Construction

The role of the Principal Designer is to plan, manage and monitor the pre-construction phase and to coordinate matters relating to health and safety during the pre-construction phase to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, the project is carried out without risks to health or safety.

As the Principal Designer we facilitate the above by implementing a host of processes which help us engage and integrate with all members of the Design Team – whether they represent the Client or the Principal Contractor. The approach we adopt promotes and provides a coordinated approach supported by measures to enable effective communication flows so that the right information is delivered to the hands of the right people at the right time.

In liaison with all Designers, we take a proactive lead on Design Risk Management, ensuring that the General Principles of Prevention are being applied to designs, and that Designers are complying with their strict liabilities and duties as set out within the CDM Regulations. We utilise a host of processes and proformas to help record, monitor and manage design risks, some of which include Design Risk Registers, Design Decision Logs, Design Gateway Reviews, Design Risk Justification Statements, RAG Lists, specific CDM Risk Workshops and Design Team Meetings.

Stonewells offer either a standalone CDM-Advisor service (for example to Clients, Principal Designers, Designers, Principal Contractors and Contractors) or one which is delivered in tandem with our role as Principal Designer.

Our experience of the CDM Regulations, and managing the processes associated with regulatory compliance enables us to work with Clients, Principal Designers, Designers, Principal Contractors and Contractors on an individual and combined basis. Our knowledge of CDM facilitates us becoming a trusted advisor and go to point of reference as we implement arrange of processes which guide each Duty Holder through the CDM minefield in order they have the confidence those appointed by them to undertake other Duty Holder roles are discharging their CDM duties diligently and in a compliant and auditable manner.

We know what good looks like. Accordingly, this allows us to implement best practice techniques and measures to achieve compliance. We offer practical, pragmatic and cost-effective advice on all aspects of the Regulations including the reasonable steps taken to assess Skills, Knowledge and Experience and Organisational Capability, how to ensure effective two-way communication exists, how to manage interfaces within the design and construction teams, how to manage the Design Risk Management piece and how to plan, manage and monitor both the Pre-Construction and Construction Phases. Our service delivery is supported by a suite of CDM procedures, process and proformas, all of which must sit within our clients wider CDM Policy and CDM Strategy – both of which we can also produce if not already in place.

The monitoring and reporting of health and safety performance and compliance is essential and integral to the success of any construction project and to the development of your workforce. Lessons learned and the identification of trends which in turn define training needs are all born out of site inspections. Regular Site Inspections are also a requirement of your own Health and Safety Management System and the need to continually improve as well as the construction contracts which you (Principal Contractors and Contractors) have entered into committed to with those who have appointed you.

Stonewells carry out independent Construction Site Health and Safety Inspections on behalf of Clients, Principal Contractors and their supply chain of Contractors. Our Construction Site Health and Safety Inspections assess whether work activities are being undertaken safely with no unsafe working practices being displayed which put the operative or those around them in harm’s way. We also ensure all works are being carried out in accordance with Risk Assessments, Method Statements and wider Safe System of Work procedures, processes and protocols as well as all statutory Health and Safety legislation.

The findings of our Inspections are provided to our Client and their Senior Leadership / Management Team.

Having a Construction Phase Plan (CPP) in place is a statutory requirement under the CDM 2015 Regulations. The responsibility to produce the plan rests with the Principal Contractor.

The aim of a CPP is to set out (in response to the Pre-Construction Information which identifies all known site constraints and their associated hazards and risks) how the works and site will be set up to mitigate and manage all known constraints and their associated hazards and risks. It must detail the management arrangements the Principal Contractor will implement in order to ensure all construction tasks, activities and works are planned appropriately, executed safely and managed competently.

Stonewells work with Principal Contractors in the tender period, mobilisation phase, and, once appointed, at regular intervals throughout the duration of the construction phase, to ensure the CPP produced remains relevant and fit for purpose at all times. Following a review of the project and Pre-Construction Information and existing inhouse CDM management arrangements, processes and procedures, we draft the first iteration of a CPP for review and comment. Once the CPP has been reviewed and agreed by various levels and functions within the Principal Contracting organisation, but especially by the Project Director, Project Management, Site Manager and Site Supervisor, we then produce a final version that can be submitted (to their Client) for review and comment.

In the UK, a Construction and Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) is often a requirement of the planning application process. The purpose of a CEMP is to outline how a construction project, and the activities associated with the project, will avoid, minimise or mitigate any potential negative effects on the local environment and surrounding area. This is because construction can affect the local environment and surroundings in different ways: Construction projects and their end product can create negative environmental impacts including noise, vibration, air, water, soil, land, nature conservation, cultural heritage, people, waste, energy, transport, and materials. If not managed diligently these can have wider societal health effects and seriously damage local ecosystems and landscapes.

At Stonewells we work with Clients in the planning stage of a construction project helping them through the process to identify, assess and evaluate environmental hazards and risks, before drafting their CEMP and setting out the actions to be taken to avoid, minimise or mitigate all negative impacts and effects on the surrounding area. We then review the CEMP at regular intervals throughout the lifecycle of the construction project.

When writing a CEMP we ensure the following:

• That the Plan will identify business and stakeholder requirements;
• That the Plan ensures the development is compliant with current environmental legislation;
• That the Plan outlines requirements in accordance with your Environmental Policy and wider Environmental Management System;
• That the Plan details any and all mitigation recommendations, and;
• That the Plan provides methods to minimise any adverse effects on the environment during construction.