Safe by Design Safe by Design Operation Maintenance and Repair Construction Maintenance and Repair Demolition / Refurbishment Designing out risk isn’t a new idea. Throughout history, builders and designers have been considering safety to make sure structures and buildings are safe to build and safe to use. Designers have an important role in reducing risk in all stages of a project – through construction, during operation, when being maintained or repaired all the way to demolition or refurbishment. We aim to apply the highest standards to our projects consistently wherever we work.

Safe by Design A new focus In an effort to prevent injuries governments, organisations and clients are focussing on health and safety. There is also social pressure to build, maintain and use buildings and structures without harming workers. Increasingly Designers are being asked to demonstrate their designs are safe to build and maintain.

Safe by Design Is Health and Safety more important than other design elements? When designing, many things are considered such as : fitness for purpose buildability cost aesthetics - and so on Health & Safety is one of these factors and must be considered equally with them. In some cases the options may have similar safety implications - in which case other factors will decide which is selected. In others, health & safety may be the dominant or deciding factor. It’s important to remember that health & safety must be considered in balance with these other elements.

Safe by Design The Definition of Risk The combination of the chance that a specified undesired event will occur and the severity of the consequences of the event. Throughout this presentation we will talk about risks. It is important to understand what we mean by the term risk: Risk is the combination of the chance that a specified undesired event will occur and the severity of the consequences of the event. This is normally measured as low, medium or high.

Safe by Design How safe is safe? Working at height Vehicles and other transport Power cables, gas pipes and other services Structural instability Others It is generally thought that between 30% and 50% of construction risks can be eliminated or mitigated by good design. This means designers can’t address all risks, and many will have to be left to the contractor to manage. You should however do what you can, and think of the safest ways of achieving your design. Consider major risks which can cause serious injury or worse. Working at height Vehicles and other transport Power cables, gas pipes and other services Structural instability Others – such as Fire Risks, Noise, Vibration, Dust or Asbestos You don’t have to come up with a magical new way of dealing with risks every time you design but you do need to follow good practice in what you do.

Safe by Design So what can I do? We’ll examine specific examples later in the presentation but let’s consider falling from height on construction sites as an illustration of what to do You may consider it’s the contractors responsibility to protect his staff from falling - but it’s also yours! No one expects designers to completely eliminate work at height from construction - but you may be able to reduce it – for example, by designing so things are assembled on the ground and lifted into place or by specifying prefabrication The less time people are up high the less chance there is they may fall, or drop something on those below!

Safe by Design Early consideration of Risk is the key You must consider what people will have to do to build, operate and maintain what you’ve designed and what risks they’ll face. You should then look for design options to eliminate or reduce risks and this must be done as early as possible and as your design evolves - poor designers tend to do this at the end of the process but that’s too late - all the decisions have been made! You must consider safety at the outset, and throughout your design. This is where you can make the biggest impact.

Safe by Design Types of safety Occupational Safety System Safety Slips and trips Falls from heights Use of substances Occupational Safety Hardware Software Human interaction System Safety It is also important to understand where the greatest risks are in your design before you can remove or reduce them. If you are designing a building or structure, it is likely that most of the risk will be occupational – centred on the construction phase and affecting construction workers. However, if you are designing a railway signalling system, the greatest risk may be to the users of the final system - train drivers and passengers. Early involvement with the people who will be building or maintaining your design will help to eliminate risk and assist in managing any that remain. Understanding where to focus your risk reduction strategies will increase their effectiveness.

Safe by Design Tools to help Designers reduce risk Red, Amber, Green (RAG) List Reg Amber and Green lists – also called RAG lists - are practical aides to designers on what to eliminate or avoid. Red items are generally prohibited because there is a safer way to perform these tasks. The Amber list shows things that are allowed to be used in a careful and sparing way because they represent significant risks. The Green list shows preferred ways to construct or maintain your design and should be used wherever practicable and designers should try to use these methods where they can.

Safe by Design You may think this sounds like a lot of work! Well, it isn’t - and don’t forget you’re probably doing most of this already without fully realising it. The amount of effort you put in should be proportionate to the danger posed by the risk. Don’t spend a lot of time on minor risks - but do deal with them if its quick and easy. Focus your attention on major risks that could cause serious injuries, or worse.

Safe by Design What not to do Don’t produce long lists of risks that everyone is aware of - focus on the odd or unusual ones Don’t worry about trivial risks Don’t worry about producing risk free designs - because that’s impossible!

DESIGNERS Safe by Design So that’s all there is to it? CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS CLIENT MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS OTHER DESIGNERS OTHERS So is that all there is to it? Not quite! - You’ve done what you can - now others have to take over but don’t let them start from the very beginning. You now know a lot about risks - so pass that on. Give others whatever help and information you can to make their efforts more effective.

Safe by Design How do I do that? Record what you know and provide that with your design. This could be in Designers Risk Records - But - the best way is to put notes on the drawings. Others may not look at all the documentation - but they have to look at the drawings!

Construction Sequence Safe by Design So what do I tell them? Risks remaining Construction Sequence You should highlight the odd or unusual risks you’ve identified - and not been able to eliminate. Obviously if you’ve designed any risks out, they’re gone - so there’s nothing to say about them. You should also provide any construction sequence information that’s necessary. If your design can be built in any order that’s fine - if not, you should suggest the order it should be built in. You should also provide any temporary support loads - you won’t be designing the temporary works, but you have information those designers will need.

Safe by Design Type of Information Project specific Brief Clear Precise In a form suitable for the user The information you provide should be project specific. It should be brief, clear, precise and in a form suitable for the user. Don’t put it on your intranet - they don’t carry laptops on site. Put it on the drawings!

Safe by Design The controlled reduction of risk Identified Risk Can the risk be Eliminated or avoided by designing it out? Yes Eliminate the risk by designing it out No Can the risk be Reduced by using design methods? Yes Reduce the risk by using design methods No Construction Design Process Inform other people of the specific significant remaining risk (such as other designers, maintenance staff or contractors) Residual risks which could not be designed out are Controlled by the contractor. When considering control measures, give priority to measures which Protect all persons rather than individuals. In order to ensure your design is safe to build, you need to look at the risks to people when building, maintaining, using or demolishing it. The idea is that you start by choosing methods from the top of the list and work your way down if required.  Can the risk be Eliminated – For example, if you have equipment at height which needs regular maintenance, why not consider if you can site the equipment at ground level? The safest control measure is to eliminate the risk completely. If you can’t eliminate, can you Reduce the exposure to the risk? – Using the same example as before, if your equipment needs to be at height, can you reduce the amount of maintenance needed by specifying more durable components? If there are remaining risks that are significant , Inform other people. Significant risks are those which are unusual, difficult to manage or which would not be obvious to a competent contractor. Information on generic risks should not be passed on. Contractors will definitely need to know but also consider other designers or people who will maintain or repair your design. Although it is not a normal duty for a designer, you may be able to suggest Control measures – You have lots of knowledge about your design and you may have information which is valuable. Control measures which Protect everyone are always preferred to measures which control risks to individuals.

Safe by Design As a designer, what more can I do? So as a designer, what more can I do?

Safe by Design Avoid Risks to Health Can you specify precast channels or surface mounted ducts? Specify off-site timber treatments. Most of us can easily understand safety risks but it is important to remember dangers to health. During construction and maintenance, hazardous materials can be encountered. For example drilling and cutting generates lots of dust which can be extremely harmful. It also exposes the worker to noise and hand-arm vibration. As a Designer, you could eliminate these risks by specifying surface mounted ducts to avoid the need to chase out channels. If you’re using timber, get it treated off-site to eliminate chemical exposure to construction workers.

Safe by Design Reduce Manual Handling Can you specify lighter materials? Could you design reinforcement cages to be lifted mechanically? During construction and throughout use and maintenance of your design, you must consider how you could eliminate or reduce manual handling. Some examples of manual handling hazards are Lifting and placing kerbs Lifting and placing steel frame pipework supports Assembling steel frames for buildings Lifting and placing rebar cages In your role as Designer, you could assist in reducing manual handling in many ways. Some examples are; Specify couplers instead of long laps to aid steel fixing Specify lighter materials where possible - for example, concrete kerbs which are light enough to be lifted by one person Plan the design so that mechanical excavators can be used rather than hand-dig Design rebar cages that can be craned into position so they can be fabricated on the ground rather than in excavations or at height

Safe by Design Prefabricate Construction Elements Specify concrete products with pre-cast fixings Floor slabs designed to allow edge protection to be fitted at ground level Specify pre-applied finishes to ducts and pipes Use reinforcing mesh in preference to individual bars You can eliminate or reduce many on-site dangers by having parts of your project built off-site and delivered ready-assembled. This involves planning ahead but the benefits are well worth it. Safety, quality and speed of completion will all benefit. Examples of prefabrication Specify concrete products with pre-cast fixings so that holes for fixings don’t have to be drilled afterwards which causes noise, vibration and dust and will have an adverse effect on worker’s health. Pre-cast floor slabs designed to allow edge protection to be fitted at ground level. These may require extra cast-in fixings for temporary guardrails and the like which can then be fitted before the slabs are lifted into position. This means that as soon as the slab is in place it is safe to work on. Specify pre-applied finishes to ducts and pipes to avoid having to use potentially hazardous products in the uncontrolled site environment - the factory is the best place to do this. Use reinforcing mesh in preference to individual bars - this reduces he need to handle each bar manually and will reduce the time needed to form the reinforcing cage

Safe by Design Consider Safe Access Position plant rooms on the ground floor Design windows for internal cleaning Provide parking areas for maintenance vehicles Check that clearances allow temporary plant and protective equipment to be used Examples Position plant rooms on the ground floor. This makes it easier to deliver heavy replacement parts and to remove equipment for maintenance Design windows for internal cleaning or provide cradles for access to the face of the building. If the building isn’t too high you could include a hard standing so that long poles or mobile elevated work platforms can be used for cleaning windows. Whatever you decide to do you must allow for a safe means of cleaning and repairing windows. Position vents on roofs within safe access areas. It’s best not to have a lot of things on the roof that people need access to, but if you do have anything at roof level you must provide safe access to it and a safe working area for whatever maintenance may be required. Consider providing additional features. For example, parking areas for highway maintenance work - think about how people may get there. Check that there is adequate space for maintenance operatives to wear the necessary PPE? (for instance breathing apparatus in manholes). Check that clearances allow temporary plant and equipment like access towers to be used - can they fit through doors and any other relevant openings and operate freely within the areas they need to access.

Safe by Design Create a Safe Environment Design open chambers with handrails instead of covers where appropriate Pressurised pipelines can be laid relatively shallow The amount of time spent working at height can be minimised by planning ahead The designer is uniquely placed to be proactive in providing safe workplaces for construction workers. Examples of unsafe workplaces Manholes and sewers Working at height – roofs and ceilings Safe by Design examples Design open chambers with handrails instead of covers where appropriate. This prevents the build up of hazardous gases Pressurised pipelines can be laid in shallow trenches, avoiding the need for deep excavations- they can even be laid above ground in treatment works. The amount of time spent working at height can be minimised by planning ahead - use prefabricated components that can be assembled at ground level and then craned into position

Safe by Design Include Safety Features from the Start Make it easy to install temporary handrails Design and sequence the works so that permanent stairwells and parapets are available earlier Provide hard standings to allow the use of mobile access equipment and cranes Provide runway beams for heavy plant maintenance Examples of integrated safety features Design so as to make it easy to install temporary handrails. You could even provide permanent handrails that can be laid flat if there is concern about them being permanently visible Design and sequence the works so that stairwells are available early on and can be used during construction - this avoids the need for temporary access arrangements Design in permanent parapets and barriers from the outset - these can then be installed early and provide protection during construction Provide hard standings to allow the use of mobile access equipment - in a similar way we discussed for cleaning windows Provide runway beams for the removal and replacement of heavy plant during maintenance Think early so you can plan ahead

Safe by Design Avoid specifying hazardous materials Specify mechanical joints Try to choose less hazardous materials Consider more hazardous materials if they are more durable than alternatives Hazardous materials such as sealants, paints, coatings or adhesives may produce harmful vapours that can have an adverse effect on people’s health. These will be more of a risk during construction and less of a risk during use and maintenance as the material will generally be cured or have set. Safe by Design examples Specify mechanical joints rather than ones that need sealants or adhesives Look at the material manufacturer’s safety data sheets and try to choose less hazardous materials - for example, water based adhesives. Sometimes however it is acceptable to specify more hazardous materials if they are more durable than the alternatives. For example in areas which are difficult or dangerous to access, meaning the task would have to be done less frequently. There is no one right answer all the time - you need to think about what your design requires people to do and work out the safest way of doing it.

Safe by Design Millennium Dome in London Twelve 100m high towers Aircraft warning lights needed Back-up lights fitted on each tower Let’s look at some real world examples of the Safe by Design thought process; The Millennium Dome was designed and built in readiness for the Millennium celebrations. The design included twelve 100m yellow towers – representing 12 hours and the role of Greenwich Mean Time. The towers each needed an aircraft warning light due to their location and height. The designers considered both the working life of the structure and of the aircraft warning lights and decided to install two lights on top of each tower. In the event of a light failing, the second light could simply be switched on - reducing the amount of dangerous work at height.

Safe by Design Velodrome Cable net roof Built at ground level Lifted into place To reduce working at height, designers of this Velodrome specified a cable net rather than steel truss roof. This was assembled at ground level and then jacked into place, avoiding the need for work at height. The roof is also maintenance free, avoiding the need for work at height during operation. The design also shortened the construction programme by 6 months.

Safe by Design Reduce health risks using simple drilling jig 80,000 seats Hand arm vibration Noise Manual Handling A new 80,000 seat sports stadium required each seat to be secured by four bolts to the concrete terrace. Installing these seats involved a lengthy and repetitive process of drilling into the concrete. The task introduced risks from various hazards such as hand-arm vibration, noise, dust and manual handling To reduce these risks, a mobile jig was developed for holding two drills originally designed to be hand held. This significantly reduced the hand arm vibration and handling hazards. The time required to complete the job was reduced as two holes were drilled simultaneously. The operator was further away from the source of noise and dust so these hazards were also reduced. Of course the best solution would have been to specify cast-in fixings in the concrete.

Safe by Design Let’s recap You are key in making projects safer Health Involve others Consider options Involve your client Keep records Let us recap; Designers have a key role to play in making construction, maintenance and operation safer Don’t forget to consider health aspects You will need to involve other parties – you can’t do this on your own Remember to think broadly about the options available Involve your client where you can and pass on key information to the relevant parties You will need to keep a simple record of your decisions

Safe by Design Company Process You will all have your own specific process for recording designer actions and decisions taken Notes on drawings and risk registers are good practice for informing others about design decisions taken Speak to your Project Manager to obtain further information on your company specific process You will all have your own specific process for recording designer actions and decisions taken Putting notes on drawings and risk registers are good practice for informing others about the design decisions which have been taken If you’re not familiar with it, speak to your Project Manager to obtain further information on your company specific process

Safe by Design Consequences A major international airport Sometimes, things do go wrong and Designers don’t fully consider how to safely maintain their project. When a new major international terminal costing £4.5billion was constructed, its designers seemed to have overlooked one basic problem: how to safely change light bulbs when they are up to 120ft above the ground. Since opening in 2008, not a single bulb has been replaced on its immense single-span roof, and in some areas up to 60 per cent of the lights have failed, making the concourse increasingly gloomy. Having tried cherry-pickers and hydraulic boom lifts to replace the lamps, none were deemed to be practical or safe enough. But now, a team of specialist rope-access workers has been given the job of preventing the lights going out completely. The terminal houses the world’s largest controlled-lighting system with 120,000 light fittings and 2,600 sensors designed to switch off lighting when no motion is detected. The airport’s operators now plan to replace all the bulbs in one go with LED lights that are expected to last at least five years.

Safe by Design Reflection – Challenge Yourself! Are you good at recognising risk in design? Do you periodically step back from the detail and consider risk? Are you good at communicating risk to those that need to know about it? Are large quantities of paper being produced for little effect? Are there new tools that you could adopt? Now you have seen and heard the tremendous impact designers can have on improving health and safety, ask yourself these questions; Are you good at recognising risk in design? – Think of your last design. Could you have done better? Do you periodically step back from the detail and consider risk? – This isn’t easy to do so think about asking a colleague who has no detailed knowledge of your project. Are you good at communicating risk to those that need to know about it? How do you do this now? Which communication pathways work best? Are large quantities of paper being produced for little effect? This doesn’t help anyone – keep to the important facts. Are there new tools that you could adopt? – Think about RAG lists, SHE boxes and can you involve the contractor early in the design phase? To achieve safe design we must recognise risk, particularly unusual risks, and communicate it to those around us so that it can be effectively managed. Doing this well needs to become part of our culture. Achieving a Safe by Design culture will enable us to lead our industry for all the right reasons.

Safe by Design Useful websites Safety in Design Design best practice CHSF FAQs applicable globally Olympic 2012 examples Singapore guidance Hong Kong guidance Australia guidance