BUIL 1220 - Construction Legislation: CDM, Fire Safety & QS Roles

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of construction legislation, focusing on CDM (Construction Design and Management) regulations and their implications for quantity surveyors. It delves into fire safety regulations, referencing the Hackett report, and critically reviews sustainable construction practices, highlighting both advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, the essay examines the effects of environmental and climate change legislation on the construction industry, including the Environment Protection Act and the Climate Change Act, emphasizing the importance of adapting to climate change and promoting environmentally responsible building practices. The discussion encompasses the roles and responsibilities of construction professionals in ensuring health, safety, and environmental protection within the built environment.

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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

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the building. Its main aims are ensuring economy of resources, minimizing wastes and other
pollutants and also maximizing building and construction performance. (Bergman, 2016, p. 45).
It also aims at ensuring health standards to residents and occupants in and around the building.
This can be achieved by using materials of high quality.
The main principles of sustainable green building and construction minimize the use of
resources, e.g. water and energy, maximize recycling of resources, utilising reusable resources
(Madu & Kuei, 2016, p. 190) and lastly caring for the natural surroundings/environment.
However, reviewing green construction critically, the green building works can have its strengths
and weaknesses. Some of its strengths include reduced maintenance and operational cost of a
building, better and improved health, less straining on locally produced resources and also
improved water and energy effectiveness.
However, sustainable and green construction works has its drawbacks. Some of these drawbacks
include high initial construction costs, which are higher and much expensive than normal
buildings. Another drawback is lack of building materials for the construction of green buildings.
This is because these materials are not readily available as the initially traditional building
materials. Equally, finding specialists and service providers in green construction is a big
challenge, compared to old service providers. Finally, green building is complex and therefore
expensive, therefore it consumes a lot of time building it.
Based on the above analysis and evaluation, it can be concluded that disadvantages of green
building outweigh its advantages. However, to make a decision on which way to go needs a lot
of factors to be put into consideration. This is because green building and construction holds a
very important role in fighting against the ever deteriorating climate change.

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Because of the nature of the building and construction works, the construction industry should be
guided and steered by the law. Some of the laws which guides building and construction works
include the Environment Protection Act, which has been framed in order to prevent building
structures from producing pollution and causing damage to the natural environment. (United
States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Government
Procurement, 167, p. 82)
Construction works therefore, through this Act, should be done in such a way that pollutants are
discharged according to the state and local standards, as outlined in the Act.
Construction works should also embrace clean production systems with reduced energy usage,
reduced pollution and minimal exploitation of natural resources.
Environment Protection Act has created an impact on construction industry in the areas such as
safety and healthy. The Act has ensured that the health and safety of humans and the general
environment is protected. For example, there are limits on how to discharge wastes and
pollutants to ensure clean, safe and healthy environment. The Act also prohibits the dumping of
waste products (Center for Building Technology, 2017, p. 45) without a permit. If there were no
such laws, construction works would be done in a way that is convenient and less costly, rather
than working and protecting the environment for the sake of humanity and eco-system.
Strictness in environmental laws has also increased innovation and creativity. This has resulted
from the demand for a green sustainable construction works, forcing clean energy business
people and researchers to put effort in developing better and newer technologies.
However, Initial costs and application of environmental laws are generally high. This has
inconvenienced some works in the construction industry in one way or another. Nevertheless, in

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the long-run, as the building industry becomes friendlier to the environment, more costs are
reduced, mainly by reducing wastes and the use of energy. (Adshead, 2018, p. 67)
Environmental laws sometimes may force regulations on local communities who may not have a
clue on such laws, or they rely on that environment/ecosystem for their survival and daily deeds.
For example, a law that orders people to vacate a certain building which is in a given natural area
may face fierce opposition from the locals. The application of this law therefore may backfire,
bringing misunderstanding.(London District Surveyors Association, 2016, p. 74)
The Climate Change Act is also another basic approach legislation applies in handling and
reacting to any changes on climate. According to the Act, emissions and other greenhouse gases
should be reduced and any risks to climate change be prepared for accordingly.
Buildings emit around one third of greenhouse gas globally. As much as buildings are the largest
emitters, building sector has a great potential of highly reducing these emissions
Climate change in building and construction industry results into deteriorating health and great
value loss of buildings due to many storms, reduced lifetime of a building, encroachment of
water, snow damage and worsening indoor climate, all as a result of storms. All these effects can
result into high rates of failure and increased maintenance costs.
Due to the above effects of building and construction works to the climate, adaptable measures to
changes in climate have been put in place. Many constructors and building owners have adapted
to new changes of climate with regard to the Act. This includes adaptable changes like storms
damage and also controlling specific interior building climate. Other climate changes like heat
waves have been adapted with measures like installing air conditioning in the already
constructed buildings, with more effective interior climate control.

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Road drainage systems have been created and developed by road authorities as a result of the
Act. This has ensured that surface water which results from heavy rains are directed away from
roads, hence increasing their durability. (Emmitt & Gorse, 2017, p. 83)
Regular control of constructed dykes has also been one of the measures put in place to adapt to
climate changes. Inspections are equally carried out in case of storm occurrences, extremely high
levels of water due to heavy long rains and also cases of ice winters.
In conclusion, Part one of the essay has exclusively discussed about the construction and design
management, DCM regulations and their general effect on building industries, and specifically
the quantity surveyor. The rules will be so much helpful to the quantity surveyor. Other parts
which have been discussed and have great importance are fire safety measures, sustainable
building and construction and also impacts of legislation in building and construction works. The
essay will be helpful to the reader and the outside society at large.
References
Adshead, J., 2018. Green Buildings and the Law. 3rd ed. Chicago: Routledge.
Association for Project Safety, 2019. Principal Designer's Handbook. 4th ed. London: RIBA
Publishing.

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Bergman, D., 2016. Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide. 4th ed. Texas: Princeton Architectural
Press.
Center for Building Technology, 2017. Building Technology Publications. 5th ed. London:
Department of Commerce. National Bureau of Standards,.
Emmitt, S. & Gorse, C. A., 2017. Barry's Introduction to Construction of Buildings. 4th ed.
London: John Wiley & Sons.
Great Britain. Department for Communities and Local Governme, 2017. Building Regulations
and Fire Safety Procedural Guidance. 4th ed. Texas: NBS for the Department of Communities
and Local Government.
London District Surveyors Association, 2016. Building Regulations Explained. 3rd ed. Texas:
Routledge.
Madu, C. N. & Kuei, C.-h., 2016. Handbook of Sustainability Management. 3rd ed. London:
World Scientific.
Stationery Office, 2016. The Building Regulations and Fire Safety Procedural Guidance. 3rd ed.
Chicago: The Stationery Office.
United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Small Business. Subcommittee on Government
Procurement, 167. The Impact of the Davis-Bacon Threshold on Small Business Construction
Contractors. 4th ed. London: U.S. Government Printing Office.