Safe design in construction

n 2008, WorkSafe Western Australia and the Western Australia Commission for Occupational Safety and Health developed and implemented a Code of Practice for the Safe Design of Buildings and Structures to provide guidance for construction designers in meeting safe design regulations. Design engineers were surveyed and participated in focus groups to evaluate the Western Australia construction industry’s perspective on the new code of practice and to understand the effects of construction safety in design. The research concluded that engineers generally believe the regulations and code of practice are sensible and almost all believe construction worker safety and health is being positively impacted. Furthermore the research indicates that the regulations and code of practice have made a positive impact on the design engineers’ duty of care, thinking, and actions towards affecting the safety and health of construction workers. The work was carried out to understand the effects in Western Australia and also to inform the current National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Prevention through Design approach and a long-term strategy to adoption in the United States