With any construction project Health & Safety is now paramount. The client or employer has huge responsibility under current legislation.

Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 it is a requirement for the client to appoint in writing ‘a competent and adequately resourced Project Supervisor for the Design Process (PSDP)'.

The duty of the PSDP is to ensure co-ordination of the work of designers throughout the project. The PSDP must:

• Identify hazards arising from the design or from the technical, organisational, planning or time related aspects of the project;
• Where possible, eliminate the hazards or reduce the risks;
• Communicate necessary control measure, design assumptions or remaining risks to the PSCS so they can be dealt with in the safety and health plan;
• Ensure that the work of designers is coordinated to ensure safety;
• Organise co-operation between designers;
• Prepare a written safety and health plan for any project where construction will take more than 500 person days or 30 working days or there is a particular risk and deliver it to the client prior to tender;
• Prepare a safety file for the completed structure and give it to the client;
• Notify the Authority and the client of non-compliance with any written directions issued.

The PSDP may issue directions to designers or contractors or others.

For more information see here