“Prevention through Design”, an article written by Fred A. Manuele in the October, 2008 issue of Professional Safety Magazine addresses the new initiative by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to include safety prevention in the design and redesign of buildings. The initiative was founded on the need to “create a sustainable national strategy for prevention through design.” (NIOSH). It talks about the need for graduates of business, architecture and engineering to have basic knowledge of occupational health and safety, and that one of the best ways to prevent occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities is to design out or minimize hazards and risks early in the design process. (NIOSH)

According to the article there are six levels of Action decision makers need to address when it comes to preventing hazards.

• Eliminate or reduce risks in the design and redesign processes.
• Reduce risks by substituting less hazardous methods or materials
• Incorporate safety devices.
• Provide warning systems
• Apply administrative controls (e.g., work method, training, work scheduling
• Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Eliminating or reducing risks in the design and redesign process should take priority when building or updating a facility. The results are obvious when a company takes an initiative to reduce hazards through prevention. A major steel manufacturer installed non-slip flooring products in one of their facilities. They later did a study and found that after installing these products their lost time due to slip and falls went down to zero. They decided to install the slip resistant products throughout other facilities in order to prevent any slip and fall accidents.

Reducing risk by substituting less hazardous methods or materials is simply about making the best out of a bad situation. Let’s say a company has a slip and fall on one of their catwalks. In one facility the company applies slip resistant expanded metal over the existing slippery catwalk. At a newly constructed facility the company is able to incorporate non-slip plates into the catwalk construction. Prevention was taking in both situations, just in different methods.

Incorporating safety devices keeps workers away from dangerous situations. An example of this is using a guard on a saw that will not let any object come within a few inches of the blade. It keeps the worker from accidentally entering into a hazardous situation.

Warning systems are really more reactionary than preventative. Smoke alarms react with a fire is already burning, back up sensors beep when you are already in motion. These systems are still vitally important to worker safety.

Applying administrative controls touches on the importance of developing appropriate work methods and procedures. Scheduled rest periods, maintenance, job rotation and motivation are all important in maintaining a safe well functioning facility.

Providing personal protective equipment is the simplest of all of the preventative guidelines. All workers should be provided with safety devises that are appropriate for their jobs. Safety glasses, gloves, steel toed boots, and ear plugs are an inexpensive way to prevent personal injury.

In all, the NIOSH’s initiative “Prevention through Design” is an excellent guide to keeping workers safe and companies productive.

Manuele, Fred A. “Prevention Through Design; Addressing occupational risks in the design and redesign processes.” Professional Safety Oct. 2008: 28-40.

Filed under: Workplace Safety by Beth Faraci Social tagging: occupational health and safety > safety prevention