WHAT GOOD

LOOKS LIKE
Guidance Handbook
CONTENTS
04 INTRODUCTION
06 WHAT GOOD HEALTH & SAFETY LOOKS LIKE
09 OUR APPROACH: SAFETY IN DESIGN
10 DESIGNER DEFINITION AND DUTIES
12 THE DESIGNER
13 WHO ARE DESIGNERS?
14 IS ARCADIS A DESIGNER?
17 DESIGN FRAMEWORK
18 LEGISLATIVE REQUIREMENTS
19 LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR DESIGN
19 GLOBAL DESIGN STANDARDS
20 WHAT IS REASONABLY PRACTICABLE
21 WEIGHING UP ALL RELEVANT MATTERS
23 SAFETY DESIGN
24 WHERE DOES SAFE DESIGN START?
26 PRINCIPLES OF SAFE DESIGN
28 WHAT DOES SAFE DESIGN APPLY TO?
29 WHY IS SAFE DESIGN SO IMPORTANT?
30 SAFE DESIGN PHASES
32 DESIGNER COMPETENCE, KNOWLEDGE AND CAPABILITY
35 SAFE DESIGN THROUGH THE ASSET LIFECYCLE
36 SAFE DESIGN THROUGHOUT ASSET CYCLE
37 WHO DOES THE LIFECYCLE APPROACH PROTECT
39 RISK MANAGEMENT
40 RISK MANAGEMENT AT THE PRE-DESIGN PHASE
41 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PREVENTION
42 HIERARCHY OF CONTROL
44 DESIGN RISK ASSESSMENT
45 WHAT HAZARDS SHOULD BE RISK ASSESSED?
46 ELIMINATE, REDUCE AND CONTROL RISK
47 REVIEWING CONTROL MEASURES (RED, AMBER, GREEN)
51 HELP WHAT IF I DON’T KNOW ALL THAT?
53 DESIGN INFORMATION
54 WHAT YOU NEED TO OBTAIN?
55 WHAT INFORMATION DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?
56 WHAT INFORMATION DO I GIVE TO WHO?
58 COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION
61 HEALTH & SAFETY PROCESS IN DESIGN
62 COMPLETING OUR PROCESS
66 POST CONSTRUCTION REVIEW
68 EXAMPLES OF GOOD PRACTICE TO ADOPT
72 OUR OFFICES
 INTRODUCTION
At Arcadis, the health, safety and well-being of our
employees and stakeholders are central to everything
we do. In Our General Business Principles, we commit to
providing a healthy and safe work environment for all our
employees. To that end, our global health and safety vision
and policies are built around a proactive risk- and behavior-
based approach that integrates health and safety (H&S)
into our culture, our values and the way we do business.

H&S is also an integral part of the solutions we provide

to our clients and a key Arcadis differentiator.

It is important that a formal process incorporating

hazard analysis is undertaken at the beginning of a
design in order to mitigate or reduce potential risks
to a building, facility, or structure in accordance with
industry best practices, technical standards, legislative
and local requirements.

Design professionals can positively influence the

safety of a project by considering this at the design
phase to reduce the need for decision making by site
personnel. In doing so, they can identify the root cause
for potential accidents and preventive measures to
mitigate these, reducing the project risk and associated
costs.

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 WHAT GOOD
HEALTH & SAFETY
LOOKS LIKE
INTRODUCTION

At Arcadis, the health, safety and well-being of our

people, stakeholders and the community we exist in is at
the forefront of everything we do. It guides our decision
making process, shapes our commitment to provide a
healthy and safe work environment for all Arcadians.
Arcadis follows a pro-active risk and behavior-based
approach that integrates health and safety (H&S) into
our culture, our values and the way we do business.
Our global H&S management system is designed to
standardize the process of H&S across the company
while respecting the nuances of the culture, client
expectations and regulation. Lessons learnt and best
practices are shared globally and often. Our system
empowers people to conduct their work in a way
The Fundamental Health and Safety that protects themselves and others. It gives them
Principles of Arcadis the tools to implement healthy and safe work
practices at all times and encourages them to use
1. Demonstrate H&S Stewardship Daily these tools off-the-job to maintain a healthy and
Make sure that you and every member of your team goes home safely
every day, no matter what your role is in the company.
safe personal lifestyle.
2. Use TRACK We continually strive to prevent harm and incidents
Apply TRACK every day when planning tasks and before starting any by integrating TRACK , our Dynamic Risk Assessment
task, and use TRACK again when conditions change. Tool that help us to:
3. Exercise Stop Work Authority
It is your responsibility to stop your own work, the work of other Arcadians, Think through the task.
or work under Arcadis control if you believe it to be unsafe. Recognize the hazards.
4. Practice “If Not Me, Then Who?” Assess the risks.
Be accountable for keeping yourself and others around you safe by acting Control the hazards.
immediately to prevent harm. If you see something unsafe (or not right), Keep H&S first in all things.
say something!

5. Undertake Health & Safety Planning What Good Health & Safety Looks Like is a tool to
Prepare and maintain a Health & Safety Plan for all work activities share knowledge and best practices, empowering
performed outside of an office environment. If everyone implements
people to be Health and Safety Stewards.
6. Report Injuries and Incidents Immediately these principles every day, This book has been developed as guidance tool only for ‘What Good Health and Safety Looks Like’. This guidance book sets
Report all incidents, significant near misses, and unsafe acts and conditions we will TRACK to 0. out common approaches and best practices which are not limited, however is not a replacement for specific risk management
processes, requirements in a particular country and implementation of higher specific requirements pertaining to particular
immediately so that they can be investigated, corrected to prevent industries to ensure any and all work processes are carried out safely.
reoccurrence, and the lesson learned shared. © Copyright Arcadis 2017. Authored by Tom Baines, Middle East HSEQ Director

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 OUR
APPROACH:
SAFETY
IN DESIGN
Whatever your role in construction, Safety in
Design aims to improve health and safety in
the industry by helping to:

sensibly plan the work so the risks are

managed from start to finish

have the right people available for the right

job at the right time
cooperate and coordinate your work with
others about the risks and how they are
being managed

have the right information about the risks

communicate this information effectively

to those who need to know

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 DESIGNER
DEFINITION
AND DUTIES
DESIGNER
A designer is a person conducting a
business or undertaking whose profession,
trade or business involves them in:
Construction design should be
either demonstrated or acquired by
• Any part of a construction project, persons with control over design
including the design of temporary works, and should reflect the knowledge
or who arranges or instructs someone else
that a competent designer would
to do it.
be expected to have.
• Preparing sketches, plans or drawings for a
structure, including variations or changes
to a structure.

• Making decisions for incorporation into a

design that may affect the health or safety
of persons who construct, use or carry out
other activities in relation to the structure.

A designer can be a
company or individual

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 WHO
ARE DESIGNERS?

THE
Designers include:

DESIGNER
• Architects, building designers, engineers, building surveyors, interior
designers, landscape architects, town planners and all other design
practitioners contributing to, or having overall responsibility for, any
part of the design.
• A designer has a strong influence, When do the duties of a designer start • Building service designers, engineering firms or others designing
particularly during the very early and finish? services that are part of the structure such as ventilation, electrical
planning and design stages of a project. systems and permanent fire extinguisher installations.
• A designer’s duties apply on
• Their decisions can affect the appointment and when designs which • Contractors carrying out design work as part of their contribution
health and safety of not only those may be used for construction work to a project (for example, an engineering contractor providing
contractors and workers carrying out are started. design, procurement and construction management services).
the construction work, but those who
use, maintain, repair, clean, refurbish • While most design work is carried out • Temporary works engineers, including those designing formwork,
and eventually demolish a building. during the pre-construction phase of a falsework, scaffolding and sheet piling.
project, it is not unusual for it to extend
• Decisions such as selecting materials into the construction phase. • Persons who specify how structural alteration, demolition or
or components of a building can dismantling work is to be carried out.
avoid, reduce or control risks involved • A designer should agree the scope of
in constructing a building and their appointment with whoever has • Sub consultants - that undertake any design work.
maintaining and using it after it is built. appointed them.

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 IS ARCADIS A
DESIGNER?
YES. Arcadis is considered a person conducting a business or undertaking,
that designs a structure that will be used, or could reasonably be expected
to be used as a workplace.

Arcadis is therefore expected to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable,

that the structure is without risks to health and safety.

This duty includes carrying out testing and analysis and providing specific
information about the structure.

What specifically are the duties of a designer?

The designer is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that a structure that

is designed is without risk to the health and safety of persons. A designer must:

• Understand and be aware of significant risks that workers and users can be
exposed to, and how these can arise from their design decisions.

• Have the right skills, knowledge, and experience, and be adequately resourced
to address the health and safety issues likely to be involved in the design.

• Co-operate with others who have responsibilities, in particular the principal

designer.

• Take into account the general principles of prevention when carrying out their When we are contractually
design work. sub-contracting work to
other designers we are also
• Provide information about the risks arising from their design. responsible for their work
and quality of design.
• Co-ordinate their work with that of others in order to improve the way in which
risks are managed and controlled.

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 DESIGN
FRAMEWORK
Safety in Design’ is an important consideration
to ensure health and safety on a project.

At the design phase, while taking into

consideration various structural, environmental
and client related factors, designers must also
consider the applicable global design standards
and legal framework.

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 LEGAL
LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORKS
REQUIREMENTS FOR DESIGN

Examples of legislative frameworks or design standards.

Legal frameworks guide the ‘Safety in Design’ codes and / or
standards to be adhered to. The following considerations need These are not limited.
to be made: United Kingdom: Construction Design Management - CDM
• These may vary from region to region • http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/cdm/2015/index.htm
• We need to follow a set of international and best practice and USA: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health - NIOSH
principles that others may use. • NIOSH’s PtD Webpage
• Always check and verify the standards that are to be applied. Australia: Work Health and Safety Regulations
• http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/swa/model-whs-laws/model-
Above all else we always need to consider: whs-regulations/pages/regulations
Singapore: Workplace Safety and Health Council - WSHC
• https://www.wshc.sg
The structures to be used as a workplace
are safe and without risk to health

That we demonstrate we have approached

design with a risk management and whole
lifecycle approach DESIGN
Ensured the designer has the right capabilities
to design the specific project STANDARDS
That appropriate consultation, co-operation
and co-ordination has occurred United Kingdom: British Standards Institute - BSI
• http://shop.bsigroup.com/
We transfer the right information at the USA: American National Standards Institution - ANSI
right time • https://www.ansi.org/default.aspx
Europe : CE Standards - CEN
• https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=CENWEB:105::RESET::::
Singapore: Singapore Standards Council- SSC
• http://www.spring.gov.sg/Building-Trust/Std/Pages/standards-
council-standards-development-organisations.aspx

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 WHAT IS WEIGHING UP
REASONABLY ALL RELEVANT
PRACTICABLE MATTERS AVAILABILITY /
COMPETENCE SUITABILITY
Deciding what is ‘reasonably practicable’ requires taking into account and What you ought Equipment and
weighing up all relevant matters including: to know materials

• The likelihood of the hazard or the risk occurring

• The degree of harm that might result from the hazard or the risk
• Knowledge about the hazard or risk, and ways of eliminating or minimizing
the risk
• The availability and suitability of ways to eliminate or minimize the risk, and
• After assessing the extent of the risk and the available ways of eliminating or
minimizing the risk, the cost associated with eliminating or minimizing the
risk, including whether the cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk

LIKELIHOOD SERIOUSNESS
Of something Outcomes of wrong
happening decisions or design

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 SAFE
DESIGN
Safe design is the integration of control
measures early in the design process and when
contemplating the wider set of design objectives
for the structure.These objectives include:

Safe design is also successfully achieving a balance

of these sometimes competing objectives, without
compromising the health and safety of those
potentially affected by the structure over its lifetime.

practicability

aesthetics

cost

functionality

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 WHERE DOES
SAFE DESIGN START?
Safe design begins at the pre-design development phase when making decisions about:

• The design and its intended purpose

• Materials to be used
• Methods of:

Construction
Demolition

Maintenance Dismantling

Operation Disposal

What legislation, codes of practice and standards need to be applied.

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 PRINCIPLES
OF SAFE DESIGN
CONSTRUCTION LIFESTYLE
Safe design applies to every stage in the
lifecycle from conception through to
demolition. It involves eliminating hazards
or minimizing risks as early in the lifecycle
as possible

PERSONS WITH CONTROL

Persons who make decisions affecting the
design of structures, facilities or processes
are able to promote health and safety at
the source

INFORMATION TRANSFER
Effective communication and documentation
of design and risk control information between
all persons involved in the phases of the lifecycle
is essential for the safe design approach

SYSTEMATIC RISK MANAGEMENT

The application of hazard identification, risk
The principles of assessment and risk control processes to
Safe Design provide achieve safe design

guidance to those
involved in the SAFE DESIGN KNOWLEDGE AND
CAPABILITY
design of projects
Should be either demonstrated or acquired by
on how to mitigate persons with control over design and should
and reduce risks reflect the knowledge that a competent
designer would be expected to have
and hazards for all
stages of the asset
lifecycle.

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 WHY IS
SAFE DESIGN
SO IMPORTANT?
• Safe design helps eliminate hazards at the design or planning
stage. This is often easier and cheaper to achieve than making
changes later when hazards become real risks at the workplace.

• Safe design results in many benefits, including:

-- Better understanding of the design requirements and limitations
-- More effective prevention of injury and illness
-- Improved usability of structures
-- Improved productivity and reduced costs

WHAT DOES -- Better forecasting and management of production and

operational costs over the lifecycle of a structure

SAFE DESIGN
-- Compliance with legislation
-- Innovation considering that safe design often demands new thinking

APPLY TO?
to resolve hazards in the construction phase and the end use

Safe Design is applicable to all types of construction projects as anything that is

constructed, whether fixed or moveable, temporary or permanent and includes:
• Buildings, masts, towers, framework, pipelines, transport infrastructure and
underground works (shafts or tunnels), and
• Any component of a structure and part of a structure
• A roadway or pathway
• Foundations, earth retention works and other earthworks, including river works
and sea defense works
• Formwork, falsework or any other structures designed or used to provide
support, access or containment during construction work
• An airfield
• A dock, harbor, channel, bridge, viaduct, lagoon or dam
• A sewer or sewerage or drainage works

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 SAFE DESIGN
PHASES

There are essentially three key stages in the design process

where safe design should be considered:

Design Phase Requirements Examples of Considerations

Pre-design phase Identification of critical health and • Site geology e.g. soft soils
(This may include feasibility safety related risks that may • Contaminated land
of option studies) affect the viability of the project. • Emissions from development
• Proposed use zoning

Conceptual and schematic Identification of reasonably foreseeable safety • Specification of materials with high durability an low
design phase risks with a design project associated with maintenance requirements
(This may include preliminary design) the construction/ manufacture, installation, • Hazardous area classification
commission/use, maintenance/repair, • Redundancy, introduction of duplicates to allow safe continued
operation in the event of failure
demolition and disposal
• Providing permanent safe access to roofs, plant rooms and
windows for maintenance and repair purposes such as stairs or
walkways with guardrails
• Taking into consideration ergonomic principles e.g.
avoid designing construction activities that require work
in restricted spaces or designs that require repetitive or
prolonged movements to complete the task

Detailed design phase Focusing on ways in which a design can be • Eliminating the need for installing temporary barriers,
(This includes full documentation modified to eliminate or reduce issues that may by integrated guardrail system along roof edges
to allow construction (including affect the ongoing safety of persons involved in • Inclusion of construction access into building fabric
temporary works) to commence cons tructing, using, maintaining or demolishing e.g. removable panels
and should include consideration the design product. • Lifting lugs installed into prefabricated work pieces to
of the procurement, construction, facilitate the movement of heavy items
start up and ongoing operation and
maintenance of the project)

At each stage of the design process risk identification should take place to eliminate Remember –design (construction and temporary works) does
risk or where it is not possible to minimize the risk so far as is reasonably practicable continue through the construction (particularly D&B) and our
(SFAIRP) through the implementation of control measures. obligations as designers remain where contractually engaged

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 DESIGNER
COMPETENCE,
KNOWLEDGE
AND CAPABILITY

What skills, knowledge and experience does a designer need to carry out
their duties in a way that ensures health and safety?

• A designer must be able to demonstrate they have the health and

safety skills, knowledge and experience
• The level required should be proportionate to the complexity of the
project and the range and nature of the risks involved.

In addition to core design capabilities relevant to the designers role, a

designer should also have:
These refer to the
• Knowledge of work health and safety legislation, codes of practice skillsets, knowledge
and other regulatory requirements
and understanding
• An understanding of the intended purpose of the structure that a competent
• Knowledge of risk management processes designer would be
• Knowledge of technical design standards expected to have.
• An appreciation of construction methods and their impact on
the design

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 SAFE DESIGN
THROUGH
THE ASSET
LIFECYCLE
Safe design applies to every stage in the
asset lifecycle from conception through to
demolition.

This involves eliminating hazards or minimizing

risks as early as possible, to optimizing the
lifecycle of assets commencing at the conceptual
design through to the completion of the project.
This is supported by thorough planning, analysis,
assessment, reporting and execution of health
and safety standards and processes.

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 SAFE DESIGN
THROUGHOUT
ASSET CYCLE

WHO DOES
Safe design must be considered throughout the entire
asset cycle including the following phases:

Construction
THE LIFECYCLE
Commissioning APPROACH PROTECT
Fit-out • In the same way that designers consider the future impact of a structure on
environmental sustainability, they should consider how their design will affect the
health and safety of those who will interact with the structure throughout its life.
Use as a workplace (the structure being used
for the purpose for which it was designed)
• The designer is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that a structure is
designed to be without risks to the health and safety of persons who:
Cleaning and Maintenance
-- Are at a workplace and use the structure for the proposed purpose it was
designed for
Alterations, refurbishment, renovations, -- Construct the structure at a workplace
repair -- Carry out any reasonably foreseeable activity at a workplace in relation to the
manufacture, assembly, use, proper demolition or disposal of the structure or
Demolition, dismantling or disposal -- Are in the vicinity of a workplace and are exposed to the structure or whose
health and safety may be affected by an activity related to the structure

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 RISK
MANAGEMENT
The application of hazard identification, risk
assessment and risk control processes to
achieve safe design

A “hazard” means anything that has the

potential to cause injury, disease, damage to
property, or harm to the environment. A “risk”
is the possibility that harm might occur when
exposed to a hazard. “Risk control” or risk
management is an action taken to eliminate
health and safety risks so far as is reasonably
practicable. These are important processes in
developing ‘safe designs’.

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 GENERAL
PRINCIPLES OF
PREVENTION

RISK MANAGEMENT Avoiding risks by asking yourself if you can get

rid of the problem (or hazard) altogether

AT PRE-DESIGN PHASE Evaluating the risks that cannot be avoided

The designer should: Combating the risks at source

• Identify the client’s main objectives and outcomes for the design
• Establish the intended and foreseeable uses of the design as well as the Adapting to technical progress: consider new
complexity of the project techniques or technologies
• Establish the risk management context by identifying the breadth of workplace
hazards and relevant applicable: Replacing the dangerous with the non-
dangerous or the less dangerous
-- Legislation
-- Codes of practice Giving collective protective measures priority
-- Design Standards over individual protective measures
• Identify the required design disciplines, skills and competencies
Making provisions so that the work can be
• Identify the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders in relation to the project
organised to reduce exposure to hazards
• Establish collaborative relationships with clients and others who influence the
design outcome
Giving appropriate instructions to employees

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HIERARCHY OF
CONTROL
The control measures
Increasing Increased
prescribed by the hierarchy
must be implemented in the
effectiveness
and sustainability Elimination participation
supervision
and needed
order specified or in combination
(if no single measure is sufficient) to
ensure the risk is reduced so far as is
reasonably practicable (SFAIRP) Substitution

Engineering

Administrative

PPE

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 WHAT HAZARDS
SHOULD BE
RISK ASSESSED?
• Hazards that can be affected, introduced or
increased by the design of an asset should
be risk assessed and consideration should be
given to possible ways that the hazards could
be eliminated or minimized.

• Systems of work which are foreseeable as part

of the construction method and the intended
use of the structure as a workplace should

DESIGN RISK
also be assessed

ASSESSMENT
The safe design risk assessment is normally undertaken in a
workshop environment. It is important that this process is systematic
and not limited to one or two people’s experience of situations.
• Risk workshops should where possible include:
-- Clients
-- Designers
-- Contractors
-- Equipment manufacturers
-- Plant operators
-- Maintenance personnel
-- Safety experts
-- End Users

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 ELIMINATE, REDUCE
AND CONTROL RISK
• As a designer you will need to take account of the general principles of
prevention when preparing or modifying your design including:
-- Workers, or anyone else who may be affected during construction.
-- Those who may maintain or clean the building once it is built.
-- Those who use the building as a workplace.
• Health and safety risks must be considered alongside other factors that
influence the design:
-- Such as cost
-- Fit for purpose
-- Aesthetics
-- Environmental impact
• When considering health and safety risks, you are expected to do what is
reasonable at the time that the design is prepared, taking into account current

REVIEWING
industry knowledge and practice.
• Risks that cannot be addressed at the initial stage of a project should be

CONTROL
reviewed later on, during the detailed design stage.
• You should take into account the requirement for maintenance, cleaning and

MEASURES
access to the finished project.
• The level of detail required in passing on information about risks should be
proportionate to the risks involved.
• Insignificant risks can usually be ignored, as can risks arising from routine
construction activities, unless the design compounds or significantly alters
these risks. At various points in the design process, designers should review design
• Any records you wish to keep should not be overcomplicated, but solutions to confirm effectiveness of risk controls (risk assessment)
proportionate to the risks involved including: and if necessary redesign, to minimize the risks so far as is reasonably
-- Notes on drawings practicable.
-- Sketches • Wherever possible this review should involve the Principal
-- Risk registers and similar items Contractor or others who will eventually construct the structure.
• If you are unsure how the design might be constructed, or are not aware of • If this is not possible, then the client and designer should consult
certain construction or maintenance techniques, talk to possible contractors, people with knowledge and experience in construction and
specialists, manufacturers or suppliers before completing your design. maintenance processes.

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REVIEWING
CONTROL
MEASURES
RED AMBER GREEN OTHERS
Hazardous procedures, products and processes Products, processes and procedures to be Products, processes and procedures to be Some of our challenges.
that should be eliminated from the project where eliminated or reduced as far as possible and only positively encouraged.
possible. specified or allowed if unavoidable. Including
amber items would always lead to the provision
of information to the principal contractor.

Lack of adequate pre-construction information (such as Internal manholes and inspection chambers in Adequate access for construction vehicles to minimise
reversing requirements (one-way systems and turning Location of existing services
asbestos surveys. circulation areas
radii)
Details of geology, obstructions, services, ground Provision of adequate access and headroom for
External manholes in heavily used vehicle access zones maintenance in plant room and adequate provision for Deep excavations
contamination and so on
replacing heavy components.
Specification of ‘lip’ details (such as trip hazards) at the Thoughtful location of mechanical and electrical
Hand-scabbling of concrete (such as ‘stop ends’) Location of pump houses
tops of pre-cast concrete staircases equipment, light fittings, security devices and so on to
facilitate access, and placed away from crowded areas
Demolition by hand-held breakers of the top sections Specification of small steps (such as risers) in external
of concrete piles (pile cropping techniques are Specification of concrete products with pre-cast fixings Constructability
paved areas
available) to avoid drilling
Specification of fragile roof lights and roofing Specification of heavy lintels. (Slim metal of hollow Remote locations
assemblies concrete lintels are better alternatives Specification of half board sizes for plasterboard sheets
to make handling easier
Processes giving rise to large quantities of dust (such as Large and heavy glass panels Depth of pipe
dry cutting, blasting and so on) Early installation of permanent means of access, and
prefabricated staircases with hand rails
Chasing out concrete, brick or blockwork walls or floors Competency of Contractors
On-site spraying of harmful substances for the installation of services. Provision of edge protection at permanent works
where there is a foreseeable risk of falls after handover
Specification of structural steelwork which is not Specification of heavy building blocks (such as those
purposely designed to accommodate safety nets weighing more than 20 kgs) Practical and safe methods of window cleaning (such
as from the inside)
Design of roof mounted services that require access Specification of solvent-based paints and thinners, or
(for maintenance and so on), without provision for safe isocyanates, particularly for use in confined areas. Appointment of a temporary works co-ordinator
access (such as barriers)
Specification of curtain wall or panel systems without
provision for tying or raking scaffolds. Off-site timber treatment if PPA- and CCA-based
Glazing that cannot be accessed safely. preservatives are used (boron or copper salts can be
used for cut ends on site)
Entrances, floors, ramps, stairs and escalators not Specification of a blockwork wall more than 3.5 metres
specifically designed to avoid slips and trips during use high using retarded mortar mixes. Off-site fabrication and prefabricated elements to
and maintenance minimise on site hazards
Site traffic routes that do not allow for one-way
Design of environments involving adverse lighting, systems and/or vehicular traffic segregated from site
noise, vibration, temperature, humidity and draughts personnel. Encourage the use of engineering controls to minimise
during use and maintenance operations. the use of personal protective equipment
Site layout that does not allow adequate room for
Designs of structures that do not allow for fire delivery and/or storage of materials, including site-
containment during construction. specific components.
Heavy construction components which cannot be
handled using mechanical lifting devices (because of
access restrictions/floor loading and so on).

On-site welding, in particular for new structures.

Use of large piling rigs and cranes near live railways and
overhead electric power lines or where proximity to
obstructions prevents guarding of rigs.

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 HELP...
WHAT IF
I DON’T KNOW
ALL THAT?
Many design projects are too large
and complex to be fully understood by
one person.

Various people with specific skills and

expertise may need to be included in
the design team or consulted during the
design process to fill any knowledge gaps.
Examples include:

• Engineers
• Project managers
• Technical experts
• Occupational hygienists
• Ergonomists / human factors specialists
• Work health and safety experts

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 DESIGN
INFORMATION
Before commencing the design phase, it is
important to have an overview of all crucial
information needed for decision making.

Developing a clear understanding of the

project scope of work, parties involved,
legislative and local requirements, processes
and requisite information to need to be shared
at various stages is very important. This section
helps provide an overview of the important
questions to consider before getting started.

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 WHAT INFORMATION
DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?
You are expected to provide information about your design to help protect those
constructing and subsequently using or maintaining the building or structure. Here
are a few points to consider:
• You need to provide the right level of information to the right people at the
right time.
• Information should be project specific and of suitable and sufficient detail to
those who need it.
• You should agree with the principal designer how information will be exchanged.
• This may include risks that, due to the nature of the project or design, could

WHAT
be difficult to manage, are unusual or not likely to be obvious to a designer or
contractor with the appropriate skills, knowledge and experience.

INFORMATION
DO I NEED
TO OBTAIN?
Depending on the type and scope of the project you can reasonably expect the following:

• Pre-construction information
• A client brief, including how the finished project will be used
• Any known information from clients regarding existing structures or land
• Information on the site and ground conditions, any existing structures or operational
activities, noise levels, any restrictions on working hours, existing utility services and
ecological, environmental or heritage constraints
• Details of the project team (such as the client, other designers, specialist suppliers,
contractors, principal contractor, existing users and so on)
• The methods for communicating during the design, including how you will communicate
information such as design risks and the level of detail. Methods could include drawings,
registers, electronic systems, email and web-based systems
• Information held by others (such as other designers)
• Sustainability objectives, for example: BREEAM, LEED, Estidama, Green Star

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 WHAT INFORMATION
INFORMATION FOR OTHER DESIGNERS
You must provide the following information to other designers.

DO I GIVE TO WHO?
• Design loads, where you are responsible for the selection of plant, equipment,
materials or civil and structural design.
• Design parameters, where they could affect how others design their elements of
the work, for example the need for maintenance access, ventilation, power and
waste, sequences and stability.
• Key principles used in your design, such as loads, and stability, principles used for
avoiding disproportionate collapse, principles and precautions relating to fire, and
assumptions of the ground conditions.
• Design drawings relevant to their designs, with significant risks, such as existing
INFORMATION FOR THE CLIENT services, clearly identified.
You must provide the client with health and safety information that • Specifications, but only to the extent that these will inform their designs.
might affect them or future users, during or after construction, for • Information you have obtained to aid your design that could be useful to others, for
example, details of how to clean, access or maintain parts of your example information from structural and asbestos surveys, highways authorities,
GOOD PRACTICE design.
Take the designer utility owners, site security history and contaminated land information. Some of this
to meetings information may have originally come through.
to support the
INFORMATION FOR THE PRINCIPAL DESIGNER
constructability You must provide certain information to the principal designer.
of the proposed • Information relating to your designs, including any unusual INFORMATION FOR PRINCIPAL CONTRACTORS AND CONTRACTORS
design
remaining risks and the key assumptions and decisions you You must provide the following information to the principal contractor and contractors.
have made. This is an important part of the pre-construction • Any relevant assumptions your design makes, such as temporary works or
information which will be provided to the principal contractor. sequencing required where these are not obvious to a contractor with suitable skills,
• Details of significant risks that are a part of your design. This knowledge and experience. For example, you should identify whether a wall will
become unstable if it is unsupported while carrying out work nearby or the way in
could include sequencing of erection, any phased handovers or
which you have assumed temporary props or platforms will be installed or used.
temporary support that
is required. • Any survey or report obtained as part of your appointment that could be useful to
others in the management of health and safety.
• Information for inclusion in the health and safety file. This
• You should consider the user of the information and how best to provide it.
might include information which you have gathered during the
preparation or in the course of your design that could be of future • For example information that a contractor needs on site is probably best shown on
use to the client or end user in the use, maintenance, future work drawings and not in specifications or margin notes.
on, or demolition of the structure.

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 COMMUNICATION
AND COOPERATION

• You must co-operate with the client, other designers

and anyone else who provides you with information,
in particular the principal designer.
• You should co-ordinate and communicate with
others to provide clear information on how to control
any remaining risks. This includes temporary and
permanent works designers.
• Depending on the nature and extent of design work,
there may be a need to carry out design reviews in
order to focus on areas of the design where there are
health and safety risks requiring resolution.
• On projects where more than one contractor is
involved, the principal designer should take the lead in
managing a review process.
-- For example, they may ask you to review your
design when a subsequent designer or contractor
asks for a change. On smaller projects these reviews
could be part of normal project meetings.
• Communicate with those that you need to not those
that you don’t need to.

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 HEALTH &
SAFETY
PROCESS
IN DESIGN
In this section we will look at how the
successful use of design risk workshops
resulted in the delivery of robust design
solutions that added value to the project.

Health & Safety processes in design range

from maintaining Designer’s Hazard Records
to maintaining Hazard Warnings, and effective
communication of design and risk control
information at the preliminary stages to timely
post construction review.

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COMPLETING
OUR PROCESS
Effective communication and
documentation of design and risk control
information between all persons involved
PROCESS
in the phases of the lifecycle is essential
for the safe design approach

• Understand the scope of work

• Undertake design risk assessment during
and through design process
• Identify significant project specific hazards
remaining
• Utilize required forms for particular
business
• Only use forms that are approved unless
there are client specific requirements
• Complete the forms in full
• Transfer information to the relevant
parties For example, according
• Always put significant hazards and risks to the Work Health
onto the drawing block and Safety Regulations
2011, when it comes
• Highlight in colour or bold so the hazards to risk management, a
and risks stand out procedure is a form of
‘administrative control’
that means a method
of work, a process or a
procedure designed to
minimize risk.

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 COMPLETING
OUR PROCESS
Health & Safety
Designer’s Hazard Record Hazard Warnings

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 POST
CONSTRUCTION
REVIEW
Lessons Learned

The effectiveness of safety in design should be

evaluated at the completion of construction to
enable identification of the most effective design
practices or innovation that could be used on
other projects.
The review could involve a post construction
workshop attended by all relevant parties and
include the follow ing information:
• Post occupancy evaluations for buildings
• Defect reports A designer can be a
• Accident investigation reports company or individual
• Information regarding modifications
• User difficulties
• Deviations from intended conditions of use

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 EXAMPLES OF
GOOD PRACTICE
TO ADOPT

Ensure you
Eliminate Review design Have you Develop Undertake an Hold regular Verify design
understand
hazards at at concept design peer good working early site visit design changes –
the scope of
design stage stage reviewed relationships – if required meetings including
work
VO’s

Ask for
Communicate Complete risk Obtain any Provide
photographs Transfer
with those assessments preconstruction the right
of the location the right
you need to this is a information information
to visualise the information at
communicate continual to assist with to the right
wider challenges the right time
with process design people
of the design

Use building Make sure you

Add risk Remember
information are using the Verify any One size
information to not everyone Be innovative
modelling latest design design change doesn’t fit all
the drawing is a designer
(BIM) standards

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70 SAFETY IN DESIGN GUIDANCE HANDBOOK SAFETY IN DESIGN GUIDANCE HANDBOOK 71
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