safety procedures consisted of turning up and signing in. There were no safe working practices for working at height, no procedures for isolating the electrics and no proper protection for the passing public. There was, for example, a tower scaffold in the bus lane. Two operatives were even seen leaping from the tower on to the canopy over the entrance with no consideration of the fragile surface. Unsurprisingly, The EHO turned up and stopped the works continuing until proper procedures were in place. As soon as the EHO left site work restarted – although they did move the tower around the corner – and lo and behold the EHO came back and instigated an investigation.The client is being investigated on a number of counts – failure to apply CDM to a non-notifiable project, failure to appoint competent contractors, failure to ensure health and safety was managed during the works, unsafe systems for electrical isolation, etc. The contractor, meanwhile is being investigated for lack of risk assessments, no safe system of work, work at height breaches, electrical safety breaches and failing to protect the public. If only the principles outlined above had been followed…In summary, CDM is as important for non-notifiable projects as notifiable ones. The processes are the same and the time spent in thinking through the works, hazards and risks associated with a non-notifiable project will be repaid in terms of quality, safety, budget accuracy and programme.

Executive Office Furniture Is The Key to a Successful Business

When you own a business, you feel on top of the world and you will want to have the most luxurious office. This is definitely not a bad thing and every businessman will have the same thought when it comes to his office. This is not only required so that you can feel proud and satisfied each day but this majestic look is also required so that your visitors and clients will get a very good first impression about the professionalism and success of your business. An executive look will not only give you comfort and respect, but it will also give you good business and boost profits.Using executive office furniture will add more worth to your office. You will be able to find a huge variety of executive office furniture. This furniture is designed in such a way that they not only give comfort but also give a grand look to your office space. Today most of the interior decorators also prefer reliable executive office furniture to decorate the executive’s room.Now, with the need and work style taking a huge transformation and with everyone expecting luxury, this furniture has made a huge change compared to the traditional executive furniture. There is a variety of executive office furniture pieces beginning with simple furniture to anything large you may need. In fact, there are a few dealers who will specially design new executive office furniture for their clients with large budgets based on their requirements.
 
Once you have made up your mind to furnish your office with the executive office furniture you will have to do some preliminary work like thinking of the purpose of the room. What kind of furniture will be required? This will give you a fair idea of what kind of furniture you will need. It also makes sense to measure the size of the room so that you can buy furniture that will fit exactly in and give a chic look to your room. You can also consider other interior decorating options like the paint color and wall hangings before buying the furniture.With all these things set in your mind, you can either browse the internet for elegant executive office furniture or visit your nearest outlet. Make sure that your furnishing items not only have an executive and elegant look but are also lightweight. It is good to opt for furniture made of glass or any other weightless materials since then transportation will be easier. Furniture should be selected in such a way that they reflect the style, personality and the professionalism of the executive and his business. The décor and furnishing of an executive office should make everyone feel and think of new ways to achieve success.Good furniture has the ability to make you feel good. It can give you warmth leading you to think better and earn more. Obviously you will need some time and expert advice in giving your room this feel and it is definitely a sensible thing to do.

Business Contact Management Small Software

If you want to increase your sales then Business Contact Management small software may be the answer you’re looking for. The purpose of Business Contact Management small software is to assist busy sales managers in maintaining control of a sales force and seeing that no opportunities are lost. Even with a small sales team this can often be a problem without BCM small software. However, not all BCM small software on the market is the same. Some BCM small software is just not flexible enough to do the job.The Prophet Business Contact Management small software is easy to set up and easy to use. This innovative Business Contact Management small software can provide immediate help with its advanced technology. It is fully automated BCM small software that is made to work with Outlook. One of the best features of the Prophet BCM small software is the sales opportunity window. This window in the BCM small software provides immediate access to information about all of your potential and current customers.You can look up contact information as well as find all of the documents related to the sales opportunity. This would include copies of contracts and correspondence that are stored by the Business Contact Management small software. Then the BCM small software allows you to track the progress of each opportunity. If an appointment is imminent or one needs to be made the sales window in the BCM small software will tell you. Many companies offer Business Contact Management small software that only provides basic contact information and does calendar scheduling. The Prophet BCM small software offers much more.With the Prophet Business Contact Management small software system you can review every task related to a business opportunity. The Business Contact Management small software allows you to determine what tasks have been completed and which ones need to be assigned. You can even automate certain tasks such as sending out future e-mails and other follow-up information with the Business Contact Management small software. This type of control, which only comes with great BCM small software, will enable you to keep the entire sales force operating as a team. No opportunities will be lost through neglect when you use the Prophet BCM small software system.As a sales manager you want to have immediate access to reports and be able to send them on to other people in the company. The Prophet Business Contact Management small software provides you with a daily report on all sales opportunities. This very special BCM small software also helps you automatically generate any reports you want to share. There are 30 built in reports available in the Business Contact Management small software and it is easy to customize reports. No other BCM small software on the market provides greater flexibility when it comes to reporting.In today’s competitive business environment Business Contact Management small software is no longer a luxury, it is a necessity. You can try to get along without it. The Business Contact Management small software you want should be offered at the right price, be easy to use, and be flexible and the Prophet Business Contact Management small software meets all of those criteria. There is no better time to try good Business Contact Management small software.With the Prophet Business Contact Management small software your sales force will function smoother than ever before. The BCM small software will increase your ability to find and keep customers. A superior Business Contact Management small software system will also help your sales team to close more deals than ever. After all, moving your inventory or selling your company’s services is what it’s all about and the Prophet Business Contact Management small software is designed to help you do just that. You won’t find better tools for success in any other BCM small software system. contacts, opportunities, and closings are all monitored and managed with the BCM small software.The Prophet BCM small software will take your business to the next level. It will immediately move you ahead of the competition that either has no Business Contact Management small software or an inferior version of Business Contact Management small software.