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However, Conversely It May Be Argued That The Cdm Regulations Have Actually ...


However, conversely it may be argued that the CDM regulations have actually increased the costs of the construction industry when the matter is examined from a particular perspective. It could be argued that adherence to these regulations, and the interpretation of the regulations has increased the levels of complexity which are associated with the construction industry, and accordingly has made the position of the client, or others stakeholders within the industry more vulnerable to inefficiency, and cost expenditure (Olomolaiye, P.O. (1988) 6) (Olomolaiye, P.O. and Ogunalana, S.O. (1989) 2) (Olomolaiye, P.O., Wahab, K.A. and Price, A.D.F. (1987) 5-10).
It is perhaps arguable that since the CDM regulations impose important duties upon stakeholders, and since these duties have legal force, the position of the stakeholder is more onerous. Due to this, it may be argued that tasks associated with the adherence to the regulations, the monitoring of structures associated with the construction industry have necessarily been outsourced to various individuals and agencies for whom these matters are a specialism (Olomolaiye, P.O. (1988) 6) (Olomolaiye, P.O. and Ogunalana, S.O. (1989) 2).
Even more worrying is the critique of the CDM regulations which suggests that they merely create a subterfuge within which companies who negligently fail to observe health and safety standards hide behind. The focus of the CDM regulations is on prevention rather than cure (Fraser. S. (2007) 1-4) (Health and Safety Executive (2003) 1-5) (HSE (2007) 1-3), however it may be observed that a regulatory body whose ‘bite' is rarely used simply does not command the respect of those who it seeks to regulate. This project will therefore address all of these questions, and attempt to evaluate how the CDM regulations may be criticised or defended in their light.
Employment and the construction industry
Employment within the construction industry forms today, and has historically formed a staple part of the UK economy (Morris, P.W.G. and Hough, G.H. (1987) 1-6) (Randall, E. (2000) 3-5). In many ways it is the relationship between the construction industry and the need for employment within a market economy which sustains the dangerous nature of the construction business. The dangers and the business are inextricably linked, and neither can be effaced. As Sutherland (2007) notes: ‘Employment of labour in the construction industry had been increasing in the 1930s. This trend was briefly checked in the war years 1940-4. Nevertheless, by 1945 this upward trend was resumed and the construction workforce entered a period of expansion which was to last until 1966 Sutherland E. (2007)'.


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