Briefing: The adverse health and safety influence of subcontracting

Subcontracting has been noted to have an adverse influence on health and safety. Through a critique of the health and safety literature the causative factors of this adverse influence are identified, and a subsequent examination of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007) also reveals remedies available to mitigate these causative factors. Pointing to the persistence of the adverse influence of subcontracting despite the available remedies, efforts for further enhancing the mitigation provided by CDM 2007 against the adverse influence of subcontracting are presented. It is anticipated that through these efforts health and safety improvement within and beyond the context of the adverse influence of subcontracting will be achieved.