BIM-Enabled Health and Safety coordination in the UK construction industry: Role of the Principal Designer

The coordination of Health and Safety (H&S) during the design/pre-construction phase isoften perceived as significantly important because of the ability to influence a reduction inthe possibility of accidents and injuries. In the UK construction industry, the constructiondesign and management (CDM) regulations are best placed to achieve this vision. Mostimportantly, the role of the Principal Designer (PD) is crucial, given their pre-constructionphase responsibilities. The aim of the study is to critically evaluate the duties placed on PDsand examine the extent to which implementation of Building Information Modelling (BIM)-enabled H&S coordination enhances the discharge of duties performed by PDs. Primary dataconsidered for this study involved the use of a questionnaire survey, while secondary data inthe form of Statutory Instruments were scrutinised, thereby applying content analysis anddrawing comparisons with the extent of discharge of duties.The findings reveal that over 90% (i.e. 12 of 13) of the duties placed on the CDM-C in theprevious regime correspond with those placed on the PD in the current regime. Secondly, ofthe nine duties that stand out in terms of BIM interoperability at Level 2, the study shows thatfour duties of the PD immediately benefit from adopting the BIM-enabled H&S coordinationapproach, namely: Regulations 11(1), 11(2), 11(4), and 11(5). In summary, the study deepensthe understanding of the implementation of the CDM Regulations, particularly highlightingthe role played by PDs during pre-construction.