The Principal Contractor and CDM

The Principal Contractor is any person appointed for the time being by the client under Regulation 6(1 )(b). There is no restriction on the appointment, except that the duty holder must be competent, be able to allocate adequate resources for health and safety in order to carry out the duties, and the person must be a contractor. The person may be an individual, a company, part of a company - and may already hold other responsibilities and duties under CDM where competent to do so. 

These duties are amplified in the Approved Code of Practice. Prior to the start of work on site, the development of the safety plan is the main CDM responsibility of the Principal Contractor. Essentially, the developed plan will include risk assessments and method statements of contractors, the common arrangements in place for welfare, details of how the Principal Contractor v/ill fulfil his CDM duties, site rules and monitoring arrangements. The safety plan is discussed further in Chapter 8. 

---