Regarding the section 22 of Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the designer must ensure that the plant, substance or structure is designed to be without risks to the health and safety of persons who use the plant, substance or structure, who handle the substance at a workplace, who store the plant or substance at a workplace, who construct the structure at a workplace, who carry out any reasonably foreseeable activity, or who are at or in the vicinity of a workplace.
Figures released by Safe Work Australia estimate the cost associated with work-related injury and illness to be more than $60 billion dollars per year. Targets to be achieved by 2022 introduced in the Australian-WHS-Strategy-2012-2022 include:
- A reduction in the number of worker fatalities due to injury of at least 20 per cent
- A reduction in the incidence rate of claims resulting in one or more weeks off work of at least 30 per cent, and
- A reduction in the incidence rate of claims for musculoskeletal disorders resulting in one or more weeks off work of at least 30%.
Healthy and safe design is one of the seven action plans introduced in this document to achieve these targets with the outcome of elimination or minimisation of hazard by design.
Why is SID important in Australia?
According to Section 22 of Work Health and Safety Act 2011, the designer must ensure that the plant, substance or structure is designed to be without risks to the health and safety of persons who use the plant, substance or structure, who handle the substance at a workplace, who store the plant or substance at a workplace, who construct the structure at a workplace, who carry out any reasonably foreseeable activity, or who are at or in the vicinity of a workplace?
So, as a result of not being to show that your team is aware of Safety In Design and the relevant legislation, you take the risk of being liable for any WHS incidents.
What is the benefit of SID?
A safe design approach results in many benefits, including:
- prevention of injury and disease
- improved useability of products, systems and facilities
- improved productivity
- reduced costs
- better prediction and management of production and operational costs over the lifecycle of a product
- compliance with legislation, and
- innovation, in that safe design, demands new thinking.
How can we help you?
Please submit the Application Form to find out how our training courses, workshops and coaching sessions can assist you to meet all relevant legislation in your safety in design practice