Overview
Tight deadlines. Multiple trades. Live neighbours. Industrial refurbishments rarely happen in isolation. When surrounding units stay operational, CDM compliance isn’t about paperwork; it’s about anticipating risk, challenging assumptions, and keeping control as designs and construction decisions evolve.
Here’s how Derisk supported our client as CDM Principal Designer on a complex industrial refurbishment.
What the Refurbishment Programme Aims to Achieve
This project involved refurbishing a vacant industrial unit within a live industrial park, under a compressed programme and with neighbouring businesses operating throughout. The primary risks weren’t confined to construction activity alone; they stemmed from limited early design, contractor‑led specification development, and the potential for programme pressure to override safe sequencing.
Derisk was appointed as CDM Principal Designer to plan, manage, monitor, and coordinate the pre‑construction phase, and to maintain proportionate CDM oversight as the project progressed and design decisions developed through the works.
Project Details
Client: Charterhouse Property Group Holdings Ltd
Sector: Industrial / Warehouse
Scope: Refurbishment of a single-storey industrial unit comprising a 6,000 sq ft secondary warehouse on a 10,000 sq ft site at Bexley Industrial Park, Dartford.
Works included: Roof repairs, asbestos roof overlay and overcladding, new uPVC guttering, movement joints, external brickwork redecoration, internal office and warehouse upgrades, concrete slab repairs, a new kitchen, and new floor finishes.
Context: While the unit itself was vacant, neighbouring businesses remained fully operational. Shared access routes, deliveries, and external works created clear interface risks that required early planning and ongoing coordination under CDM.
CDM Principal Designer – Challenges & Our Role
Design Development & Risk Review: Early design information was limited, with much of the specification and construction methodology developed by the Principal Contractor during the works. Derisk reviewed emerging design and specification details to identify foreseeable risks, challenge unsafe assumptions, and ensure designer duties were met as design decisions progressed.
Sequencing & Interfaces: Worked with the Principal Contractor to review proposed sequencing and methodologies from a CDM perspective, ensuring programme‑led decisions did not introduce unmanaged risk to site operatives or neighbouring occupiers.
Safety & Risk Management: Maintained an active presence during key stages of the project to review how design assumptions were being implemented in practice. Where conditions or methods changed, further risk and design reviews were triggered to maintain effective control.
CDM Compliance: Provided ongoing CDM oversight to ensure arrangements remained suitable and sufficient as the project evolved, with particular focus on managing design changes and maintaining a clear audit trail of risk decisions.
Derisk’s Contribution as CDM Principal Designer
Duty‑holder leadership: Advised the client, designers, and Principal Contractor on their CDM roles and responsibilities, ensuring duties were clearly understood and appropriately discharged.
Pre‑construction information (PCI): Coordinated, reviewed, and maintained PCI, focusing on refurbishment‑specific risks, interface constraints, and residual hazards requiring management during construction and future maintenance.
Design risk management: Led structured design risk reviews of available and emerging design information, supporting the elimination or reduction of foreseeable risks and ensuring residual risks were clearly communicated.
Coordination & communication: Acted as a consistent point of coordination between duty holders as design and construction decisions developed.
Principal Contractor interface: Worked closely with the Principal Contractor as design responsibilities evolved, maintaining CDM oversight of changing specifications, methodologies, and temporary works interfaces.
Outcomes
Risk managed early and proportionately: Refurbishment and interface risks were addressed through coordinated design and sequencing decisions, reducing reliance on reactive, site‑based controls.
Programme confidence: Clear coordination and early challenge limited late changes, supported steady progress, and reduced disruption to neighbouring businesses.
CDM duties effectively discharged: The client’s obligations under CDM were managed through clear arrangements, coordinated design risk information, and a structured Health & Safety File developed for handover.
CDM obligations were effectively managed through coordinated design risk information, clear governance, and a structured Health & Safety File for handover.
Industrial refurbishments (large or small) demand more than nominal CDM appointments. They require early leadership, informed challenge, and ongoing coordination as risks evolve.
If you’re planning a refurbishment within a live environment, Derisk can support you as CDM Principal Designer from day one.
Get in touch to discuss more.