Steps to promote good engineering design to help cut the death, injury and disease toll in Britain’s workplaces, and enhance public safety, are outlined in a new policy paper, The business case for engineering in health and safety, by an influential group of safety and industry bodies.
The Inter-Institutional Group on Health and Safety (IIG), which prepared the report, wants the UK to do more to embrace good engineering and design as the foundation of all major industrial projects.
Key steps outlined in the report are as follows:
- Engineers are encouraged to research the health and safety risk implications of the project proposed, tendered for or worked on.
- Managers are urged to embed ‘risk intelligence’ in procurement standards and apply the hierarchy of risk controls.
- Government is urged to ensure all publicly-funded projects use suitable engineering solutions and design to reduce occupational health and safety risks and the societal costs of failure.
Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) head of policy and public affairs Richard Jones chaired the IIG working group behind the policy paper. He said: “The impact of failures in health and safety across all sectors in the UK are very considerable, in both human and financial terms.
“But engineering can deliver many of the solutions for keeping work safe, healthy, profitable and sustainable. There needs to be a greater appreciation of the business case for the early adoption of engineering solutions in occupational safety and health and the huge potential benefits to the economy and society.
“Designing-in health and safety saves lives, supports growth and sustains the economy.”
To read The business case for engineering in health and safety in full, please visit www.theiet.org/policy/collaboration/iig.
Adapted from press release by Katherine Guenioui