Principal Designer

On any construction project involving more than one contractor, the Principal Designer acts as one of the five duty holders. The role of a Principal Designer is to ensure that the Construction (Design and Management) regulations are distributed and met accordingly.

During a project’s pre-construction phase, our Principle Designers take the lead in planning, managing, monitoring and coordinating health and safety in the design. They hold the relevant skills, knowledge and experience to carry out all of the functions involved, including any design work carried out after construction begins.

The construction industry is a dangerous place of work. The Principal Designer’s role is crucial in ensuring that the health and safety of workers and those reliant on the facilities involved is prioritised.

During the pre-construction phase, our Principal Designers:

• Plan, manage and monitor the pre-construction phase and coordinate health and safety matters;
• Ensure the principles of prevention are followed during the project designs;
• Identify and eliminate or control foreseeable risks from the design to construction work, maintaining or cleaning a structure, use of the structure designed as a workplace;
• Ensure all other designers comply with their duties;
• Assist the client to identify, collate and pass on pre-construction information to the projects designers and contractors;
• Ensure cooperation between the project client, designers and contractors;
• Liaise with Principal Contractor sharing information relevant to planning, management and monitoring of the construction phase;
• Prepare, update and issue to the client the health and safety file on completion of the works;
• Co-operate with other duty holders; and
• Report anything likely to endanger.

Pennington Choices (previously Auburn Ainsley, prior to changing their name) have experience of working on projects of all sizes and scopes in various designer roles. This has allowed us to gain the relevant skills, knowledge and experience within the construction industry to co-ordinate the pre-construction phase to an efficient standard.

As a business, we strive to ensure that our work is detailed and comprehensible. Through being open, coherent and delivering detailed and comprehensible work, we are able to safeguard against potential risks. As we are able to develop good relationships between the client, principal contractor and other designers, we ensure that all duties are fulfilled.

To take a look at some of our previous work, follow this link here.

What are the Construction (Design and Management) CDM regulations?

The Construction (Design & Management) regulations (CDM 2015) are the main set of regulations for managing the health, safety and welfare of construction projects. CDM applies to all building and construction work and includes new build, demolition, refurbishment, extensions, conversions, repair and maintenance.

If you would like to discuss your project with one of our experts, you can call us on 0800 883 0334 or fill in the form below.