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Plant maintenance - CDM
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szone  
#1 Posted : 15 January 2020 09:13:36(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
szone

Good Morning, 

I am after some opinions on CDM and plant maitenance, mainly chillers. 

The work involved is replacing parts, repairs etc to chiller units within a building. The works will involve the usual hand tools, testing and commissioning equipment and may involve some hot works on occasion. 

The CDM regulations state the items listed below will fall under Construction work, and therefore CDM applies:

 (e) “the installation, commissioning, maintenance, repair or removal of mechanical, electrical, gas, compressed air, hydraulic, telecommunications, computer or similar services which are normally fixed within or to a structure.”

 I have also found some guidance from a Q&A session from the HSE which states the following:

 Q1. Does CDM 2015 apply to all maintenance work?

 A. The definition of maintenance work has not changed. If the task in hand looks like

construction work, requires construction skills and uses construction materials, it is

construction work. General maintenance of fixed plant which mainly involves

mechanical adjustments, replacing parts or lubrication is unlikely to be construction

work.

What are your thoughts? Has anyone had any simiular situations? The projects are carried out daily and can range from a couple of hours, 1 or 2 days (most standard) and on rare occasion 1-2 weeks. 

Therefore I am trying to establish an approach which will meet the requirements of CDM but also be proportionate. 
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RayRapp  
#2 Posted : 15 January 2020 09:26:57(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
RayRapp

Good morning szone,

What you have described does not sound like construction work to me. The basic principle is if it looks like a duck, sounds like a duck...then it's construction work. 

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webstar on 15/01/2020(UTC)
Fun Police  
#3 Posted : 15 January 2020 10:12:25(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Fun Police
Originally Posted by: szone Go to Quoted Post

Good Morning, 

Yes under the interpretation “construction work” means the carrying out of any building, civil engineering or engineering construction work and includes— (a) the construction, alteration, conversion, fitting out, commissioning, renovation, repair, upkeep, redecoration or other maintenance (including cleaning which involves the use of water or an abrasive at high pressure, or the use of corrosive or toxic substances), decommissioning, demolition or dismantling of a structure.


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szone  
#4 Posted : 15 January 2020 10:16:33(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
szone

Thank you both for the response. It's seems as though there are varying opinions, and the response from the HSE is contradicting of the regulation, in a sense. 

Anymore thoughts from others?
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ttxela  
#5 Posted : 15 January 2020 11:21:28(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
ttxela
Originally Posted by: szone Go to Quoted Post

Thank you both for the response. It's seems as though there are varying opinions, and the response from the HSE is contradicting of the regulation, in a sense. 

Anymore thoughts from others?


We've done some maintenance work recently which involved replacing numerous sensors on fan coil units in the ceiling void, the work involved removing ceiling tiles, accessing the plant off mobile platforms, and changing some of the plant wiring. 

I didn't regard it as coming under CDM but on re-reading the guidance i wonder if I was correct? 
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achrn  
#6 Posted : 15 January 2020 12:16:06(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
achrn

When we have M&E maintenance done that does not require access platforms or lifting equipment (i.e. if a technician comes in and changes a part or a drive belt or a consumable like a filter, of if they just fiddle with settings) I don't count it as construction work.  It just isn't construction work, by any sensible reading of the word.

If they put up a scaffold or have liftring equipment  or start doing things to the fabric of the building, then I think it is CDM.  We had a smoke vent replaced recently at the top of a staircase that meant we had to take out bits of suspended ceiling and build a something like 8m scaffold tower springing from halfway up a staircase - that looked much more like construction work.  Actually all the on-site labour was direct labour of the one contractor, so that simplifies the CDM.

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Spudtastic  
#7 Posted : 15 January 2020 23:02:48(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
Spudtastic
Sounds like construction work. RAMS and a permit to work should be sufficient, whether it's internal or external people. All hot work that is not part of a production process controlled by a safe system of work should be done via permit to work in my experience.
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Blackburn31728  
#8 Posted : 16 January 2020 08:12:29(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
Blackburn31728

This is for the construction of a facility and how the PC is going to plan and manage any mainance works required for the client to control ie if air con units installed access to the required etc after hand over to client this type of work is not part of CDM unless there is a incident and evident the PC omitted items on this. You only get what you pay for in the contract
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DHM  
#9 Posted : 16 January 2020 15:01:59(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
DHM

You will need a construction phase plan as well as RAMS/Permits. The plan can be a very simple two page document, check the HSE or the CITB website (Wizard App).

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