Aptoris

Free CDM template

Design Risk Register Template

Download a free, editable Excel template for recording significant design risks, design responses, actions and residual information under CDM 2015.

Download the free Excel template (Excel workbook, 17 KB, Aptoris-Design-Risk-Register.xlsx)

Editable .xlsx, Worked examples included, No sign-up required

Read the Design Risk Register guide
The Aptoris Design Risk Register in Excel: the project details and the first columns of the blank register
  • Excel formatEditable .xlsx, no macros
  • 3 sheetsRegister, worked example, how to use
  • 25 starter rowsThe table extends as you type
  • Worked examplesThree fictional entries

Preview the Design Risk Register

One row per significant design issue: what it is, who it affects, what the design does about it, who owns the next action and what needs to be communicated.

These are Excel’s own renders of the three sheets in the workbook. The register is an Excel table with filters and a Status dropdown, ready to fill in.

The blank Design Risk Register sheet: fields for project, design package or discipline, register owner or coordinator, register revision and review date, then a table with columns for Ref, design element or location, foreseeable design risk or issue, who could be affected or project stage, design response or control, further action required, owner or discipline, target date or design stage, status, residual information to communicate and supporting reference, with 25 blank rows numbered DR-001 to DR-025
Design Risk Register sheet · 11 columns, 25 starter rows
Download the free Excel template (Excel workbook, 17 KB, Aptoris-Design-Risk-Register.xlsx)Open full-size preview (opens in a new tab)
The Worked Example sheet: three fictional entries for roof plant near an open edge (In progress), large façade panels with lifting constraints (Open) and an existing buried power cable under a proposed foundation (Closed), each with the design response, further action, owner, review point, residual information and supporting references
Worked Example sheetOpen full size (opens in a new tab)
The How to Use sheet: purpose, what to record, what not to record, a six-step process, project stages and affected people, using the spreadsheet, and an important note that CDM 2015 does not prescribe a design risk register
How to Use sheetOpen full size (opens in a new tab)

Short guidance in the workbook

The How to Use sheet covers:

  • Purpose
  • What to record
  • What not to record
  • How to use the register, in six steps
  • Project stage and affected people
  • Using the spreadsheet
  • Important note on CDM 2015

What’s included?

  • Project and design-package details
  • Design-risk reference
  • Design element / location
  • Foreseeable design risk / issue
  • Affected people / project stage
  • Design response / control
  • Further actions
  • Owner / discipline
  • Target date / design stage
  • Open / In progress / Closed status
  • Residual information to communicate
  • Supporting references
  • Three fictional worked examples
  • Short How to Use guidance

Focused on design decisions, not arbitrary scores

CDM 2015 does not prescribe a numerical risk matrix. The Aptoris template therefore focuses on the design issue, the design response, ownership, action and communication rather than forcing every entry through a likelihood × severity score.

If your organisation uses its own risk-scoring system, the workbook can be adapted.

Should design risks be scored?

Who is this template for?

Designers, Principal Designers and project teams using a shared register to coordinate significant design issues during the pre-construction phase.

  • Individual designers retain their Regulation 9 duties.
  • The Principal Designer may coordinate the process under Regulation 11.
  • Using the workbook does not transfer design responsibility to the Principal Designer.
Who should own the register?

How to use the template

  1. Step 1: Raise the design issue

    Record a foreseeable issue early enough for the design to influence it.

  2. Step 2: Record the design response

    Capture what has been eliminated, reduced or controlled through design and any further action required.

  3. Step 3: Assign and review

    Give actions a clear owner and review them at the relevant design stage.

  4. Step 4: Communicate what remains

    Record significant residual information that needs to be passed through the appropriate project information.

Worked examples included

The workbook includes three fictional examples showing how to record the design issue, response, action, ownership and residual information.

  • DR-001

    Roof plant

    Maintenance access close to an open roof edge.

  • DR-002

    Façade panels

    Panel size and weight creating lifting and installation constraints.

  • DR-003

    Existing buried service

    A buried cable crossing the position of a proposed foundation.

Design risk register template FAQs

  • Is the Design Risk Register template free?

    Yes. It is free to download, with no sign-up and no email address needed. Select Download the free Excel template and the file downloads straight away.

  • Is the template editable in Microsoft Excel?

    Yes. It is an editable Excel workbook (.xlsx) with no macros, formulas or external links. The register is an Excel table, so filters work, and typing in the row below it adds a row with the same formatting and Status dropdown. Other spreadsheet software that opens .xlsx files should work, although formatting may vary.

  • Is a Design Risk Register required by CDM 2015?

    No. CDM 2015 does not prescribe a design risk register or any particular format. A register can be a useful tool for managing and coordinating design risk, but the duties sit with designers and the Principal Designer, not with a document. See is a design risk register required?

  • Does CDM require a risk-scoring matrix?

    No. CDM 2015 does not prescribe a risk-scoring matrix, so the template records the design issue, the design response, ownership and communication instead. See should design risks be scored?

  • Who should maintain the Design Risk Register?

    There is no statutory rule about who owns it. The Principal Designer may coordinate a shared register, while each designer records and acts on issues arising from their own design. Whatever the approach, make responsibilities and actions clear. See who should own the register?

  • Is the Principal Designer responsible for every design risk?

    No. Each designer keeps their own Regulation 9 duties for the risks arising from their design. The Principal Designer has separate duties under Regulation 11 to plan, manage, monitor and coordinate the pre-construction phase. Using a shared register does not move design responsibility to the Principal Designer. See the Principal Designer’s role.

  • What should be recorded in a Design Risk Register?

    Significant design issues that the design can influence, that need action or coordination, or where relevant information needs to reach others. See what risks should go on the register?

  • Should generic hazards be included?

    Generally not. Entries such as working at height, manual handling or PPE are rarely useful on their own. Record them only where something particular about the design creates or materially changes the issue. See what should not go on the register?

  • What does “Closed” mean in the template?

    Closed means the action is complete and no further coordinated action is needed. It does not mean the risk has disappeared or that a formal safety approval has been given, so keep relevant residual information on the entry. See when should an entry be closed?

  • Does the Design Risk Register go in the Health and Safety File?

    Not automatically. Relevant residual information from the register should be transferred into the health and safety file where appropriate, rather than inserting the whole register. See the register and the health and safety file.

  • Can I add my organisation’s own risk scoring?

    Yes. The workbook is fully editable, so you can add your own scoring columns if they are part of your existing design-management arrangements. CDM 2015 does not require one.

Related resources

Guidance on design-risk duties and the information the register feeds.

Ready to start the register?

Download the free Excel template (Excel workbook, 17 KB, Aptoris-Design-Risk-Register.xlsx)

Editable .xlsx, Worked examples included, No sign-up required