Delivering safe, innovative design

By - , Build 147

Changes to the Health and Safety Reform Bill will make it mandatory to identify safety hazards during building design. Beca’s well established practices in this area are worth a look.

SAFETY IN DESIGN (SID) identifies hazards from the outset of projects. It’s the process of making deliberate design choices that enhance safety during every project stage. It has been a legal requirement in the construction industry in Australia and Europe for some years.

New Zealand to adopt Safety in Design

Now, New Zealand is set to meet these international standards through the Health and Safety Reform Bill, which comes into law later this year. Considering the implications of designed structures on future users and constructors is a key element in the proposed changes of the Bill.

The measures will place greater onus on asset owners and designers, manufacturers, suppliers and importers to identify hazards early in a project and to communicate these to the appropriate parties. A focus on eliminating or minimising risks is a key element in raising safety performance in the industry.

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Beca an early adoptor

Over the past few years, Beca has rolled out internal and external initiatives to create a culture embracing SiD. The company’s Australian offices adopted a SiD policy ahead of the 2011 Federal Occupational Health and Safety law changes, and a similar approach was also promoted in New Zealand.

Beca’s approach involves collaborative engagement between all parties throughout the design process. This means fewer assumptions are made about how others might construct, operate, maintain and ultimately demolish.

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Makes good sense

‘It makes inherent sense, regardless of any legislative requirement, to include SiD as an intrinsic part of the design process,’ says David Carter, Beca’s Group Director Practice Development.

‘A focused effort on training and sharing good ideas is an essential part of embedding SiD into the company’s DNA.

‘We now have a number of staff across each market segment with experience in facilitating SiD in their respective businesses.’

This internal commitment and initiatives promoting the benefits of SiD to clients and the industry were recognised when it won the top prize at the 2014 Safeguard Workplace Health & Safety Awards.

Many clients welcome the opportunity to discuss the SiD process and become more risk aware of health and safety aspects of the design. The benefits of an integrated risk-assessment process through the design often extend way beyond health and safety.

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Case study – Wynyard Quarter Innovation

Precinct Properties New Zealand is a development partner with Auckland Waterfront Development Agency for the Wynyard Quarter Innovation Precinct.

This development includes a new 6-storey building and the refurbishment of an existing maritime building that complement the objectives of Auckland Council’s City Centre Master Plan and Waterfront Plan.

The development is a major revitalisation of the area, with a purpose-built sustainable precinct environment.

SiD a cornerstone

A key focus of Beca’s project team was to ensure that SiD was picked up as early in the design process as practicable. This desire was supported by Precinct Properties, which has a keen focus on health and safety. This enabled collaborative expertise to consider the whole life cycle of the project and buildings.

Recently, a SiD review session focused on the preliminary design packages for the project by looking at the four phases that would be encountered during the asset life cycle, which are:

● construction

● operation

● maintenance and inspection

● demolition and disposal.

Risks and issues identified at the SiD review workshop were then categorised. A few of these early-stage considerations follow.

Downlighting under high-level canopies

The use of low-level uplighting to provide the same aesthetic effect as downlights needs investigating. This would prevent the need for working at height during construction and future building maintenance.

Inability to pressurise the stairwall

Pressurising a stairwell during an emergency evacuation, such as a fire, is important to keep the area safe while staff leave the building.

At the workshop, it was noted that the design might not enable a pressurised stairwell, potentially exposing people to toxin inhalation during evacuation. Further design consideration is being given to this for the safety of users.

Blind corners in the car park

Areas of potential conflict between people and vehicles were identified. The team are now looking to install bollards or develop a design that gives people adequate visibility and reaction time to approaching vehicles.

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