Are You Meeting Your CDM Duties? What Every Warehouse Client Needs to Know
- KTCS Ltd Team
- Jun 5
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 6
Why CDM Matters More Than You Think in Warehouse Projects
If you’re managing a warehouse build, extension, refit, or major maintenance project, you’re likely focused on cost, contractors, and keeping things moving. But there’s one area that often gets overlooked, and it can carry serious legal and financial consequences if ignored: CDM compliance.
What Is CDM—and Who’s Responsible?
The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) apply to all construction work in the UK - including warehouse developments, upgrades, and even certain types of maintenance.
What many clients don’t realise is that you have legal duties under CDM - even if you hire others to do the work.
If there’s more than one contractor involved (which is almost always the case), you must formally appoint a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor in writing. If you don’t, you may legally take on those responsibilities yourself, often without knowing it.
As the Client, your duties include:
Formally appointing duty holders (Principal Designer and Principal Contractor)
Ensuring all parties have the right skills, knowledge, experience and resources (SKER)
Preparing or approving a Client Brief (recommended) and Pre-Construction Information (required)
Notifying the HSE using an F10 form (if your project meets certain thresholds)
Ensuring the Construction Phase Plan is in place before work starts
Ensuring the Health and Safety File is prepared and handed over at completion
These aren’t just best practices - they’re legal requirements under CDM 2015.
Common Pitfalls in Warehousing and Logistics Projects
In our experience working across warehouse and logistics environments, we’ve seen a number of recurring issues:
No formal appointment of a Principal Designer
Incomplete or missing pre-construction information
Assumptions that CDM compliance sits entirely with the contractor
Delayed or missed HSE project notification
Gaps in documentation that later create insurance or audit problems
These issues create unnecessary risk - both legally and operationally.
How KTCS Helps You Meet Your CDM Duties
At KTCS, we help warehouse, logistics, and light industrial clients meet their CDM duties without the jargon. Whether you’re planning a new facility or upgrading an existing one, we provide the support you need to stay safe, legal, and efficient.
Our CDM services include:
✅ Acting as Principal Designer
✅ Reviewing or preparing the Client Brief and Pre-Construction Information
✅ Supporting formal duty holder appointments
✅ Helping you assess SKER compliance across your project team
✅ Guiding HSE notification where required
✅ Ensuring a complete and usable Health and Safety File at the end of the project
Because we specialise in logistics and warehouse projects, we understand the site constraints, live environment issues, and real-world risks involved. Our team works practically and collaboratively - with safety and compliance built in from the start.
Don’t Leave It Too Late
In many cases, we’re brought in after issues arise: a last-minute HSE requirement, a contractor dispute, or a delayed handover due to missing documentation. But the best time to address CDM is before works begin.
Early involvement helps you:
Avoid compliance issues and legal exposure
Improve contractor coordination
Prevent costly delays
Reduce paperwork stress and audit risk
✅ Not Sure If You’re Compliant?
Book a free 20-minute consultation to discuss your responsibilities and how we can help:
CDM compliance isn’t optional - but with the right support, it doesn’t have to be complicated either.
Let’s make your next project safer, smoother, and fully compliant from the outset.
