Synergy News & Blog: Guildford Office
BSI publishes new specification for procuring all CDM 2015 services
In November 2017, the BSI published PAS 91:2013+A1:2017 for application across the UK.
For the first time the standard (which is free to download) covers the engagement of those design organisations to be appointed by the project client as Principal Designers under the CDM Regulations 2015.
For clients it sets out the essential health and safety related questions and evidence required to ensure that those appointed possess the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability to carry out the Principal Designer function.
To reduce administration, compliance with PAS 91 includes acceptance of relevant, successful assessments by an SSIP registered member scheme in lieu of responses to the H&S questions. This therefore allows clients to give additional focus on project-specific health and safety questions.
PAS 91 highlight that the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) supports SSIP, noting that suitable assessment of a supplier by an SSIP member assessor meets the client general requirement to exercise “reasonable judgment” based on the evidence provided.
However, importantly using an SSIP member-assessed scheme, or adopting PAS 91, does not remove client responsibility to ensure that a supplier is in fact “SSIP member assessed”.
