BIM- Enabled Health and Safety Coordination in the UK Construction Industry

Health and Safety (H&S) coordination during the design and preconstruction stage is often perceived as significantly important. In the UK construction industry, this duty largely remains the responsibility of a Principal Designer (PD), a dutyholder within the context of the Construction Design and Management (CDM) regulations 2015 regime. The aim of the study is to critically evaluate the role of BIM as a tool towards improved H&S coordination during the design and preconstruction stage, by considering the duties placed on the PD in the context of CDM. To achieve this, secondary data considered for this study were duties placed on the PD, thus applying an inductive form of inquiry. Additionally, given that this secondary data is a Statutory Instrument (CDM2015) or “letter of the law”, application of content analysis is considered most appropriate, while also identifying themes which emerge using thematic analysis as a research analysis method. The findings reveal that almost two-thirds of the PD duties align well to achieve improved H&S coordination through a BIM-enabled approach. However, it is unclear whether the dutyholder likely to be appointed in the role of PD is equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and experience (SKE). Although it is stated clearly that a designer is best placed to discharge the function of PD (Regulation 5(1)(a)), what remains uncertain is whether the designer has the necessary skillset to coordinate H&S during the design and preconstruction phase (Regulation 11(1)), as well as undertake the other duties through a BIM-enabled approach. The factors considered critical to complement BIM-enabled H&S coordination efforts were: cooperation, teamwork approach, project planning, project duration, and early design decisions. The next stage of this study will be to test this outcome, with primary data as the basis. The study further concludes that BIM-enabled H&S coordination is viable, provided PDs have the necessary SKE.