Dutyholders are defined as which of the following?

• A. Dutyholders are the workers who operate machinery.
• B. Dutyholders are the clients who fund the project.
• C. Dutyholders are external auditors.
• D. Dutyholders are the persons or organisations who commission, design and undertake building work to which building regulations apply.

Answer: (D)

Dutyholders are the people or organisations who have primary responsibility for ensuring that building work complies with the building regulations. They are involved from the start and have influence over the project: the client who commissions the work, the design team who prepares the plans, and the party that undertakes the construction. This combination reflects who controls and delivers the work to meet regulatory requirements for safety, structure, fire, accessibility, and other standards. External auditors merely assess compliance, workers operating machinery are part of the execution team, and simply funding the project doesn’t establish the duty to ensure regulatory compliance.