London 2012: a new approach to CDM coordination

A ‘CDM coordinator’ needs to be appointed on most commercial construction work in the UK to coordinate health-and-safety aspects of design work under the Construction (Design and Management) regulations 2007. However, long-term regeneration of 2·5 km2 of Olympic Park, east London – which for 6 weeks will also be used for the London 2012 games – was considered too big for a single appointment, with up to 9000 people working on 38 projects. The Olympic Delivery Authority thus decided to use CDM coordination services provided through its multiple design-and-build contractors, which also made significant savings in fees. A unique ‘CDM integrator’ was then appointed to manage this large and diverse group, resulting in a uniformly high standard of service and a consistent approach. Reportable accidents in the first year of construction are only around 7% of industry average.