Principal designer toolkit gains HSE support

Since 2015, we have been working with other dedicated construction professionals , through the Construction Industry Advisory Committee (CONIAC) to develop practical ways to deliver projects efficiently and collaboratively, in compliance with the CDM Regulations.

In 2021, as part of the CONIAC Keeping Pace with Change (KPWC) working group, we delivered the report 'CDM 20-20 vision - changing the culture'. This report, at the request of the HSE, built on the 2019 report 'CDM 2015- from compliance to consultation and collaboration', setting out to demonstrate how taking a strategic approach to project risk management could benefit construction projects of all types, from small domestic schemes to major buildings and complex infrastructure programmes.[ Both reports can be found on the 'Resources' page.

The RIBA Plan of Work recognises the importance of this 'first step':

'The Health and Safety Strategy needs to be considered early on in the project because it is key to securing the safe construction, occupation, maintenance and future re-use or demolition of the project. The client's role is fundamental to this, to establish and maintain a health and safety-conscious approach to delivery of the project from the outset. The Health and Safety Strategy should set clear health and safety objectives.'

Since 2021, a considerable amount of work has been done to identify 'the next steps' once a basic risk management strategy has been determined. The Design Risk Management (DRM) toolkit has been developed to provide principal designers and designers with a structured framework within which major risk issues can be identified and addressed - project by project. (see details of the tools on the 'Designing Differently ' page.) More recently, it has also been made available on the CONIAC website www.coniac.org.uk.

On 23rd March 2026 , the HSE issued an e-bulletin highlighting the work of CONIAC and the availability of the set of DRM templates to aid effective risk management:

'CONIAC was established to advise HSE on the protection of people from hazards to health and safety within the building, civil engineering and engineering construction industries.

The CONIAC website has useful resources including its Keeping Pace with Change working group's Design Risk Management (DRM) toolkit. This toolkit comprises a suite of editable , generic templates for principal designers, which can be used individually or together, during the preconstruction phase.'

The following statement has now been agreed with the HSE as to the place of this tool-kit in the Construction sector:

'This guidance has been produced by a working group of the Construction Industry Advisory Committee ( CONIAC) which comprises industry experts from various backgrounds, trade associations and the Health and Safert Executive (HSE). It provides industry with advice, information and guidance to help meet legal requirements. HSE supports this industry-led approach.'

We would encourage all practitioners to take a look at the tools to see how they can be adopted, adapted and used alongside your own systems. If you need further guidance or support please contact us.