What is the designer's responsibility under the CDM 2015 Regulations?

• A. Prepare detailed cost estimates
• B. Eliminate, Reduce, or Control Foreseeable Risks During Design Process
• C. Oversee on-site operations
• D. Manage procurement and supply chain

Answer: (B)

The designer’s responsibility is to consciously address health and safety from the very start of the project. Under CDM 2015, designers must eliminate, reduce, or control foreseeable risks during the design process. This means thinking about how the project will be built, used, and maintained, and removing hazards in the design itself wherever possible. If a hazard cannot be fully removed, the designer must reduce the risk to an acceptable level and specify design features that help keep people safe during construction and in later life of the building. For example, choosing safer materials, simplifying assembly, planning for safe access and maintenance routes, and providing clear information to builders and later operators so risks aren’t introduced by the design.

Other duties include ensuring the design decisions convey necessary safety information to the client and other duty holders, so that construction and future use can be carried out without exposing people to unnecessary danger. The other options describe activities that are primarily cost planning, site management, or procurement responsibilities, which fall outside the core safety-focused duties of the designer under CDM 2015.