Tag Archive for: National Construction Code

Safe Design in Practice: The Construction Phase

Safe Design in Practice: Construction Phase

 

Safe Design Lifecycle: The Construction Phase

Designers need to consider safety of people during the lifecycle of the structure when it will be used as a workplace. The main phases are during:

  • construction of the structure (including civil works stage and demolition of any existing structures),
  • use for the purpose for which the structure is designed,
  • maintenance, cleaning or repair of the structure, and
  • demolition of the structure at end of life.

Below, we’ve provided a few details of the general hazards in the Construction Phase that designers can consider. This is not a complete list, however Designers should follow a systematic approach to identifying hazards. The CHAIR Process may assist in working through the identification process. 

Construction

While designers may not have management and control over the actual construction work, they can discharge their duties by consulting, cooperating and coordinating activities, where reasonably practicable, with those who have control of construction work. They must also alert the principal contractor of any potential hazards that have not been eliminated through the design of the structure. Designers can ensure that the structures that they design can be safely constructed by considering factors such as:

  • identifying site hazards;
  • identifying any services including potential electrical hazards;
  • identifying hazardous substances in existing buildings when designing renovations;
  • considering accessibility and loads of plant required for construction;
  • designing to minimise manual handling by selecting building materials that are robust yet lightweight;
  • eliminating or minimising large or awkward components;
  • designing pre-fabricated components to reduce work at height;
  • designing to ensure that confined spaces are eliminated or the need to enter these is reduced;
  • considering the specification of safer materials and finishes, e.g. low VOC paints, polyester insulation;
  • designing roof parapets to guardrail requirements so that they can be used as edge protection;
  • reducing the spacing of roof trusses and battens or specifying safety mesh to reduce the risk of falls;
  • considering reducing the risk of falls through openings;
  • recommending that permanent stairs be installed early in the construction process to prevent falls and manual task hazards;
  • designing out the need for high risk construction work or communicating information that facilitates safe construction of high risk work; and
  • consulting with the principal contractor and experts in relation to construction safety.

The Code of Practice: Preventing Falls in Housing Construction (2012) provides greater detail including specification requirements.

Industry-specific design and construction hazards

Safe Design Australia has many years of experience working with building designers from around the world on large-scale and small scale commercial and residential developments. We’ve built up a comprehensive library of hazard identification and risk elimination and minimisation options specific to healthcare and hospitals, schools and education facilities, childcare centres, residential multi-storey developments, commercial and retail buildings and more. If you need assistance for your specific project – get in touch! We can help you with specifically customised safe design documentation to assist you in your project.

Talk to us about a Safe Design Workshop

Duties of designers under safe design legislationSafe Design Australia can facilitate workshops for your safe design projects. We’ve developed an effective process for workshops and have conducted workshops from small projects to skyscrapers and complex facilities. We can also facilitate workshops using and adaptation of the CHAIR Process.

If you would like to run your own workshops, we can help you with the tools and training to do this in our Procedures, Templates and Training package.

Need more info, contact us.

Safe Design Legislation & Harmonisation

Safe Design Legislation and Harmonisation

 

Legislation and Regulation

As a designer, are you fully aware of the work health and safety legislation and regulations in the State or Territory that you practice?

In 2009, Safe Work Australia (SWA), was established to improve work health and safety and workers’ compensation arrangements across Australia. Following a national review into relevant laws across the country, in addition to extensive public consultation, SWA created a model work health and safety (WHS) Act and WHS Regulation endorsed by the Workplace Relations Ministers’ Council (WRMC). The harmonisation of WHS legislation in Australia was proposed to:

  • reduce regulator burdens,
  • protect the health and safety of workers and workplaces,
  • reduce the compliance costs for business, and
  • improve efficiency of regulators.

All states and territories agreed to harmonise their work health and safety laws so each jurisdiction would be similar, however individual state and territory regulators are responsible for adopting and enforcing their own laws. And, designers have a responsibility to ensure they’re meeting the relevant requirements in their individual state or territory.

Understanding the Legislation Framework

The following framework shows how the elements under WHS legislation correlate:


 

  • The Act outlines duties in relation to workplace health and safety including those of designers.
  • Regulations and Mandatory Standards detail the mandatory requirements and provide additional information about how designers can fulfill their duties. Other legislative provisions include the National Construction Code of Australia (NCC) including the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and the building laws in each jurisdiction (state or territory).
  • Codes of Practice (COP) and Non-Mandatory Standards provide guidance on how to implement the legislation. Compliance is mandated unless the same or better is achieved.
  • Standards include Australian and technical standards – some are referred to in legislation (law).
  • Guidance Material include industry-specific safety standards and guidance material produced by the regulators and industry.

 

WHS Legislation and Regulation by State or Territory

The legislation and corresponding regulations in each state and territory in Australia vary slightly. It’s important that designers are familiar with their duties in the state or territory in which they practice. The following table has an overview, with relevant links to help.

State or Territory

Legislation Regulator and Harmonisation Date
Australian Capital Territory

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (ACT); and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (ACT).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

WorkSafe ACT

Commenced 1 January 2012

 

 

 

New South Wales

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW); and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2017 (NSW).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

WorkCover NSW and SafeWork NSW

Commenced 1 January 2012

 

 

 

Northern Territory

 

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Act 2011 (NT); and Work Health and Safety (National Uniform Legislation) Regulations 2011 (NT).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

NT WorkSafe

Commenced 1 January 2012

 

 

 

 

Queensland

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld); and Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland / WorkCover Qld

Commenced 1 January 2012

 

 

South Australia

 

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA); and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (SA).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

SafeWork SA

Commenced 1 January 2013

 

 

 

Tasmania

 

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (Tas); and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2012 (Tas)

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

WorkSafe Tasmania

Commenced 1 January 2013

 

 

 

Victoria

 

 

 

 

 

 

Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic); and Occupational Health and Safety Regulations 2017 (Vic).

Consider safety during:

  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning

Excludes:

  • Construction and Demolition stages
  • Residential dwellings (apart from workplaces)
WorkSafe Victoria

Commencement of National legislation – currently deferred

 

 

 

 

Western Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

Occupational Safety and Health Act 1984 (WA); and Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 1996 (WA).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning

Excludes:

  • Demolition at end of life
  • Residential dwellings (apart from workplaces)
WorkSafe WA

Commencement of National legislation – currently deferred

 

 

 

 

Commonwealth

 

 

 

 

 

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth); and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth).

Consider safety during:

  • Construction
  • Purpose for which it is designed (Workplaces only)
  • Maintenance, repair, cleaning
  • Demolition

Includes commercial and residential buildings.

Australian Government Comcare

Commenced January 2012

 

NEED MORE INFO? Talk to us.

Duties of designers under safe design legislation

Want to find out more about your Safe Design obligations and how to navigate these in relation to your specific design project? Get in touch! You can also download our FREE EBOOK.

We’ve also developed a great training resource specifically for building designers, architects, engineers, and other building design professionals. Check out our flexible and convenient ‘Safe Design Online Short Course’, designed to assist you understand and practice safe design principles. It’s endorsed by the Safety Institute of Australia (SIA)’s Professional Development.

Need more info, contact us.

Safe Design Workshops - CHAIR process

Safe Design Workshops

Safe Design in Practice: Workshops

Safe Design Workshops

Designers can identify hazards to eliminate or minimise risk in design, construction and use of a structure by consulting with other duty holders through formal Safe Design Workshops.

Brainstorming safe designAn early workshop – during the design phase – can involve a brainstorming process where key stakeholders, led by a facilitator, consider potential hazards and evaluate the design.

Subsequent workshops can encourage stakeholders to participate and consult on detailed design issues relating to the construction, maintenance, use for purpose or demolition of the structure being designed.

 

Safety in Design Tool

WorkCover NSW (now known as SafeWork NSW) developed a safety in design tool known as the Construction Hazard Assessment Implication Review Process (CHAIR Process) which uses guidewords as a prompt to promote discussion.

The CHAIR process recommends the use of a facilitator to help guide the process to ensure that there are not any issues that may have been overlooked.

It’s recommended that a diverse range of stakeholders and a systematic methodology is used to significantly reduce the chance of overlooking a major problem.

Who should participate in a Safe Design Workshop?

The hazard categories or guidewords found in the CHAIR Process tool may be useful in assisting the designer or facilitator to guide discussions to identify potential hazards. People that can participate in safe design workshops include:

  • the designer
  • the client
  • project manager
  • design manager
  • engineers
  • maintenance manager
  • principal contractor
  • workers’ representative
  • employer at the workplace or operator
  • plant designers
  • consultant that have an influence on safety decisions (e.g. childcare consultant, acoustic consultant, BCA consultant, fire services consultant)
  • safe design consultant

 

Consultation and Cooperation in Safe Design

Consideration of potential hazards should also be identified and solutions proposed to improve the safety of the structure for when it is used as a workplace. Particularly in relation to:

  • demolition of existing structures;
  • civil and ground works including site layout;
  • construction of structure;
  • use for the purpose for which the structure is designed;
  • maintenance, cleaning and repair of the structure; and
  • demolition at end of life.

Benefits of a Safe Design Workshop Facilitator

The Safe Design Workshop Facilitator should be a person that is sufficiently removed from the design process so that they don’t take any suggestions as criticism or feel the need to defend the design concept.

The designer or facilitator should follow a systematic approach in identifying and discussing potential hazards relating to the design. It’s important to document the discussions and outcomes, including items that require further action so that there is a structured approach to the Workshop.

The Safe Design Workshop may be used to help populate the designer’s risk register which forms part of the safety report.

For further information on safe design workshops refer to the Construction Hazard Assessment Implication Review (CHAIR) Safety in Design Tool, WorkCover NSW.

Talk to us about a Safe Design Workshop

Duties of designers under safe design legislationSafe Design Australia can facilitate workshops for your safe design projects. We’ve developed an effective process for workshops and have conducted workshops from small projects to skyscrapers and complex facilities. We can also facilitate workshops using the CHAIR Process.

If you would like to run your own workshops, we can help you with the tools and training to do this in our Procedures, Templates and Training package.

 

Need more info, contact us.

Fire Safety for Childcare Centres

Fire safety for childcare centres in highrise buildings

Fire safety considerations for multi-storey childcare facilities

 

Fire safety for childcare centres in highrise buildings.

The Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB) raised an important topic recently around the changing use of highrise buildings for facilities other than office or residential spaces, and managing fire safety.

With the ever-increasing need to provide centralised and convenient services to a changing and dynamic workforce, accommodating working parents, more and more childcare centres are being built in multi-storey and highrise spaces in CBDs.

This brings its own unique concerns and considerations when it comes to managing fire safety. How do you evacuate children and infants with limited mobility, safety and swiftly in the event of fire? Fire stairs are not designed for children, handrails out of reach, multiple steps, two-way traffic, infants who need to be carried, limited carers to name a few.

The ABCB recognises that amendments to the National Construction Code may be one part of the solution, but recognises that other options also need to be considered.

What options does the ABCB offer?

The ABCB suggests a multi-faceted approach. “Options include:

  • sprinklers to protect in place;
  • fire rated safe havens adjoining the stairs to bring the children into and to hold until it is safe to evacuate;
  • a dedicated stair where possible (or in the case of a rooftop podium, one stair that does not serve floors above the childcare);
  • foldable cots to put children into at the external safe area (the safe holding of children in appropriate assembly areas needs to be part of the evacuation strategy);
  • carry vests to bring babies down the stairs;
  • stair re-entry to allow childcare workers back into the building;
  • low level handrails in the stairs; and
  • even improved stair cleaning regimes so that children do not hold up evacuations to stop and look at their dirty hands;
  • the building’s automatic evacuation sequencing may need to be amended to consider fire location, such that the childcare may be evacuated first where it’s the fire floor or if the fire floor is below them, but evacuated last for a fire in floors above.”

Read the full ABCB Article here.

Safe design for childcare centres

Our Case Study article identifies several unique requirements and safe design considerations that Childcare centres in multi-storey buildings need, particularly where the childcare facility is often ‘retro-fit’ into a pre-existing structure. It requires a range of design considerations including safety of play areas and outdoor facilities, visibility and security requirements, parking and traffic management, as well as fire safety.

The changing use of existing structures is a key aspect of safe design and opens up a bevy of design constraints and considerations. Lots of food for thought here.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT SAFE DESIGN LEGISLATION AND OBLIGATIONS

If you’re a building designer, architect, engineer, or other building design professional, we encourage you to enrol in our flexible and convenience ‘Not Boring Safe Design Course’, designed to assist you understand and practice safe design principles.

Need more info, contact us.