Know your CDM Regulations & Exhibition Rules

Did you know that as an exhibitor, you are responsible for ensuring your participation in an event is carried out safely? Follow through this guide to understand what you are responsible for as the exhibitor, and how to ensure your business is protected.

In early 2016, the Health and Safety Executive confirmed its decision to enforce the 2015 Construction Design and Management Regulations (CDM) in the context of temporary construction at exhibitions and events in addition to traditional construction site activity.  Consequently, “space only” exhibition stands, commissioned by exhibitors, must now comply with this additional piece of health and safety legislation, and, as an exhibitor, you have an additional statutory responsibility over the project.

The CDM legislation effectively does two things – it lays out statutory roles required to manage a piece of construction (in this case, your exhibition stand) and it emphasises several typical construction-related hazards that should be managed.

• The statutory roles include you as a “client” and describe many processes that you are directly responsible for, including the written appointment of competent contractors (unless you are willing to fulfil the technical roles yourself and accept the responsibilities).
• The technical roles include “Principal Designer” and “Principal Contractor”, each having prescriptive duties linked to the management of health and safety during the planning and on-site phases of the construction project, respectively.  Some of these responsibilities include the drawing up of specific legally required documents, providing safety briefings to on-site personnel and the management of subcontractors.
• Essentially, CDM means that exhibitors now have a more specific role to play in the management of their exhibition stand builds and breakdowns, and must ensure that assigned contractors are competent and reliable.

It is important to take CDM seriously, as case law has shown that in extreme cases, “Clients” under CDM have faced prosecution, fines and even the potential for imprisonment where there has been an accident on-site, and they have failed to assign principal roles to a competent contractor, therefore retaining all CDM responsibilities themselves by default.

Responses to the change in CDM in the exhibition industry were extremely mixed. Some contractors took the changes very seriously, equipping themselves with robust processes to protect themselves and their clients, while others carried on exactly as before.

To ensure your business is well-protected, look for accreditations such as CHAS, which signifies good safety processes, documentation and records.

Here at Quadrant2Design, we are among the contractors that took CDM seriously from the outset, developing safety processes and achieving the CHAS accreditation.

CHAS is a UK-recognised safety scheme for contractors where third-party assessors scrutinise safety processes, documentation and records against a national benchmark. It is a detailed process and goes way beyond the rudimentary checks that some trade associations may undertake.

We are now able to advise exhibitors of their specific duties under CDM and walk them through these. We are also competent at managing our own responsibilities in line with the HSE’s sector-specific guidance.

In addition to this, the ease with which the Prestige  Events System is installed – its lightweight components and the almost tool-free assembly – reassures many of our clients, as health and safety risks relating to the CDM construction project are significantly reduced.

For more information, contact Quadrant2Design on 01202 723 500 or email design@quadrant2design.com. Quadrant2Design is the trading name of Exhibit-UK.Net Limited, company 3993526. The company’s address is H3 The Fulcrum, Vantage Way, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4NU.