Safety in Design

Tom Mosquera
PB
Introduction

Legal Framework

Basis of Safety in Design

Safety in Design Implementation and Process

Examples of Recent Projects

Conclusions
Legal Framework

Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations, SA 1995

under the Occupational Health, safety and Welfare act 1986
 “A person who designs ..must.. ensure compliance with any
regulation that, pursuant to regulation 1.2.14 and Schedule 2,
applies to the designers of plant or structures (and buildings)”

Summary of requirements
 Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (div 3.3)
 Control of Risk (so far as is reasonably practicable)
 Provision of Information
Legal Framework

Hazard Identification (3.3.1)

 Identification of all reasonably foreseeable hazards to health or
safety arising from plant, or systems of work associated with plant.
 Particular hazards outlined – environment, suitability, creation of
hazardous conditions

Risk Assessment (3.3.2)

 Method must adequately address hazards identified
 Types of methods defined ranging from visual to hazard analysis
Legal Framework

Control of Risk
 Eliminate or where not reasonably practicable, minimise risk
 Use engineering controls, including substitution, isolation,
modifications to design and guarding.
 Where not appropriate, use administrative controls, including safe
work practices
 Where engineering and administrative controls are not effective,
specify the provision of appropriate personal protective equipment.
Basis for Safety in Design

Driver
 Fatality and serious injury rates are too high
 Approximately 50% of serious workplace incidents have some
design basis
 Legal Requirement
 Bad design can create unnecessary risk
 All people have a right to be protected from unnecessary risk
 Better to fix in design than have safety hazards in construction
Basis for Safety in Design

Principles of Safe Design

 It is everyone’s responsibility
 Design consideration occurs for the whole life
of the product, plant or building.
 Systematic Risk Assessment
 It requires knowledge and capability
 Communication and Information Transfer
Basis for Safety in Design

Benefits
 Prevents death injury and illness
 Complies with legislative
requirements
 Improves constructability
 Easier operation and maintenance
 Encourages early consultation
between stakeholders
 Safe design is good design –
improves and promotes thinking
Implementation and Process

Plan for safe design

 Establishing the right safety culture
 Project Planning / Start Up – Establishing the framework
 Undertake hazard analysis
 Determine the mitigation / risk control
 Communicate
 Monitor and feedback
 Learning from others
Implementation and Process

Establishing the right safety culture

 Key to establishing a safety in design process
 Management Leadership
 Open communication and sharing
 Commitment to continuous improvement
 Working constructively with others to achieve safety outcomes
(Client, Contractor, Operators)
Implementation and Process

Safety Culture – Management leadership

PERFORMANCE
Strong, Sustained,

 Safety is integrated as a core part of business and

Visible commitment at all
Leadership levels. Promote
involvement.

forms part of shared values and strategic goals Incident Management

 Strong commitment by Senior Management Analysis Audit

Risk Management

 Demonstrated commitment by Project Managers

Discipline Eg – BP3, Laws,

 Leading by example and that safety breaches are procedures, standards

EFFORT
not tolerated
 At a project level commitment to safety in design
and leadership is continuously demonstrated
 Monitoring and feedback of performance – KPIs
and KRA
Implementation and Process

Safety Culture – Open Communication and Sharing

 Communication to all staff regarding safety expectations
 Sharing Safety Issues – Safety moment at meetings etc.
 Open and honest communication about performance
 Sharing of risk information
 Consultative / toolbox talks
Implementation and Process

Safety Culture – Continuous Improvement

 Training to improve skills – risk management, design risk
awareness
 Establishment of appropriate KPIs
 Identification of safety targets (training, safety reporting etc.)
 Review and improvement actions from safety incidents or design
issues

Safety Culture – Working with Others

 Commitment to engage with other stakeholders during design
 Establishment of appropriate KPIs
Implementation and Process
Establishing the Framework
Implementation and Process

Project Planning / Start Up

 Establish the project safety framework
 policy, alignment and approach
 Identify the system to use – own, Clients or Contractors
(Risk Management process, templates, reporting)
 Identify review process including frequency of reviews
 Identify reviewers and champions (e.g. Client, Operators, Site team)
 Identify communications / handover requirements
 Communicate safety requirements to stakeholders
 Ensure staff have capability and where appropriate provide
additional training to staff
Implementation and Process

Obligations and responsibilities for design

Client
 Establish and Agree policies and framework;
provide key information on safety, e.g. operating information
Designer
 Undertake safe design, liaise with other key stakeholders for
constructability / maintainability
Constructors and Operators
 Provide input on constructability and construction methods
 Provide input on design, serviceability, access and maintainability
Implementation and Process

Risk Management – Identify Hazards

“Hazard – potential to cause harm”

 Identify with nominated reviewers all potential

hazards throughout the life of the projects
using the processes defined at project start up
 e.g. Safety Review Workshops / HAZOPS
/ HAZIDs etc
 Utilise checklists
 Ensure whole team is aware of hazards and seek additional hazards

Key Output:
 List of hazards (e.g. project risk register)
 How do we build - hazards
 How do we operate and maintain - hazards
Implementation and Process

Risk Management – Risk Assessment

 Assess the risk using risk assessment
method agreed at project start up.
 Determine likelihood
 Determine the consequence
 Prioritise the potential risks focusing on high and unusual risks
 Numerous tools – all designed for appropriateness and compatibility
 Importance on undertaking the assessment process rather than on
the tool

Key Output – Record of risk assessment and prioritised potential

hazards (e.g. project risk register)
Implementation and
Process
Risk Management – Risk Control and Review
 Use Hierarchy of Controls – always try to eliminate hazard
 Challenge designers to control risk
 Document proposed design controls
 Document high or unusual risks separately
 Risk review  has design controlled risk?
 can it be redesigned?
 Document residual risk for next stage
(Construction, operations etc.)

Key Output – Record of risk assessment, prioritised potential

hazards and risk mitigation (e.g. project risk register)
Implementation and Process

Communication and Handover

 Handover of key output document(s) to other stakeholders
 Consider design handover meeting or other established process to
ensure residual risks are understood

Monitoring and Review

 Identify risks to any design changes and undertake risk assessment
including a review of any impacted processes
 Feedback from constructors / operators on design improvements /
risk issues
 Capture of lessons for future design
Examples of Recent Projects

 South Road Upgrade ANZAC Highway Underpass –

AdelaideConnect
 Olympic Dam Expansion pre feasibility study – Primary Water
Supply System - BHPB
AdelaideConnect

Early Contractor Involvement

 Integrated team – owner, builder and designer in alliance style
contract, so understanding of each others issues
 KPIs established in the contract with incentives
 Establishing the culture – team building and knowledge sharing
sessions
 Project Safety Framework – Adopting Thiess Standards with
tailoring (CHAIR)
 Safety review process defined – documentation included in
design reports
 Contractor challenging design – can it be built, safely
AdelaideConnect
Safety Issues influenced design of:
Present Concept Design  Bridge beams – lifting, working at
height, transport, interaction with
traffic
Identify Hazards
use CHAIR as prompt  Storm water pump chamber –
access to controls (off road),
maintenance access (back flush
Assess Risks valves), speed of construction
prioritise (precast planks), falling hazards
(guards)
 Piling – increased pile diameter to
Agree Controls
contractors challenge designers to mitigate risks
remove ground anchors access
problems
 Barrier – designed self supporting
Develop Design barrier that could be built first, to
act as temp safety fence as well
as long term barrier
Review Risks
has design controlled risk?

Document Residual risk

AdelaideConnect

Lessons Learnt
 Get the Right People on the bus –
designer, owner, builder, operator
 Learn from Others – contractors have
a real focus on safety
 Use SID as part of Design Review –
not as an add on, as good technical
solutions can come from SID
 Set the Culture – having contractors and owners on the team
meant designers had to think about constructability
 Challenge the Design – can we make it better?
 Use the Tools – as a prompt, but you will need to adapt
ODX – Primary Water Supply System

Project Planning / Start Up

 Establishing the culture – Project Induction – Safety at core
 Establishing the culture – Safety Coordinator – Angela
Baker, GHD
 Establishing the culture – committees (PB, GHD, BHPB)
 Project Safety Framework – Adopting BHPB Standards
 Safety integrated as part of meetings – use of safety
moment for team meetings
 Safety review process defined
 Toolbox talks – rotating staff and managers
 KPIs established in the contract
 Training for all staff on safety in design
ODX – Primary Water Supply System

Project Safety Framework

 Compliance with relevant fatal risk protocols
 Risk Rating and Ranking using BHPB’s enterprise wide risk
management (EWRM) standards
(Hierarchy of controls; As low as reasonably practicable)
ODX – Primary Water Supply System

Risk Management
 Internal hazard identification of proposed
solutions with all staff
 Further reviews with BHPB at Enterprise
wide risk management workshop and
HAZID workshop
 Review of High level risks using BHPB
Enterprise wide risk Management process
reporting using EWRM form
 Reporting of hazards using BHPB HAZID
forms
ODX – Primary Water Supply System

Lessons Learnt
 A commitment to safe design is essential and effective
 Integrated process with the Client provides clarity of purpose,
alignment and assisted success
 Involving all the team leads to a good design approach; feedback is
essential
 Study HSEC team was very proactive – leads to success
Conclusions

 Strong safety leadership is essential

 Establish the right culture
 Develop process around the principles of safe design
 Be flexible in the process to permit the use of other processes in
lieu
 Ensure adequate training; learn from others
 Plan projects around a safety framework and defined system
 Undertake a formal recorded risk assessment
 Communicate risks effectively
 Establish continuous improvement/ post project review processes
References

 Safe Design of Buildings, Draft Code of Practice – The Commission

for Occupational Safety and Health, WA April 2007.
 BHPB Enterprise Wide Risk Management Standards.
 Adelaide Connect Safety in Design Procedures.
 Policy and guidance on reducing risks as low as reasonably
practicable in design - AD/25, Health and Safety Executive, UK
 Safety in Design Guidelines – PB
 Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations, SA 1995
 Workplace Health and Safety – A guide to the work of health and
safety obligations of designers of structures
 Australian Safety and Compensation Council – Guidance on the
principles of safe design at work.