HFL:CDM was established in July 2015 as a direct response to customer demand for CDM consultancy for event and festival projects but has already been selected to provide these for major events sectors such as steam rally events and corporate parties.
HFL:CDM's director, Barry Hird, commented, "Following the changes to the CDM regulations in 2015, and the resultant increasing demand for CDM advice and services within the event sector, HFL-CDM was set up not only for general construction and process engineering clients but also for those organising medium and large scale events - a niche field requiring construction, engineering, H&S, expertise and experience. This includes the provision of the all-important Principal Designer role.
"Temporary events such as rallies, festivals and fairs differ from normal construction in several critical ways, foremost of which is the structures to be erected are temporary requiring a variety of skills to ensure the design meets the requirements of the structural concept and that the structure is built to the design. It's very important to gain guidance at the earliest possible opportunity in the planning stages so that safety-critical checkpoints can be identified before work progresses to the next checkpoint This requires having competent staff and a suitable onsite operational management system in place."
"Most events include the design and erection of a number of Temporary Demountable Structures - TDS - but there has to be an independent design check and management system for the control of changes to a TDS, such as clients attaching advertising material that affects wind loadings. Events also require a suitable maintenance and inspection regime for the completed structure, which will also require monitoring for the effects of wind and weather and adequate time and resources need to be allocated for each of these stages.
"It must always be remembered that CDM is criminal law and places very specific duties on specific organisations which, in the context of events, will be on easily identifiable individuals. It may not, in the end, significantly increase the regulatory burden but it will shift the emphasis on whom corporately or individually (as an employee) that burden falls.
"In the past event organisers have simply left checking stages, and other structures to their H&S officer but the new regulations require proper safety planning just like any other construction project. This requires specialist knowledge of various engineering disciplines required to understand the total project - civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and safety engineering are involved in most events and the organizer, as client, is ultimately responsible."
(Jim Evans)
