Starting from a collaborative initiative on the M1 J28-35 SMP scheme, between a small group of consultants in April 2016, the Principal Designer Working Group has now become an established authoritative body on ‘all things CDM’.
Richard Wilson (Health and Safety Director - Major Projects/SES Directorate) has recently taken over as Chair of the group, to help drive its aims of:
- facilitating closer links between the design and contracting communities;
- securing improved designer hazard elimination during the pre-construction phase; and
- reduce the number of hazards passed on to contractors.
By working alongside the established Highways England Health and Safety hub, the Principal Designer Working Group will drive the further reduction in hazards during the whole life of schemes.
Objectives
- To proactively support the delivery of Highways England Home, Safe and Well initiative.
- To improve the health, safety and welfare (including the Occupational Health) aspects of designs produced by the supply chain including behavioural change.
- To provide guidance to the supply chain based on best practice and lessons learnt from on-going design work
- To provide input from a principal designer role perspective to complimentary health, safety and welfare groups.
- To develop consistent design health, safety and occupational health approaches across all aspects of the sector to drive improvements in construction, use, maintenance and operation, of the strategic road network, including dismantling and decommissioning of structures.
For further details (including the agreed Terms of Reference and Action Plan), see:
http://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/principal-designers-working-group.html
http://www.highwayssafetyhub.com/
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