Managing designing for safety: a framework for whole-team decision making and risk control

Hewlett, Bill, Sherratt, Fred and Edmondson, Vikki (2024) Managing designing for safety: a framework for whole-team decision making and risk control. Proceedings of the ICE - Management, Procurement and Law, 177 (1). pp. 15-26. ISSN 1751-4304

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1680/jmapl.22.00030

Abstract

Designing for Safety (DfS) aims to make designs inherently safer to build, operate and maintain, but any residual risk must be controlled, something essential to realising the benefits of inherently safer designs. Here, a conceptual decision-making framework to support DfS, developed in conjunction with industry, is introduced. It aims to assist designers in communicating risk, residual risk and actions needed to support DfS, in a way easily understood by non-specialists such as clients and business leaders. The framework proposes a qualitative categorisation for DfS linked to a clear numerical scale, which embraces the complexity of engineering assessment across the full asset lifecycle, while using a form of language (numbers) that can be readily understood by all. The framework was empirically explored through an operational design workshop with the four engineers leading design and planning teams on the framework. It was found to bring a range of benefits for DfS at the design stage: it provided structure for the discussion of DfS, made the consideration of DfS objective, gave a new vernacular which improved the collective thought process, and made the debate and the resultant design decisions more accessible to non-specialists. The framework provides a tool to support the implementation of DfS across the entire lifecycle of an asset, enhancing DfS communication within the decision making process from the initial strategic definition stage onwards.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Designing for safety, risk management, risk control, safety
Subjects: H300 Mechanical Engineering
Department: Faculties > Engineering and Environment > Mechanical and Construction Engineering
Depositing User: Elena Carlaw
Date Deposited: 21 Dec 2022 12:52
Last Modified: 13 Feb 2024 09:30
URI: https://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/50977

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