Definition

In an APC context, involvement in health and safety regulations means contributing to complying with, implementing, or advising on a specific piece of legislation as part of professional practice — distinct from simply knowing what it requires. The key regulations for most surveying pathways are the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Work at Height Regulations 2005, and the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Why this matters for Health and Safety

  • Level 2 application: you must link your practical work to specific regulations, naming them correctly and explaining what they required you to do.
  • Assessors follow up vague answers — if you say "I was involved in health and safety on site," expect to be asked which regulation applied and what your role was.
  • Different pathways attract different regulatory emphasis: construction pathways focus on CDM 2015, commercial pathways on the Management Regulations.
  • Regulatory involvement generates CPD evidence that qualifies as structured learning under RICS CPD requirements.

Key principles

CDM 2015 — involvement in construction project roles

A candidate acting as contract administrator or employer's agent should describe involvement in: confirming whether CDM 2015 applies; reviewing pre-construction information; checking the construction phase plan was in place; and ensuring the health and safety file was handed over on completion. A supporting role is evidenceable if the candidate can articulate what they did.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 — risk assessment practice

The Management Regulations require suitable and sufficient risk assessments. A candidate involved in preparing, reviewing, or approving assessments for site visits or lone working has direct regulatory involvement. Signing off an assessment is as valid as writing it, provided the candidate can explain what they checked.

Work at Height Regulations 2005 — supervision and planning

The Work at Height Regulations 2005 require all work at height to be planned, supervised, and carried out by competent persons. Surveyor involvement may include confirming a contractor's roof access method statement complies, supervising installation of edge protection, or advising that an activity requires a permit to work.

Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — management and surveys

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require duty holders managing non-domestic premises to identify asbestos-containing materials, assess their condition, and manage the risk. Involvement may include instructing a management survey, reviewing a management plan, or ensuring asbestos information is passed to contractors before work begins.

Relevant RICS guidance and legislation

  • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM 2015) — assigns duties to clients, principal designers, principal contractors, designers, and contractors.
  • Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 — risk assessments and competent person appointments; applies across all working environments.
  • Work at Height Regulations 2005 — planning, supervision, and competence for all work at height tasks.
  • Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — duties on managers of non-domestic premises to identify, assess, and manage asbestos-containing materials.
  • RICS Surveying Safely, 2nd edition (2018) — cross-references key regulations and explains how they apply to surveying practice.

Ethics and Rules of Conduct angle

Rule 5 of the RICS Rules of Conduct requires members to act competently. Regulatory involvement is not a box-ticking exercise: it requires understanding why a regulation exists and applying it in good faith. A surveyor who signs off a risk assessment without genuinely reviewing it, or fails to check whether CDM 2015 applies, is placing lives at risk. Rule 4 (responsibility) requires members to take responsibility for their acts and omissions.

APC-style Q&As

Q (Level 1)Who has duties under CDM 2015 and what does the principal designer do?

CDM 2015 imposes duties on clients, principal designers, principal contractors, designers, and contractors. The principal designer is appointed by the client to plan, manage, monitor, and coordinate pre-construction health and safety: preparing pre-construction information, ensuring designers comply with their duties, and producing the health and safety file for handover.

Q (Level 1)What do the Work at Height Regulations 2005 require before any work at height is carried out?

All work at height must be planned, supervised, and carried out by competent persons. Employers must avoid work at height where reasonably practicable; where unavoidable, they must prevent falls using collective measures such as edge protection before relying on personal fall protection.

Q (Level 2)Give an example of how you were involved in CDM 2015 compliance on a project.

(example) On a commercial fit-out I confirmed as employer's agent that CDM 2015 applied. I advised the client to appoint a principal designer and principal contractor, confirmed the construction phase plan was in place before works commenced, and reviewed the health and safety file on practical completion before releasing the final certificate.

Q (Level 2)What is the duty of a building owner under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012, and how have you been involved in meeting it?

The Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 require duty holders to identify asbestos-containing materials, assess their condition, and manage the risk. (example) On a pre-acquisition instruction I identified that no asbestos management plan existed for a 1970s office building. I instructed a licensed surveyor to carry out a management survey; the report identified ACMs in ceiling tiles and pipe lagging. I flagged the management plan in the acquisition advice and in the heads of terms as a buyer's obligation.

Q (Level 3)A contractor proposes to carry out flat roof waterproofing using a hot works torch without edge protection. How do you respond and what regulations are relevant?

This raises concerns under three regulations. First, the Work at Height Regulations 2005 require edge protection before work at height — its absence is a breach. Second, hot works require a permit under the construction phase plan approved under CDM 2015. Third, the fire risk must be assessed under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. I would instruct the contractor to stop, ensure edge protection is installed before hot works resume, confirm the permit system is active, and record the instruction in writing. If refused, I would escalate through the client and notify the HSE.