PtD’s purpose is to promote this concept and highlight its importance in all business decisions. The TBM method meant all workers and equipment were shielded within the TBM shield or permanent lining which removed the risk of exposure to collapse or inundation. People who have responsibility for designing work processes and systems have a key role in Health and Safety by Design. Lack of governors and other parameter limiters. A designer’s responsibility extends to eliminating or minimising the risks associated with maintaining the plant, so far as is reasonably practicable. Safety and health begins, and belongs, in design. stationary container compliance certification, their understanding of chemistry principles, toxicology and environmental science, looking at whether hazardous properties can be removed while still maintaining the functionality and efficacy of the substance. Designsafe is an exciting product with great potential, but there is room for improvement. You will also be kept current on how proven technologies such as respirators, safety management systems and gas detectors are being updated and enhanced to provide additional layers of safety. This approach can encourage collaboration and professional development. Price reductions are available for quantity purchases, and a networked version is also available. describe Health and Safety by Design – what’s good practice when considering the design of structures, plant and substances. Critical displays of information are too similar or too close together, or visually difficult to see. The workshops identified safety-related risks for all elements of the project that could be mitigated, to at least some degree, through smart design. taking a product stewardship approach – making health, safety and environmental protection an integral part of the life cycle of chemical products, in partnership with others involved in the product. use the plant, substance or structure at a workplace for its designed purpose, store the plant or substance at a workplace. One of the more interesting uses has been at Vanderbilt University, where the software is used in bioengineering projects. Communicating this information to other duty holders will make them aware of any residual risks and reduce the likelihood of safety features incorporated into the design being altered or removed. Safe by Design principles actively eliminate or reduce risk during design development for construction and maintenance activities and ensures that remaining risks are effectively communicated. This may mean that productivity is increased in the long run. Also thanks to Peter Norfolk of Tonkin & Taylor, who was the Civil Design Manager for the Waterview Project. To start your subscription, please fill out the form below. This applies for matters that are within their ability to influence or control. These guidelines don’t cover every aspect listed above, but act as a starting point for PCBUs. Risks must be eliminated so far as is reasonably practicable. HSWA (Section 16) defines the term ‘design’ in relation to plant, a substance, or structure as: the design of part of the plant, substance, or structure; and. persons conducting a business or undertaking (PCBUs), designs, manufactures, imports, or supplies structures, substances or plant to be used in a workplace; or. Change management processes will be necessary. They replace the controls set under the HSNO Act 1996. design the plant so that exposure to hazardous substances, or other hazards (eg noise) are minimised during maintenance. Responsibility to consult, cooperate and coordinate with the designer also applies to contractors and sub-contractors who win a tender. Critical instruments or displays not in an obvious area. Their expertise will assist in identifying safety issues which may have been overlooked in the design. specific people, keeping in mind that the people using the plant may change over time. requirements for special tools needed to use or maintain plant. Information is too small to see from user’s position. Mother was right; an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Are plant accessories fit for their intended purpose? It could include copies of all relevant health and safety information the designer prepared and used in the design process, such as the Design Safety Report, risk register, product technical statements, safety data sheets, manuals and procedures for safe maintenance, dismantling or eventual demolition. More information on how designers can communicate, cooperate and coordinate with other relevant stakeholders is outlined in Section 3 of these guidelines. If the plant is intended to lift and move people, equipment or materials, is it capable of doing this? Design reports also specifically documented SiD considerations and treatment. An additional complexity is that some of the weather stations are sited in remote hilltop locations with limited and difficult access. This includes training needed at any stage of the structure, plant or substance’s lifecycle. When designing and developing safer substances, the designer needs to find a balance between eliminating, then minimising health, safety or environmental risks, and maintaining the effectiveness of the substance. For more information on how to manage risk, see Figure 7 (hierarchy of controls) in Section 4 of these guidelines. 5 km long, 3-lane (each way) motorway comprising 35 kilometres of lanes, two 2.4 km long 13.1 m (ID) diameter bored tunnels and ventilation buildings, two long span footbridges and several smaller structures, over 3 km of retention structures up to 30 m high, extensive urban improvements and landscaping, operations and maintenance responsibilities for 10 years. The approvals are given by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). Are the materials used to make the plant suitable? The Principles of Prevention are a hierarchy or risk elimination and reduction. Feedback from users to help designers in improving their future designs for structures may be provided through: Section 4 of these guidelines outlines some ways that designers can review control measures to make sure that risks are being effectively managed. Figure 1 shows the decrease in ability to influence safety that a PCBU has over the lifecycle of a product. Although these control measures apply when the substance is in the manufacture, use, handling or storage phases of the lifecycle, they should be given consideration during the pre-design and design stage, as the control measures are a critical element in the management of risk from the substance. Table 1 below provides an overview of these duties for designer PCBUs. Check if there are widely used control measures (eg industry standards) for that risk. Does the change impact on the risk register? For example, positioning air-conditioning units and lift plant at ground level, designing inward opening windows, and integrating window cleaning bays or gangways into the structural frame, designing features to avoid dirt or moisture traps, designing and positioning permanent anchorage and hoisting points into structures where maintenance needs to be completed at height, designing safe access (such as stairways or fixed ladders) and enough space to complete structure maintenance activities, eliminating or minimising the need for entry into confined spaces, using long-life components such as LED lighting that don’t require frequent replacement. Designsafe facilitates this identification of users, tasks and hazards through standardized lists. Design engineers also realize that safe design is an important factor for success in the global market. In addition, if a substance gains any of the above properties when it comes into contact with air or water, it is considered hazardous. If the plant needs to be operated during cleaning or maintenance, the designer should design the operator’s controls so the plant cannot be operated by anyone other than the person maintaining or cleaning the plant. This section also applies to the design of structures where items of plant are designed as a structural component or are assembled to form a structure. Safety by design principles can also be incorporated to projects or businesses already in operation. This allows one plate to be affixed to the mast as before, and the other plate to be attached to the foundation threaded rods whilst the mast is still in the horizontal position. I no longer feel the need to archive large downloads, and can depend on the Internet as a file library. Below are some examples of how risks relating to a structure’s use can be managed by: Below are some examples of how risks relating to cleaning, servicing and maintaining a structure can be managed by: Design can involve the alteration of an existing structure. Whilst this traditional method would work, a quick risk assessment showed there was a high likelihood of the person’s foot slipping off the base of the mast resulting in an uncontrolled movement of the mast and possible damage to the mast and instruments or worse, injury to people. hazard alerts or other reports from: relevant statutory authorities, unions and business associations, specialists, professional bodies representing designers, and engineers’ research and testing done on similar designs. Design based on Health and Safety by Design principles can reduce the need for retrofitting, personal protective equipment, health monitoring, exposure monitoring, and maintenance. This can lead to workers making decisions that can lead to an increase in health and safety risks. Noise of sheep shearing systems. the recommended control measures for any foreseeable activities (eg operation, maintenance, repair, dismantling, demolition, disposal) to be carried out during the life of the structure/plant when used for its intended purpose. Check if there are widely used control measures (eg industry standards) for common risks. A simple, low cost design change has effectively eliminated a potential hazard. They should not have been involved in the plant design process unless that PCBU has an accredited and documented quality system in place that has been certified by IANZ (or a body accredited or approved by the Joint Accreditation System – Australia and New Zealand). Make sure that new information is used to improve design. Does the change require changes to organisational structures? Principles of Electrical Safety, All electrical equipment must be installed and used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions. Extended periods of exposure to high levels of noise can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss. So before considering applying a widely used control measure, consider whether it will be effective in managing the risk in your situation (eg when working at height, will using mobile work platforms, rather than step ladders, more effectively minimise the risk?). ‘Health and Safety by Design’ is the process of managing health and safety risks throughout the lifecycle of structures, plant, substance or other products. Their health and safety may be affected by the new design. installs, builds or commissions plant or structures to be used, that could be or reasonably expected to be used, as or at a workplace. What unusual situations or misuse could occur? If this is not possible, the client and designer should include people with knowledge and experience in the construction and maintenance processes in the design safety reviews. Here are some ways you can monitor and review your control measures: Their expertise will assist in identifying health and safety issues which may have been overlooked in the design. Designers can use these applications to enable locations, structures and plant to be accurately visualised, sequences of activity to be realistically demonstrated and construction programmes simulated. A PCBU must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers, and that other people are not put at risk by work carried out as part of the conduct of the PCBU. Other legislation may affect work health and safety (eg the Gas Act 1992 and the Building Act 2004). However, I wasn"t sure what to expect for my individual cable connection, since that 1.5 Mbps bandwidth is shared with other users on the network. While cable access is more expensive than my previous dialup access account, it eliminated the need for a second phone line, generating a net savings of $6 per month. This might happen in a contracting chain, or when different PCBUs work on the same site. Thanks to Suhas Shanbhogue of Compac for allowing this case study to be used. planned and unplanned maintenance or repair, simulate the normal range of operational capabilities, test design features to ensure ‘fail-safe’ operation, measure imposed stresses on critical components to make sure maximum design stresses are not exceeded, test critical safety features under both normal and adverse operational conditions. However, duty holders may need to do more than what other legislation requires to meet HSWA duties. Also thanks to Stantec (formerly MWH), who were the Design Consultants for this project. This provides evidence the plant design has been verified under the Regulations. Can the plant cause injury from lack of guarding of moving parts?