The CDM Differently Philosophy

CDM Differently’ is a UK construction initiative jointly led by members of the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE).

Inspired by the Safety Differently movement and Andrew Townsend’s book, ‘Safety Can’t Be Measured’, the central theme of CDM Differently is that construction risk, including health and safety aspects, must be managed primarily by construction professionals, utilising a collaborative and integrated approach. This approach encourages project teams to focus on specific project challenges, rather than generic concepts of ‘risk’.

Andrew demonstrated that there is a high degree of correlation between levels of productivity and safety, the common denominator being the quality of management, and the need to engage with the team and gain everyone’s commitment to achieving the project goals.

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Although the management principles underpinning CDM2015 have remained unchanged since the regulations first came into effect in March 1995, an understanding of what is required to comply with the law has been hampered by the fragmented nature of the construction industry and the poor quality of education and training, which often focussed exclusively on the legal requirements, with little reference to the construction process and the associated management principles which underpin the legislation.

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As experienced construction practitioners, we have worked collaboratively to develop strategies, processes and tools that can be used by clients and their professional teams on projects of different scales and complexities.

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We have created this website to be an information hub, accessible to all those, whether in client, designer or contractor organisations, who want to ‘do it better’.