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Improving designers' knowledge of hazards

By David Thomas posted 28-08-2019 09:27

  

Improving designers’ knowledge of hazards

Development of a mixed-media digital tool to improve how designers learn about preventing hazards in their designs

 

This study has been published by IOSH and was undertaken by Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and is available at: https://www.iosh.com/designershazards

 

Introduction 

Designing for Occupational Safety and Health (DfOSH) is known by various names and the importance of designers in the management of OSH risks related to construction is well documented.  The UK’s Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 place duties on designers of construction projects to consider the health and safety implications of their designs in relation to the construction, use and maintenance (including cleaning) of structures.  However, the majority of designers fail to recognise the impact on health and safety that they can make. 

While many attempts have been made to develop digital tools to aid designers in this respect, including those embedded with BIM technology, the need for the designer to be competent is a common thread.  The nature and scope of education for designers, combined with relevant site experience, has shown to be critical to successful DfOSH outcomes.  Therefore, technology that seeks to remove the designer from the decision-making process around DfOSH – such as automated processes – could do more harm than good.  A knowledge-based system seems to be the favoured method of giving designers the ability to make informed decisions on DfOSH.  However, text-based systems have proven to be cumbersome, whereas visual (pictorial, multimedia) databases may be able to overcome the problems posed by overly word-based systems and provide a more effective solution. 

Aim and objectives 

The aim of this research was to improve how designers involved in construction projects learn about how their design influences the management of occupational safety and health (OSH) once the design is implemented. This focused on the impact of design decisions on OSH risks during the construction, use and maintenance of structures.


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#hazards
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