CDM 2015 and its application to the entertainment industry

What you will find on this page

Guidance to help those in the entertainment industry understand what they need to do to comply with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015).

What you should know

CDM 2015 is not about creating unnecessary bureaucracy. It is about securing the health, safety and welfare of those carrying out construction work and protecting others who the work may affect, from harm. With this principle in mind, this guidance illustrates how CDM roles and duties can be applied to existing common management arrangements and processes in the four main industry sub-sectors:

  1. TV/film and broadcasting
  2. Theatre and performing arts
  3. Live events (festivals, music, sport, cultural events)
  4. Exhibitions/trade fairs and conferences

This will also help others in the industry, with different management arrangements, to determine what they need to do to comply with CDM.

Worked examples for typical construction projects in the event/production industry have been included, to show what proportionate compliance with CDM 2015 might look like in practise.

This guidance should be read in conjunction with HSE's L153: Managing health and safety in construction.

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 [CDM]

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) apply to all construction projects, including those undertaken in the entertainment industry. A project includes all the planning, design and management tasks associated with construction work. For example, the building, fitting out and taking down of temporary structures for TV, film and theatre productions and live events.

CDM 2015 makes the general duties of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 more specific. They complement the general Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and integrate health and safety into the management of construction projects.

The aim is for construction health and safety considerations to be treated as a normal part of an event/production's management and development, not an afterthought or bolt-on extra. In concert with wider measures taken to ensure a safer event/production, the objective of CDM 2015 is to reduce the risk of harm to those that have to build, fit out, use, maintain and take down structures.

The key principles of CDM 2015 will be familiar to those already managing risks effectively as part of an event/production. The key principles are:

  • eliminate or control risks so far as reasonably practicable;
    (This means balancing the level of risk against the measures needed to control the real risk in terms of money, time or trouble. However, you do not need to take action if it would be grossly disproportionate to the level of risk)
  • ensure work is effectively planned;
  • appointing the right people and organisations at the right time;
  • making sure everyone has the information, instruction, training and supervision they need to carry out their jobs safely and without damaging health;
  • have systems in place to help parties cooperate and communicate with each other and coordinate their work; and
  • consult workers with a view to securing effective health, safety and welfare measures.

Any actions you take to comply with CDM 2015 should always be proportionate to the risks involved.

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Updated 2022-11-01