Elevating Your Spaces

A principal designer is an individual or company (usually an architecture practice) that is appointed on a project to coordinate Health and Safety tasks prior to a build – the name is a bit of a misnomer, as they’re more of a Health and Safety manager rather than an architectural designer. 

Principal Designers are a legal requirement on projects involving more than one contractor, as they are in charge of all the Health and Safety aspects of everyone involved on the project, and their work is key to ensure that a build is compliant with national standards when complete. For that reason, you’ll need someone up-to-date with all the latest building standards and requirements, who is meticulous about their work. 

Some of their tasks involve:

• Planning and monitoring the pre-construction phase
• Identifying and collating Pre-Construction information
• Providing designers, the Principal Contractor and other contractors with this information
• Co-ordinating with the design team on significant H&S issues
• Ensuring compliance with Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
• Attending design review meetings to monitor progress and raising awareness of potential health and safety risks
• Liaising with and supporting the Principal Contractor for the duration of the appointment
• Compiling the statutory health and safety file to be formally handed over at project completion

Any project involving more than one contractor requires a Principal Designer, who should be appointed by the client in writing to coordinate, control and monitor the Pre-Construction work processes, and should ideally be appointed as early as possible to have the greatest degree of control over and knowledge about a particular project.

Although the bulk of a PD’s job is completed before the build, it’s common to keep them on in an advisory role to liaise with the Principal Contractor, whose role is similar to the Principal Designer’s in risk management throughout the design process so that the build meets national standards.

Under the 2015 CDM Regulations, the Principal Designer is required to establish a foundation of Health and Safety practices to be used throughout a project. If done correctly, this will ensure that a project meets Health and Safety standards when complete.

If you don’t appoint a PD in writing, you may well be legally responsible for the Health and Safety on your project, bearing the responsibility to ensure that the CDM regulation duties and procedures are carried out. 

That means that if there’s an accident during construction or building maintenance, you may be liable. Appointing a Principal Designer means that there is someone qualified enough to inspect all the Health and Safety aspects on a project and ensure that they meet national standards. That way, your project is covered and it’s easier to insure.