Safety in design guide

This is an important process in which people with knowledge and expertise work together to share information, identify hazards and assess risks and make decisions about ways to eliminate or minimise risks. It is a legal requirement for people with duties under the WHS Act to consult with each other.

The intent of the WHS legislation drives the decision-making process up the chain ensuring safe design rests with all parties influencing the design of a building or structure. Making decisions at the design and planning stage helps promote safety by preventing possible future injuries or death. Designers need to consult with other duty holders when designing a structure.

• Discuss the safe design strategy with your client and confirm the intended use of the structure obtaining information to fully understand the systems of work and any hazards that may be involved that can be eliminated or minimised by design.
• Brainstorm with other team members and stakeholders to identify potential hazards.
• Consult with other duty holders as required – workers, builder, others that design part of the structure e.g. engineers.
• Consultation can involve meetings, discussions, workshops, and sharing of knowledge or information.
• Keep records of types of meetings, dates, times, duration and attendees.
• Gather information on injury/ illness statistics and research on current workplace and type of structure, site conditions that may affect safety, relevant legislation and standards that need to be considered.

This involves the process of effective documentation and communication between everyone involved in the life cycle of a building or structure.

Effective communication involves documenting and communicating hazards, control measures and any residual risks from the design stage to those further down the life cycle of the structure.

Safe design information can be:
• A Safety Report.
Documents that may be required in the Safe Design Report include:
– plans, drawings and sketches
– technical consultant reports
– any document that demonstrates where a design related decision has been made.

• WHS safety file – eg safety report, risk register, data sheets, injury statistics, safety meetings held, manuals and procedures for maintenance etc.

When should I issue safe design information for my design and who receives it?
Safe Design information to be issued to anybody who is issued with a copy of the design. Current relevant information must also be provided, on request, to people who use, construct, maintain or demolish the structure. 

The designer must also provide the Person Conducting a Business or Undertaking' (PCBU) client with a safety report outlining potential hazards unique to that design that may pose a hazard to persons carrying out construction work.

Will the structure need to be constructed?
Yes - Safe Design Report must be provided by:
– the designer to the client (person who commissions the work)
– the client to the principal contractor
No - Design Risk Register is sufficient safe design information.

Will the project cost more than $250,000?
Yes - Principal contractor must be appointed. Where a principal contractor is engaged in relation to the construction work, the health and safety information relevant to the design must be passed on to them.
No - No requirement to appoint principal contractor.
Note: where the principal contractor is also a designer or a client, the duties outlined above apply.

How long do designers need to keep information?
It is advisable for designers to keep the safe design information for the life of a structure.

Designers need to assess the safety of the structure during every phase of its life cycle, from conception through to redevelopment and demolition.

The legislation requires designers to consider the safety of people for when it will be used as a workplace. As upstream duty holders, designers can greatly affect the health and safety of people who use their designs downstream in the life cycle of a structure.

• Designers should evaluate their design and detail any control measures covering:
– Demolition (only if applicable)
– Construction
– Use for the purpose for which it was designed *(not applicable to most residential developments unless they are also designed to be a workplace e.g. aged care or apartments with commercial stores)
– Maintenance
– Demolition at end of life

• Document the control measures in a risk register (refer template under Resources) or Safe Design Report.

Safe design implements risk management – through systematically identifying, assessing and controlling hazards.

The designer only has to apply a risk management process to the hazards that are within control of the designer, are not adequately controlled by a recognised standard or where safety could be improved though design.

A systematic approach identifies hazards and risks for workers and persons throughout the structure’s life cycle.

When assessing hazards, it is helpful to consider the systems of work or likely workflows for workers during each stage of the life cycle.

• Identify the hazards – is there a situation that is going to be harmful to people? Examples of hazard categories that designers can use to evaluate their design:
– Access and egress
– Climatic conditions
– Confined spaces
– Earthworks
– Fire and emergency
– Hazardous substances
– Manual tasks
– Mobile plant and equipment
– Specialised plant and equipment
– Structural stability
– Work at height

• Risk assessment – determine the risk levels of identified hazards. Using a risk matrix may be a helpful tool.

• Design control – Implement the most effective design controls that are reasonably practicable to eliminate or minimise identified risks to health and safety. The hierarchy of risk control will assist the designer in identifying the most effective way to control the hazard.

• Review – review the design controls which could be from feedback and meetings. How effective are these controls? Shared learning creates improvements and opportunities for innovation.

• Document the control measures in a risk register (refer template under Resources) or Safe Design Report.

Safe design requires knowledge and capability – which should be either demonstrated or accessed by any person influencing design.

• Engage people outside the design team with specialist knowledge such as engineers, fire safety experts and ergonomists to fill any knowledge gaps.
• Attach any specialist reports to your WHS file and/or reference them in the Safety Report.