Safety In Design

Safety In Design 

Designing Safer Buildings & Structures : An Australian perspective 

Mike Straughton, July 2008

Introduction 

• Why the Move to Safety In Design? 

• The Regulatory Push Towards Safety in Design 

• Duties for Designers of Buildings or Structures 

• Definitions 

• Who is a Designer? 

• What are the Designer’s Responsibilities When Preparing a 

Design?

Introduction 

• Safety In Design 

• An Example of a Risk Management Approach 

• Benefits of Safety In Design 

• Practicable Examples of Safety in Design 

• Benefits of Safety in Design

Why the Move to Safety In Design? 

• Safe engineering design integrates risk management 

principles into the design by 

• Involving designers, users, and other relevant parties in considering the 

most appropriate design at each stage in the design process 

• Systematically identifying hazards, and eliminating/mitigating 

associated risks 

• Communicating to the users, and other relevant parties, residual risks 

associated with the design

The Regulatory Push Towards Safety in Design 

• United Kingdom 

• Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2007 

• Australia 

• Federal 

• National Standard for Construction Work 

• States/Territories 

• As with other OH&S legislation, various states/territories have “variations (to 

a greater or lesser extent) on the same theme”

Legislative Framework: 

Commonwealth: National Construction Standard 

NT: No specific duties 

Northern 

Territory 

QLD: WH&S Act 1995: s30B 

Queensland 

Western 

Australia 

A: OS&H Act 1984: s23 

South 

Australia 

New South 

Wales 

ACT 

NSW: No specific duties 

ACT: No specific duties 

SA: OHS & W Act 1986: s23A 

Victoria 

VIC: OHS Act 2004: s28 

Tasmania 

TAS: WH&S Act 1995: s14

Duties for designers of buildings or structures 

• Depending on the jurisdiction, the duty applies to designers 

of: 

• buildings /structures to be used as workplaces 

• buildings/structures that are occasional workplaces 

• parts of the building/structure including fixtures integral to its use as a 

workplace 

• temporary structures 

• the design of the construction and demolition phases of a building/ 

structure’s lifecycle (not all jurisdictions) 

• Roads and footpaths (not all jurisdictions) 

• The duty doesn’t apply to 

• Residential dwellings not intended as workplaces

Duties for designers of buildings or structures 

• Commonwealth: National Construction Standard (section 7) 

requires that designers must 

• Ensure that hazards associated with the construction work (includes 

construction, repair, cleaning, maintenance, demolition) required by the 

design are identified before commencement of that work 

• Ensure to the extent that they have control over the design that health 

& safety risks resulting from the design are eliminated or minimised 

• Provide a written report to the client on the health & safety aspects of 

the design

Duties for Designers of Buildings or Structures 

• Queensland: section 30B of the WH&S Act 1995 states 

• Section 30B (Obligations of Designers of Structures) 

• Designer of a structure has an obligation to ensure the design of the 

structure does not affect the WH&S of persons 

• During construction of the structure 

• When the structure has been constructed and is being used for the purpose 

it was originally designed for 

• A designer is considered to have met their obligation under section 30B 

if persons are not exposed to risks to their H&S arising out of the 

design This places an absolute duty on the designer

Definitions Used in Queensland 

• Workplace 

• Any place where work is, or is to be, performed by a worker or a person 

conducting a business or undertaking 

• Building or Structure 

• Structure: definition is very broad and includes a building, underground works, 

roads, footpaths, railway lines, water storages/supply systems, formwork, 

falsework, scaffold or other construction designed for use during construction 

work 

• As Far as Reasonably Practicable needs to take in to account 

• General OH&S duties are not qualified by the term “reasonably practicable” – 

the defendant has the onus of proof that an offence was not committed

Who is a designer? 

• Designers can include: 

• Persons who undertake the design 

on behalf of a client, including: 

• Architects 

• Building designers 

• Draftspersons 

• Client (e.g. if they specify a certain 

design) 

• Persons who design parts of the 

building/structure integral to its use 

as a workplace, including: 

• Engineers 

• Interior designers 

• Industrial designers 

• Contractors 

• Persons who make changes to 

building/structure design during the 

construction phase have a safety in 

design duty 

Pre-Design: 

Siting, Feasibility Study 

Conceptual & Schematic 

Design 

Design Development 

Construction 

Documentation 

Construction, 

Refurbishment or 

Modification

What are the designer’s responsibilities when 

preparing a design? 

• To Understand 

• the range of work activities associated with intended use of 

building/structure as a workplace 

• any maintenance, repair, service and cleaning activities for building / 

structure when in use (also demolition in some jurisdictions) 

• To Identify, and Control 

• hazards and risks associated with the above activities 

• To Communicate: 

• inform the client of any high risks in the client’s design requirements 

• recommend design alternatives that will eliminate/reduce risks arising 

from original design

Who else has responsibilities? 

• Basically, anyone who has input into the design, construction and 

use of the building/structure as a workplace e.g. 

• Clients 

• Construction contractors building the workplace 

• Designers, manufacturers & suppliers of plant to be used in the 

workplace 

• Controller of the workplace 

• Employees who will be using the workplace 

• Persons installing, erecting, commissioning, maintaining plant at the 

workplace

Who else has responsibilities? 

• Queensland’s WH&S Act safety in design obligations are more 

detailed than other jurisdictions, with specific responsibilities 

detailed in 

• Section 23 (Obligations for Workplace Health & Safety) 

• Section 30A (Obligations of Clients) 

• Section 30B (Obligations of Designers of Structures) 

• Section 30C (Obligations of Project Managers) 

• Section 31 (Obligations of Principal Contractors)

Queensland WH&S Act 

• Section 23 (Obligations for Workplace Health & Safety) 

• Designers of structures have an obligation to ensure workplace health 

& safety for construction work and makes reference to amended 

section 30B 

• Defines a number of other parties that have obligations to ensure 

workplace H&S


• Section 30A (Obligations of Clients) 

• Client has an obligation to consult with 

• Designer 

• Project Manager for construction work 

• Principal Contractor for construction work 

• Aim of consultation is to 

• Ensure the construction work can be planned and managed so as to 

prevent or minimise all risk s to health and safety 

• Inform the Designer, Project Manager, or Principal Contractor of any 

hazards or risks that the client is aware of relating to the site where 

construction is to occur


• Section 30C (Obligations of Project Managers) 

• Project Manager of a structure has an obligation to ensure 

construction work is planned and managed to prevent or minimise risk 

to the the WH&S of all persons 

• Undertaking the construction work 

• Person at or near the workplace during the construction work


• Section 31 (Obligations of Principal Contractors) 

• Principal Contractor has an obligation to ensure the the WH&S of all 

persons arising from a hazard at the workplace for which no other 

person has an H&S obligation 

• Principal Contractor must manage construction work so as to prevent 

or minimise risk 

• Principal Contractor must consult with following parties re construction 

work risk management 

• The Designer 

• The Project Manager 

• Other relevant persons

Safety in Design – lifecycle approach 

Operation 

Construction 

Safety In Design 

Maintenance 

and Repair 

Demolition/ 

Refurbishment

Risk management approach 

Review 

Options 

No 

Identify 

Hazards 

What could 

go wrong? 

Assess 

Risks 

• Quantify 

•Rank 

Identify 

Control 

Measures 

• Mitigation 

• Management 

• Control 

Is 

Residual 

Risk 

Acceptable 

? 

Yes 

RISK REGISTER 

Implement 

Control 

Measures 

Monitor 

Update risk 

register

Safety in Design Reviews 

• Brainstorm ideas at review with fellow design team members 

• Identify hazards and risks 

• May require completion of full or partial risk management 

• Then evaluate them: 

• What can be avoided, reduced or controlled 

• Record your decisions 

• Communicate to client

Safety in Design Reviews 

Key outcomes 

• List any required actions that may be required as part of future 

design phases 

• Ensure all relevant information is captured and recorded 

• Communicate the findings of the review to all relevant parties, 

including the client 

• Any review report developed should include 

• review methodology used 

• details regarding any significant risks identified during the review 

• Follow-up actions generated from review

Practicable Examples of Safety in Design 

Bulk sulphur shed 

• Use of front-end loader has 

several potential hazards 

• Stockpile collapse on to loader 

• Generation of dust due to 

crushing of product 

• Operator exposure to dust 

• Potentially explosive air/dust 

mixture 

• Loader is a potential ignition 

source 

• Sparking from bucket striking 

concrete floor 

• Friction between loader tyres and 

floor 

• Sparking from Loader engine 

• Use of Auto-reclaim system 

eliminates/minimises above 

hazards


Building atrium 

• Significant amount of internal 

glass to be cleaned, including 

internal skylight at approx 12 

metres above floor level 

• Initial access solution did not 

involve building maintenance 

contractor 

• Complicated and 

impracticable 

• Ultimate access solution 

provided primarily by 

maintenance contractor 

• Simple and practicable


Building atrium

Portable Ladde 


Initial access solution 

Fall Arrest Rigging to 

Full Body Harness 

System 

Ladder Intermediate 

Support


Building atrium 

• Ultimate access solution


Residential precinct road design 

• Uninterrupted street lengths 

restricted to minimise risk of 

traffic travelling at speed, with 

controls including 

• Roundabouts 

• Road closures 

• Reorientation of streets 

• Stagger of streets


• Elimination of working at height during maintenance of light fittings


• Working from fixed platform during maintenance of light fittings


• 100m high 

(yellow) support 

towers require 

aircraft warning 

lights 

• Each tower 

has two lights 

in parallel – 

when one fails, 

second is 

switched on – 

adequate 

coverage for 

original life 

expectancy for 

structure


• 40m high mast on top of 

203m tower requires aircraft 

warning light 

• Eyebolts as part of height 

access solution 

impracticable – periodic 

testing of eyebolts would be 

required 

• Solution – approved light 

fitting that can be 

raised/lowered up centre of 

mast (mast centered on 

500mm dia. Steel tube)

Safety in Design 

– it’s not just about permanent works! 

Prevention of 

fall in to pile 

during 

construction 

~ 1.2 m of temporary 

steel casing above 

ground 

~ 0.6 – 1.5 m diameter 

pile 

Temporary steel casing 

used to support ground 

at top of pile during 

construction


– it’s not just about permanent works!


– it’s not just about permanent works!

Benefits of Safety in Design 

Lifecycle Phase 

Design 

Construction 

Operation 

Maintenance and 

Repair 

Demolition/ 

Refurbishment 

Health and Safety Benefit 

• Risks identified 

• Risks reduced/controlled 

• Communication of residual risks to 

contractor 

• Reduced likelihood of accidents 

• Occupant health and safety 

• Public health and safety 

• Safe access for maintenance and 

repair strategies 

• Reduced likelihood of accidents 

• Communication of residual risks to 

contractor 

• Reduced likelihood of unplanned 

events 

• Informed contractor reduces risk 

contingency 

• Increased time and cost certainty 

• Reduced costs (absence & claims) 

• Company image 

Project Benefit 

• Reduced re-design or retrofitting 

• Reduced lifecycle OHS costs 

• Reduced civil claims 


contingency 

• Reduction in maintenance costs 

• Reduction in repair costs 


contingency 

• Increased time and cost certainty

Safety In Design

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