Glossary of Construction Terms

ACoP - See Approved Code of Practice

Approved Code of Practice - Provides guidance on how to comply with specific regulations. It has been approved by the Health & Safety Commission and is seen as the accepted standard. It is not mandatory to follow the ACoP but it can be used as evidence in a court of law and failure to adopt the advice in the ACoP will be regarded as having failed to comply with the law.

CDM Coordinator - The person appointed to advise and assist the Client on how to comply with the CDM Regulations during the project, and to ensure that suitable arrangements are made and implemented for the co-ordination of health and safety measures during planning and preparation for the construction phase.

Client - A person who in the course or furtherance of a business carries out a project themselves or who seeks or accepts services from another person or organisation in order to carry out a project.

Construction Site - Any place where construction work is being carried out or to which the workers have access

Construction Phase - The period of a Project from when construction work starts to when it is completed.

Construction Phase Plan - A document recording the health and safety arrangements, site rules and any special measures for the Construction Work

Construction Work - Any building, civil engineering or engineering construction work.

Contractor - Any person (including a client, principal contractor or other person referred to in the Regulations) who, in the course or furtherance of a business, carries out or manages Construction Work.

Demolition or Dismantling - Deliberate pulling down, destruction or taking apart of a structure, or a substantial part of a structure, including dismantling for re-erection or re-use. Demolition work normally needs meticulous planning and management to ensure lives are not put at risk. Demolition does not include operations such as making openings for doors, windows, services or removing non-structural elements such as cladding, roof tiles or scaffolding. Such operations may, however, form part of demolition or dismantling work when carried out alongside other activities.

Designer - Any person (including a client, contractor or other person referred to in CDM 2007) who in the course or furtherance of a business either prepares or modifies a design, or arranges for or instructs someone under their control to do so. The design relates to a structure, a product, a mechanical or electrical system intended for a particular structure. A person is deemed to prepare a design where a design is prepared by a person under their control.

Domestic Client - Person who has work done on their own home, or the home of a family member that does not relate to their trade, or business. Domestic Clients have no duties under CDM 2007

Duty Holder - Someone who has duties under CDM 2007 including: Client, CDM Coordinator, Designer, Principal Contractor, Contractor, Worker.

Health and Safety File - Information that people carrying out construction or cleaning work on the structure in the future are likely to need but could not be expected to know, including Clients, Designers, Coordinators, Contractors and others.

Notifiable Project - Except where the project is for a Domestic Client, a project is notifiable if the construction phase is likely to involve more than 30 working days or 500 person days of construction work.

Notification - The most up-to-date information notified to HSE. A legible copy must be displayed where it can be read by people working on the site.

Principal Contractor - The duty holder who is required to ensure effective management of health and safety throughout the Construction Phase of the Project. This involves properly planning, managing and coordinating work to ensure hazards are identified and risks are properly controlled.

Project - A project includes all the preparation, design, planning, construction work and the clearance or preparation of the site or structure for use or occupation at its conclusion. Projects may involve several structures. Where there are substantial breaks between phases, each phase can be treated as a separate project, but a project should not be artificially split to avoid being Notifiable with its attendant duties.