Article by Stephen Hunter, CDM Principal Designer & Health and Safety Specialist.
Recent developments in the professional indemnity insurance market are beginning to influence how cladding and façade remediation projects are approached across the construction sector.
Reports of insurers withdrawing or restricting cover for cladding-related work, alongside wider commentary on rising claims and future exposure, point to a changing risk environment for designers, contractors, and clients.
At the same time, the scale of remediation work remains significant. Thousands of buildings continue to move through the assessment and delivery stages, many of which involve occupied environments, multiple stakeholders, and heightened regulatory scrutiny.
In this context, the allocation and management of risk is becoming increasingly important.
Professional indemnity insurance operates on a claims made basis, meaning that the insurer providing cover at the point a claim arises is responsible for that claim. As a result, the full impact of current remediation activity may not yet be reflected in the market, and further adjustments to cover, exclusions, and premiums may follow. This has implications for how organisations approach both design responsibility and project delivery.
Cladding remediation projects often require input from a wide range of duty holders, including designers, contractors, and client-side teams. Each party must operate within their own contractual and insurance constraints, which can lead to increasingly complex responsibility structures. The introduction of additional duty holder roles under the Building Safety Act has added further layers to this process. In practice, the role of Principal Designer is not always undertaken by the lead designer and may instead be assigned to specialist consultants. This shift highlights the need for clear coordination and defined responsibilities across the project team.
From a CDM perspective, the pre-construction phase remains critical. This is where risks can be identified, assessed, and managed through design and planning decisions. Effective communication between duty holders, supported by structured processes and documentation, helps ensure that risks are understood and addressed appropriately.
For client organisations, particularly those managing large remediation programmes, clarity is essential. This includes clarity on who is responsible for specific aspects of risk management, how decisions are recorded, and how coordination is maintained throughout the project lifecycle.
While the insurance landscape continues to evolve, the requirement to deliver safe and compliant projects remains unchanged.
Maintaining clear roles, effective coordination, and a structured approach to managing design and construction risk will continue to support successful delivery across cladding and façade remediation projects.
Read more here on how Derisk (UK) Ltd supports CDM Dutyholders in Cladding Remediation Projects:
📰 How Derisk (UK) Ltd Ensures Clarity, Competence and Compliance.
Strengthening Cladding Safety Through Role Clarity – Derisk ensures that Clients, PDs, PMs and Designers understand their statutory responsibilities and operate within a robust, compliant CDM framework. We reinforce role clarity and ensure competent, coordinated processes to deliver safe, transparent, compliant cladding remediation projects.
Stephen Hunter CDM Principal Designer & Health and Safety Specialist | Derisk (UK) Ltd | 📧stephen.hunter@deriskuk.com | https://www.deriskuk.com/get-in-touch/