Safe Places of Work

The CDM Regulations, Part 4, which contains the minimum health and safety standards to be achieved on a construction site, require that every construction site shall, so far as is reasonably practicable, be made and kept safe for any person working there. In addition (regulation 17 states):

1. There must, so far as is reasonably practicable, be suitable and sufficient safe access to and egress from
   1. every construction site to every other place provided for the use of any person whilst at work; and
   2. every place construction work is being carried out to every other place to which workers have access within a construction site.
2. A construction site must be, so far as is reasonably practicable, made and kept safe for, and without risks to, the health of a person at work there.
3. Action must be taken to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that no person uses access to or egress from or gains access to any construction site which does not comply with the requirements of paragraph (1) or (2).
4. A construction site must, so far as is reasonably practicable, have sufficient working space and be arranged so that it is suitable for any person who is working or who is likely to work there, taking account of any necessary work equipment likely to be used there.

On construction projects the designers should consider the safe places of work in the first instance. The designers have duties under CDM to attempt to eliminate and reduce risks by their design decisions for the construction works, the users, the maintainers, the repairers, the cleaners, and any other person potentially affected by their designs. The designers must also take in to account the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 when designing the permanent place of work.