Safety in construction design during the project lifecycle
Principle 2: Promote design for safety
Conduct design reviews to eliminate/reduce risks at concept and detailed design stages
The project manager, in collaboration with the designer, should review designs at both the concept and detailed design stages to identify potential safety hazards associated with design elements, and to assess the risks presented by these hazards.
Consider constructability in design safety reviews
The project manager and the designer should, as far as reasonable, take account of the proposed construction and maintenance methods and practices to ensure that they do not present inherent risks.
Principle 3: Communicate safety information
Include safety information in design documentation
In collaboration with the designer, the project manager should review all design documentation produced to ensure that safety issues and information about residual risks have been recorded in the project risk register.
Communicate relevant project safety risk information to constructors via the project risk register
Project safety risk information should be communicated to prospective constructors to provide information on safety as part of the tender or expression of interest process.
Principle 4: Manage safety risks
Record residual safety risk information in the project risk register
Residual safety risks should be recorded in the project risk register throughout the project life cycle to inform all stakeholders of the current status of project risks.
Principle 5: Continuously improve safety performance
Review key performance indicators (KPIs) for safety
In collaboration with the designer, the project manager should review the KPIs for measuring project safety performance established in Stage 1.
Principle 6: Entrench safety practices
Continuously develop safety capabilities
During the design stage, all stakeholders should continue to review, improve and implement programs for induction and on-the-job performance of staff—commenced in Stage 1—to entrench safety practices as an integral part of the safety culture.
Provide mentoring schemes for small to medium sized enterprise designers
The project manager and designer should actively support any SME designers involved in the project in developing safety risk management skills by designing for safety throughout the project lifecycle.
In this series:
- 6 principles of safety for construction projects
- Safety in construction design during the project lifecycle
- Managing safety on a construction project
- Post-construction safety for project managers
