Is There an ACOP for CDM 2015? What Happened to It and What Replaced It
People search for the CDM 2015 ACOP expecting to find an Approved Code of Practice sitting behind the regulations, the way there used to be under the old rules. There is not one, and that catches a lot of people out. When CDM 2015 came in, the Approved Code of Practice that supported the previous regulations was withdrawn and never replaced with a new one. In its place sits ordinary HSE guidance, L153, which carries a different legal weight. This guide explains what an ACOP is, why CDM 2015 does not have one, what L153 actually is, and what that means for how you prove compliance on site.
Is there an Approved Code of Practice for CDM 2015?
No. There is no Approved Code of Practice for the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015. The ACOP that supported the earlier CDM 2007 regulations, published as L144, was withdrawn when CDM 2015 replaced them. The Health and Safety Executive chose not to issue a new ACOP for CDM 2015 and instead published guidance, L153, to help duty holders understand and meet the regulations. So if you are looking for the CDM 2015 ACOP, the honest answer is that it does not exist and the document you actually want is L153.
What an Approved Code of Practice is
An Approved Code of Practice, or ACOP, is a special kind of document with a specific legal standing. It is approved by the HSE with the consent of the Secretary of State and it gives practical advice on how to comply with the law. The key feature of an ACOP is what happens in court. If you are prosecuted for a breach of health and safety law and you did not follow the relevant ACOP, you have to show that you complied with the law in some other equally effective way, or a court can find you at fault. In plain terms, an ACOP has a quasi-legal status: you do not have to follow it, but if you do not, the burden shifts to you to prove you were still compliant.
Why CDM 2015 does not have one
When the regulations were rewritten in 2015, the HSE deliberately moved away from the ACOP model for CDM. The previous regime had been criticised as bureaucratic, and part of the aim of CDM 2015 was to make the duties clearer and more proportionate, especially for smaller projects. Rather than carry over a formal Approved Code of Practice, the HSE issued straightforward guidance instead. The regulations themselves are the law; the guidance sits alongside them to explain how to meet the duties in practice, without the extra legal machinery an ACOP brings.
What L153 is and what status it carries
L153, titled Managing health and safety in construction, is the HSE guidance document for CDM 2015. It walks through the regulations, explains each of the duty holder roles, and sets out what a proportionate approach looks like for projects of different sizes. It is the document most site managers actually mean when they go looking for the CDM 2015 ACOP.
The important difference is legal weight. L153 is guidance, not an Approved Code of Practice. Following it is a very good way to show you are meeting your duties, and it is what an inspector will expect you to be broadly working to, but it does not carry the reverse-burden effect that an ACOP does. You comply with CDM 2015 by meeting the regulations; L153 tells you how to do that sensibly.
What this means for proving compliance on site
The practical upshot is simple. You cannot point to an ACOP for CDM 2015 because there is not one, so your compliance rests on meeting the regulations themselves, using L153 as your roadmap. In practice that means doing the things the regulations require and keeping the evidence: appointing the right duty holders, gathering and sharing pre-construction information, producing a construction phase plan before work starts, managing site risks and providing welfare. Do those things in the way L153 describes, keep the paperwork that shows you did, and you have a defensible position, ACOP or no ACOP.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an ACOP for CDM 2015?
No. CDM 2015 does not have an Approved Code of Practice. The ACOP that supported the previous CDM 2007 regulations, L144, was withdrawn when CDM 2015 came into force and was not replaced. Instead the HSE published guidance, L153, to help duty holders understand and comply with the regulations.
What is the difference between an ACOP and guidance?
An Approved Code of Practice has a special legal status: if you are prosecuted and did not follow it, you must prove you complied with the law in an equally effective way or a court can find you at fault. Guidance such as L153 does not carry that reverse burden. It explains good practice and is what inspectors expect you to work to, but compliance rests on meeting the regulations themselves.
What replaced the CDM ACOP?
HSE guidance L153, Managing health and safety in construction, replaced the old CDM 2007 ACOP. It explains the CDM 2015 regulations, describes the duty holder roles, and sets out a proportionate approach for projects of different sizes. It is the document most people mean when they search for the CDM 2015 ACOP.
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This article is general guidance for UK construction and is not legal advice. For requirements specific to your work, check the full text of CDM 2015 and current HSE guidance L153, along with your own duty holder obligations.