Spotlight on: Philip Willis, Health and Safety Director
The CDM Regulations provide a legal framework to ensure that construction projects are planned, designed, and executed in a manner which minimises risk. Among the key players are the Principal Designer and Client CDM Advisor. As both a chartered architectural technologist and health and safety professional, Philip has extensive experience in both design and construction health and safety. He offers these key services as well as that of advisor to the Principal Designer. We take a look at what this means and how his expert input is of great value to our clients.
These services are essential for enabling health and safety hazards to be identified and addressed throughout the entire construction process. So, at a glance, what are the different services on offer and why are they important?
Principal Designer: The Principal Designer is responsible for managing health and safety during the pre-construction phase of a project. They are appointed by the client and are responsible for ensuring that designers, consider their own duties so that the design can meet the requirements of the CDM regulations.
Principal Designer's Advisor: The Principal Designer's Advisor is a consultant who provides specialist advice to the appointed Principal Designer during the design stage where the appointee may not have the resources necessary to discharge their obligations. They are appointed by the Principal Designer and are responsible for assisting with the identification and management of hazards associated with the design.
Client CDM Advisor: The Client CDM Advisor is a discretionary appointment by the client and provides advice on health and safety matters throughout the project. They usually assist in ensuring that client duties under the CDM regulations are met, and that suitable management arrangements are adopted throughout the project. They may also carry out site visits, review site documentation and assess welfare, as the Principal Designer has no site role.
Philip delivering an in-house CPD to our staff
As a vital member of our team, Philip is always on hand to provide CPD sessions and advice on each of our projects. He also strongly advocates the business case for health and safety; the wider benefits which sound health, safety and welfare management practices can bring to a project on site in terms of improved morale, reduced absenteeism, increased productivity, snag free completion, adhesion to programme and budget, and the ease and safety of maintenance reducing lifecycle costs. Working to improve conditions can only help improve the reputation of the wider industry as a potential employer.
As a health and safety advisor, Philip has responsibility for assisting in the development of policy, statement and operating procedures under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) for risk assessment and documentation, and for internal advice to project teams. He also provides competency documentation for our clients to PAS 91 and SSIP standards where necessary.
Philip has an impressive list of qualifications and memberships. He is a member of (CIAT) the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists, the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He became a very early Incorporated Member of the Association for Project Safety.
Philip has project experience that spans many sectors and building types. He has recently worked on Cambridge House Hotel and Residences, which is a complex, multi-phase project that weaves the restoration of a Grade I listed Georgian building with other listed buildings and new build elements. For this project, when designing access for cleaning and maintenance, we’ve drawn on Philip’s expertise to provide detailed co-ordination alongside intricate design development.
Under construction: Cambridge House Hotel and Residences on Piccadilly. Image courtesy of DE Group, copyright Jordan Ford.
Philip’s other projects include the Queens Head public house, the interior fit out of a super-prime private house and the Grade II listed Eaton Lane, which will become residences again with ground floor retail space. This sees the repurposing of a listed building back to its original residential function, which involves the demolition of the majority of the rear of the building and the excavation of a new, two level basement to form both communal spa facilities and a mechanical car stacker.
Philip has worked on many projects of note during his 40 year career. Prior to joining Studio PDP, his experience included the new mixed-use office development at 10 Fenchurch Avenue, the BAFTA headquarters refurbishment, the Design Museum fit out, the conversion of the 1970s brutalist former Camden Town Hall annexe to form the first Standard Hotel in Europe and the remediation of the thorium 232 radiologically contaminated site of the former Wandsworth Business Park.
So, what does all of this mean for us as a practice, and for our clients? It means that our health and safety services are tailored to client needs, and we provide best practice across a wide range of project typologies and complexities.
Philip is adept at demystifying often complex regulatory requirements, enabling the realisation of construction projects that deliver good design and value whilst also being safer to build, use and maintain. From advising clients of their duties under CDM 2015, he can go beyond involvement in the design process. Philip can assess and report on the site, competences, plans, working conditions and welfare provision.
Additionally, Philip provides training and advice – both in-house and externally to other companies and clients – including on the implications of the Building Safety Act 2022 and the major impact this will have on our industry.
Above all, the clarity of Philip’s style and the way in which he simplifies these complex topics and requirements means he adds value to every project that he works on.
Get in touch with Philip if you’d like to learn more about his services or to discuss potential projects.
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