Reflecting on how the recent pandemic has affected our lives over the last two years there are very few organisations that have not had to adapt or take precautionary measures in the workplace. We, like many others, adopted a flexible work policy with much of the office electing to work from home when they could. However, there are many within our team, such as those that are site-based, who have not had this option and have continued to work on-site throughout to support the ongoing construction process ensuring material approvals, site inspections, engineering input and advice continued despite the challenges. While COVID-19 precautionary measures were put in place very early on and remain so for the foreseeable future, this piece, while not focusing on the environmental impact of certain safety in the design aspect, focuses instead on how key considerations at the right stage in a design can identify possible hazards on construction sites enabling mitigating measures to be implemented which lead to a safer working environment on our construction sites.
The concept of safety in design has, at its essence, the process of considering construction site health and safety throughout the design of a project. It requires designers to ensure the safe construction and operation of a project are at the forefront of their minds as they apply pen to paper. A key aspect is a prevention through design which addresses the occupational health and safety needs to prevent or minimise work-related hazards and the risks associated with the construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and disposal of facilities, material, and equipment.
Designers, therefore, are in a prime position to influence the health and safety aspects of projects at an early stage, long before they are on-site, under construction or in use. Throughout the lifecycle of a project’s design, it is important to note that the ability to influence safety is greater at the early stages but then decreases throughout the process. The cost of incorporating health and safety measures is on a different trajectory with the costs to implement these generally lower at the early project stages and increasing throughout the life cycle of the project.
Designers have a duty, at least ethically, to create designs that are as safe as is reasonably practicable, are safe to construct and maintain, and should be designed to avoid foreseeable risks to those involved in the construction and future use of the building. However, safety in design is not about having designers take an active role in construction site safety practices, neither is it an endorsement of the principle that designers can or should be held responsible for construction accidents.
Rather, the principle of safety in design should, in my opinion, be seen as an active process of collaboration between all of a projects’ stakeholders including clients, designers and contractors for the shared aim of maintaining safe projects. This collaborative approach will not only have direct results in reducing site hazards, resulting in fewer injuries and fatalities it will also increase productivity and enhance the quality through the continued focus on good processes. We are very fortunate to live and work in countries where health, safety and welfare is a high priority.
Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public and shall strive to comply with the principles of sustainable development in the performance of their professional duties.
These statements are clear in the need for engineers to consider and implement best practices during design in terms of health and safety needs including a call to minimise all risks that we have control over that may affect construction workers as well as the general public.
There is a lot of reference information from our engineering institutions to draw upon. Three other key threads for safely in design are:
3D modelling
A key underpinning principal of safety in design is the coordination of all design disciplines, which allows the construction and installation methodology to proceed safely and as planned by the designers.
Many of us have experienced issues on site where the contractor composite shop drawings aspects are not well coordinated, especially since non-proprietary performance-based specifications are now the industry norm, which can lead to out of sequence working and a cascading set of health and safety risks including working at height, insufficient access, core drilling builders work openings, to name but a few.
Good coordination and planning and the correct use of the software and technology available to designers such as BIM enables the sound planning and coordination needed for safety in design approach. The bottom line is that if the elements will not fit in 3D in the comfort of an office environment, then they will also not fit in the challenging
conditions on site.
A well-coordinated clash free BIM model is required to ensure the delivery of a coordinated product. Active coordination is needed to resolve any major clashes during the design stage – this takes the skill and judgement of the engineers and architects on the project.
Modular / Prefabrication / Packaged Techniques
Well implemented prefabricated construction can be inherently safer than completing the work in a traditional on site method. Work is moved from potentially hazardous work environments such as working at height, in confined spaces and shafts or exposure to extreme weather conditions, to carefully engineered work environments and processes.
Prefabricated construction if implemented correctly can lead to higher quality and faster production, especially if achieved within the client’s given project budget.
Design for maintenance safety can be built in, providing safe access for recurring maintenance and preventive
maintenance procedures.
Safety in Design Checklists
Implementing a formal safety in design checklist and process as a key tool for designers considering the correct aspects throughout the design stages, and completion of these provide an audit trail for later reference and handover to contractor at construction commencement for further mitigation where required.
It is important that these checklists do not become simply a box-ticking exercise. As is true for the rest of the design process, safety in design requires active engagement by the design team to ensure the best outcome. The checklist should record where the designers have located a risk and successfully managed to either totally eliminate or reduce the risk. In addition, where elimination is not possible, residual risks and mitigation measures are recorded. These residual risks then need to be successfully communicated to the contractor and consultant supervision team on site so that active management and risk mitigation can be continued up to construction completion.
Engineers have traditionally implemented a number of measures that contribute to the health and safety of construction workers and maintenance teams for many years, using principles that are directly (or indirectly) relevant to the safety in design concept. These measures can be considered as the foundation of the formal safety in design process and, are key to establishing a culture of health and safety, establishing good process and best serving clients and organisations who value and appreciate health and safety.
Safety in design is a huge topic and I am aware that I have only begun to scratch the surface of the topic here but I am hoping that my words have sparked an interest in those who are not familiar with this topic to do some further research and reading on this issue
The importance of safety in design cannot be underestimated and I believe it is incumbent on designers to take all possible steps to safeguard and protect colleagues in the delivery of projects onsite.