BUIL 1220 CONSTRUCTION LEGISLATION - Overview

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BUIL 1220 CONSTRUCTION LEGISLATION
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ESSAY
CDM rules and regulations have been in existence since the year 1994. Over time, the rules have
been adjusted, developed and advanced, with the main aim of ensuring improved health and
safety in building and construction work.On this essay, we are going to discuss the rules and
regulations and how they affect the duties and roles of a quantity surveyor, fire safety regulations
on reference to Hackett report, critically review sustainable construction works and lastly review
the effects of legislation on CDM rules and regulations.
Some of the rules and regulations under the CDM involve people who are appointed to work on
planned project as designers or contractors. The first rule states that such person or people must
have skills and abilities, knowledge, experience and capacity that are necessary in fulfilling the
building and construction roles assigned to them this should be done in a way that the health and
safety of a worker or workers is secure. The second rule states that no appointment should be
accepted by the designer or contractor if the above rule has not been met fully.
The other rule states that sound steps should be taken by the person or authorities responsible for
the appointment of a designer or contractor. This is to ensure that anyone taking responsibilities
meets the number one rule. (Association for Project Safety, 2019, p. 93) . The rule further states
that anyone or any authority that has been appointed and given duties to perform under the CDM
regulations must work together with any other authority or person working on the project. This is
to ensure that all duties in the project are fulfilled.
In addition to the above rules, anyone who is working under the designer or contractor should
always report to the designer or contractor respectively, in cases where an individual comes

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across anything that is likely to endanger his own health and safety or that of other worker. In
case any information is required by the CDM regulations, the information must be coherent,
clear and understandable. It should also be available as soon as possible.
According to Hackett report, several pre-cautions should be put in place to ensure buildings are
safe and properly secured out of fire calamities. The objective of these measures is to safeguard
peoples’ lives through providing routes of escape in case of fire, limit or controlling fire from
spreading to or from adjacent buildings and also limiting or controlling fire from spreading
within the building. Another final aim is also proving vital access for the fire control team.
Fire safety regulations include fitting smoke alarms in a building, building emergency doors and
window and building fire lifts and fire mains on tall buildings. Plasterboard should also be used
while constructing fire resistance buildings. Rural buildings should be well accessed in order to
ensure rural homes and buildings are accessed easily by fire brigade in case of fire outbreak.
Buildings that have the main-powered alarm which gives signal in case it detects smoke in any
part of the building is a safe building, in case the fire is detected through smoke. Alarms that are
interlinked are supposed to be well fitted on every floor. (Great Britain. Department for
Communities and Local Governme, 2017, p. 29)
Finally, people inside a building on the first floor may be at risk in case the fire starts in the
adjacent room, and the only escape room is that adjacent room. Fire escape doors and windows
can help them access the external area of the building safer and easier. (Stationery Office, 2016,
p. 23)
Sustainable green building should apply throughout the life-cycle of a building from designing,
constructing the structure, operation and maintenance, renovation and the final deconstruction of