RH

Design for Safety (DfS) Notes

6.1 Purposes and Objectives

  • Design for Safety (DfS): A process aimed at identifying and mitigating potential hazards and health risks during the conceptual and planning phases of a project, applied throughout the project's lifecycle.
  • References:
    • HSSEQ-C-PRO-PCD-001 Risk Assessment Procedure
    • GBG Procedure No. 9.3 HAZOP Procedure & Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA)
    • GBG Procedure No. 9.2 Preliminary Hazard Analysis (What If)
    • GBG Instruction No. 3.1.5 Human Factors Consideration for New Works
    • GBG Procedure No. 9.1 Preparation and Selection of Risk Assessment Methods
    • GBG Procedure No. 9.4 Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) Procedure
    • CIC Design for Safety Management System for the Hong Kong Construction Industry Version 1 November 2022
    • The Development Bureau (DEVB) Guidance Notes of Design for Safety

6.2 CORE Guiding Principles

  • Key Principle: Identify significant health and safety hazards and risks at the planning stage of a project; implement mitigation measures early to save time and costs.

  • Communication and Coordination:

    • Maintain updated information in the Pre-Construction Information (PCI)/Health and Safety File.
    • Host regular review meetings with a competent duty-holder to communicate lessons learnt and reduce risks.
    • Set up feedback mechanisms to inform designers of changes or incidents during construction and maintenance stages.
    • Share relevant risk information among all stakeholders, utilizing a centralized knowledge hub.

  • Ownership & Leadership:

    • Promote greater safety ownership and leadership among organizations from the beginning of a project.
    • Ensure competency in resource appointments and maintain performance via regular audits and KPIs.
    • Integrate Health & Safety considerations into key business decisions.

  • Risk Prevention and Management:

    • Require elimination or minimization of risks at the source.
    • Involve construction experts early to mitigate risks effectively.
    • Enhance design considerations related to safety in the Tender Stage framework.
    • Utilize digital visualization tools (e.g., BIM, Virtual Reality) for early risk identification.

6.3 Design for Safety Methodology

  • Early Intervention: Focus on health and safety in the planning stage, identifying hazards as soon as possible.
  • All Affected Parties: Consider the safety of everyone interacting with the infrastructure, including constructors, operators, maintainers, and future users.
  • Lifecycle Approach: Balance design objectives (practicality, aesthetics, cost, functionality) without compromising health and safety; continuous risk reduction should be integrated throughout the project lifecycle.

6.4 DFS Under Project Stages

  • Preliminary Design Stage:

    • Determine client needs and feasibility.
    • Engage relevant stakeholders.
    • Identify hazards and outline preliminary health and safety concerns.

  • Detailed Design Stage:

    • Engage stakeholders for design enhancement.
    • Conduct risk assessments and evaluate design solutions.
    • Finalize design and prepare necessary health and safety documentation.

  • Tendering Stage:

    • Provide potential bidders with health and safety documentation.
    • Require submission of health and safety plans with tender proposals.

  • Construction Stage:

    • Develop and regularly review the Construction Health and Safety Plan.
    • Coordinate work between teams and maintain health and safety records.

  • Operation & Maintenance Stage:

    • Handover the Health and Safety File to the maintenance team and ensure ongoing communication for safety.

  • Lessons Learned:

    • Collect feedback post-occupancy to improve future designs.
    • Document all user difficulties and modifications to inform future safety design considerations.

  • Design Decisions: Acknowledge that early decisions significantly influence later design choices, emphasizing the importance of maintaining clarity on rationale throughout the project lifecycle.