Under Regulation 22 of the CDM Regulations the Principal Contractor has to ensure a safe site by managaing and ensuring co-operation and co-ordination between all contractors. This doesn't mean that the PC has to provide every piece of kit / safety equipment, but he does have to ensure that all work is carried out safely: hence the co-ordination and co-operation. Most PC's take the view that those contractors & sub-contractors creating a hazard, should manage / reduce it and that this would normally be covered in the contractor's risk assessment and method statement, which should in turn be incorported into the PC's Construction Phase Plan.

This area should be covered in the T&C's for the contract as some agreements will state that the PC provides such kit where others will state that the individual subbies will provide the kit and others will state other things. Either way both parties have legal and moral duties to work safely irrespective of any individual T&C's