CDM 2015 — Construction Design and Management Regulations
CDM 2015 — Construction Design and Management Regulations
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 are the primary piece of UK legislation governing health and safety on construction projects. They apply to every construction project in Great Britain — commercial, domestic, refurbishment, demolition, infrastructure — regardless of size, with specific duties scaling to project complexity and duration.
For equipment buyers and site managers, CDM 2015 has a direct and enforceable consequence: dust at source must be controlled. The regulation is the legal framework behind the M-Class and H-Class dust extraction specification that the construction trade operates under.
What CDM 2015 requires
CDM 2015 places duties on five categories of duty holder: clients, principal designers, designers, principal contractors, and contractors. For equipment specification purposes, the most relevant duties fall on principal contractors and contractors:
- Regulation 15(2) — the principal contractor must plan, manage and monitor the construction phase so that, so far as is reasonably practicable, it is carried out without risks to health or safety. Dust is one of the most consistently cited control failures in HSE enforcement actions.
- Regulation 15(7) — the principal contractor must ensure that workers on site have been given the site-specific induction and the information they need to carry out their work safely. For operatives using extraction equipment, this includes training on M-Class and H-Class classification and filter management.
- Pre-construction phase plan — the CDM coordinator or principal designer must address significant hazards in the pre-construction phase plan. On any project involving cutting, grinding, drilling or chasing of stone, concrete, brick or mortar, silica dust is a significant hazard and the plan must specify how it will be controlled.
CDM does not specify which equipment to use — that specification comes from COSHH and the HSE dust classification framework. But CDM creates the legal obligation to have a dust control plan, and COSHH determines what equipment must be in it.
How CDM 2015 and COSHH work together
CDM 2015 creates the duty to control dust. COSHH 2002 (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) defines how that control must be exercised. The two regulations are the legislative backbone of all dust extraction specification on UK construction sites:
- CDM: you must have a dust control plan and manage dust as a hazard on your project.
- COSHH: the extraction equipment in that plan must meet the appropriate classification — M-Class for general construction dust, H-Class for carcinogenic dusts including respirable crystalline silica (RCS).
- EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits: RCS has a WEL of 0.1 mg/m³ over an 8-hour TWA. Cutting, grinding and drilling without on-tool extraction can easily exceed this in minutes.
For a full explanation of how material type determines whether M-Class or H-Class is required on your specific project, see the M-Class or H-Class guide →
Recommended V-TUF equipment for CDM-compliant sites
V-TUF MINI HSV — M-Class, compact
The entry-level CDM-compliant M-Class extractor. H13 HEPA. Lightweight, 110V site-standard available. Suited to first-fix joinery, light refurbishment, boarding and drywall. SKU MINIHSV110 / MINIHSV240.
V-TUF MIGHTY HSV — M-Class, 21L
The volume M-Class extractor for sustained site use. 21-litre wet/dry, autostart power take-off for cut-off saws, angle grinders, wall chasers and demolition tools. SKU MIGHTYHSV110 / MIGHTYHSV240.
V-TUF MIDI H-Class — 21L H-Class
H14 HEPA. Required where RCS, hardwood dust, or biological hazards are present — any silica-generating work, engineered stone, hardwood cutting, or demolition of buildings with suspected hazardous materials. SKU MIDIH110 / MIDIH240.
110V and site safety
All V-TUF M-Class and H-Class extractors are available in 110V centre-tapped earth (CTE) supply, the HSE-standard voltage for portable electrical equipment on UK construction sites. 110V CTE substantially reduces the risk of electrocution in the event of cable damage. See also: Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 →
Compliance blog — CDM 2015 and dust control
Silica dust on construction sites: what the regulations actually require →
M-Class or H-Class: why it depends on what the building is made of →
Concrete cutting and grinding on live sites: dust control and COSHH compliance →
Asbestos in construction: CAR 2012, pre-2000 buildings and what H-Class extraction is required →
CDM-relevant city pages
London → Birmingham → Manchester → Leeds → Sheffield → Bristol → Coventry → Liverpool → Newcastle → Bradford → Nottingham → Hull → York → Bolton → Middlesbrough → Stoke-on-Trent → Northampton → Luton → Brighton → Oxford → Cambridge → Milton Keynes → Swindon → Bath → Wolverhampton → Norwich → Exeter → Southampton → Portsmouth → Plymouth → Lincoln → Leicester → Derby → Reading → Cornwall → Cardiff → Belfast → Glasgow → Edinburgh →
Related legislation
COSHH Regulations 2002 — dust classification and exposure control →
HSE EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits — RCS and wood dust WELs →
Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — H-Class extraction for asbestos work →
Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 — 110V site-safe supply →
PUWER 1998 — provision and use of work equipment →
ICRA — Infection Control Risk Assessment for healthcare construction →
Related industries
Construction — M-Class and H-Class extraction, site wash-down →
Trade and contractor accounts
V-TUF operates trade account terms for construction contractors. Volume pricing for multi-site and multi-machine orders. UK warehouse, next-day delivery on stocked items, spares held for every machine in current production.
Telephone: 01522 787978. Mention contractor account and CDM programme at first contact.