Reference no: EM133755853

Apply safe design principles to control WHS risks

Task - Safe Design Standard Operating Procedure

This assessment task requires the development of a Standard Operating Procedure for inclusion of safety in design. You should refer to the examples (Queensland Urban Utilities and Australian Rail Track Corporation ATRC) as a basis for the document you produce.

Assume you are engaged by a civil engineering organisation that undertakes civil engineering and design for public infrastructure works. As part of meeting your obligations under the WHS Act and Regulations 2011 you are required to prepare a safety report and issue this to the client where the client is a Person Conducting A Business or Undertaking (PCBU). The aim of this report is to help prevent possibly future injuries or death by identifying, assessing and eliminating hazards or potential risks at the design stage. You also have a legal obligation to do this under the legislation, specifically regulation 295 of the WHS Regulation 2011. You also have an obligation under section 22 of the WHS Act to provide information on how you have designed the structure to be without risk to health and safety during construction, maintenance, use and demolition to anyone who is issued with a copy of the design. This information can be incorporated into the safe design report required under the WHS Regulation. Your standard operating procedure document must ensure these requirements are met in the designs developed by your organisation.

Advised decision-makers of their duties under WHS laws to manage WHS risks throughout a product's life cycle

Sourced and made available to decision-makers the most current information and data on WHS principles, materials, technology and systems that apply to product design

Advised on methods and tools that can support WHS hazard identification and WHS risk assessment throughout a product's life cycle

Identified and addressed learning and development needs of decision-makers to manage WHS risks that may arise during a product's life cycle, including during its design phase

Advised on consultation with known and/or potential users of the product during the design phase, according to organisational policies and procedures

Identified situations where specialist and other advisers may be required to support safe design activities

Advised on selection and implementation of required WHS risk controls in design, based on the hierarchy of control measures

Advised on documentation requirements relating to decision-making during risk assessment process

Advised on establishment of a residual WHS risk register and distribution of this information to those involved in downstream or subsequent product life-cycle stages

Advised on monitoring the design as it evolves, to identify and manage potential WHS hazards that may arise during product life cycle and their associated risks

Identified and addressed learning and development needs of decision-makers in relation to managing design-related WHS risks in a product's life cycle

Supported decision-makers in considering the needs of those using or interacting with product throughout its life cycle

Facilitated involvement of technical experts as required according to organisational processes and procedures

Advised on consultation arrangements with required personnel during all phases of design process to identify WHS hazards and control WHS risks that may occur throughout a product's life cycle

Advised on communicating residual WHS risks in product to those who will use or interact with the product throughout its life cycle

Advised decision-makers involved in purchasing and contractual arrangements to include requirements to identify WHS hazards and control WHS risks, and to provide information and data on residual WHS risks as part of procurement process

Advised on including a requirement to carry out a safe design approach in the design brief or draft specifications

Considered basic human cognitive and perceptual capabilities and other basic and fundamental factors relevant to the design of human machine interfaces in development of the standard operating procedures (SOP)

Outlined basic information about relevant psychosocial factors, occupational violence, shift work, repetitive work, awkward postures, lighting, thermal environment and work layout in SOP

Outlined the basics of anthropometry and biomechanics in SOP

Short Answer Questions

Question 1. What are the Principles of Safe Design?

Question 2. What is a lifecycle?

Question 3. (a) What is a residual risk?

(b) When does residual risk occur?

Question 4. In addition to core design capabilities relevant to the designer's role, what knowledge should a designer also have?

Question 5. What is the Hierarchy of Controls?

Question 6. What is ‘elimination'?

Question 7. Why is safe design important for risk management?

Question 8. Complete the diagrammatic representation of the Safe Design Process (adapted from figure 1 in Safe Work Australia's Guidance on the principles of safe design for work):

Question 9. What are the options for risk control measures?

Question 10. Why is it important to monitor and review control measures?

Question 11. What is meant by "fail-to-safe"?

Question 12. What does section 22 of the WHS Act require?

Question 13. What are the Benefits of Safe Design?

Question 14. Summarise the Duties of the Designer in Safe Design.

Question 15. The general process for hazard management which should be applied to each hazard can be summarised in the following flowchart. Draw a flowchart to summarise the process.

Question 16. What should be included in a Safety in Design Report?