It is extremely important that all parties are aware of the details of these regulations, in order to protect and reduce the risk of harm to those who have to build, use and maintain structures. Anything that helps to reduce accidents is to be encouraged – especially when there are still over 40 deaths annually on construction sites – well above other sectors when calculated on a per employee basis.
An update of the original regulations, introduced in 2007 as a means of improving health and safety on UK construction sites, CDM 2015 has more of a focus on smaller projects, as well as placing new obligations on clients and facilities managers. More than ever, clients need to trust in the expertise of the team they hire to carry out refurbishment work, so they don’t get caught out.
Market-leading roofing manufacturer Sika Sarnafil has developed Sarnafil Plus, its flagship refurbishment service, to offer support throughout this process. Sarnafil Plus can help the client and principal designer with its team of dedicated surveyors and technical experts. The Sarnafil Plus team are on hand at every stage of a roof refurbishment project, from initial survey and specification through to installation and future maintenance.
When it comes to CDM 2015, changes include extending the responsibilities of the client by removing the CDM coordinator role. Under CDM 2007, the CDM was the client’s key safety adviser and the removal of this role therefore has a significant impact on project safety governance. Instead, a new role of principal designer takes on many of the duties of the CDM coordinator – although it is not a direct replacement. The principal designer must plan, manage, monitor and coordinate health and safety in the pre-construction phase of a project. But if you are a client, you must now ensure the competency of the principal designer and team working on the refurbishment, making sure that they fulfil their duties, especially when it comes to health and safety.
Luckily, the Sarnafil Plus package includes plenty of helpful services that will actively support the client and the principal designer, to put the client’s mind at ease. Sarnafil Plus includes a detailed initial survey, as well as recommendations on complex design elements, resulting in a bespoke specification that the client can trust to do the job.
In addition, this system will be installed by a Sarnafil Plus Contractor, a refurb specialist trained and verified by Sika Sarnafil. These contractors are trained to install Sika Sarnafil membranes in complete compliance with the most up-to-date health and safety regulations.
The Sarnafil Plus team also lends support to the principal contractor, tasked with managing, monitoring and coordinating health and safety in the construction phase of a project, with frequent site visits and advice. A guarantee is awarded at the satisfactory completion of the refurbishment, ensuring that the client is protected against unlikely problems with the roofing system.
The icing on the cake for the client is the that a Sarnafil Plus Guarantee of 20 years or more ensures that a Sika Sarnafil field technician will visit the roof at five year intervals after the work is completed. This is proven to reduce ownership costs and leak frequency, extend the roof’s life cycle and most importantly, reduce the stress and pressure faced by facilities and building management operations. If needed, routine remedial work for maintenance will be identified and carried out by the original Registered Sarnafil Plus Contractor.
