Prevention through Design: Building Safety into the Blueprint | Best Supply

The most common approaches to construction jobsite safety are also the least effective—occupying the bottom layers of OSHA’s Hierarchy of Safety Controls. The most effective safety techniques are at the top: construction safety built right into the project design by engineers and architects. This doesn’t always happen.

The Hierarchy of Safety Controls is a broadly accepted approach to managing workplace hazards.

It defines the most effective safety strategy as eliminating hazards altogether. For example, a project could be designed with utilities running through pre-planned chases so crews don’t have to risk exposure to silica dust and vibration hazards by drilling through concrete or cinder block.

The second-most effective approach is to substitute the hazard—such as specifying low-silica materials to replace the traditional cinder block.

But these are solutions that must be decided well before the crews show up on the jobsite. When they aren’t considered, builders and contractors must lead the safety effort with reliance on the three less-effective layers of the pyramid:

• Engineering controls to isolate people from the hazard, such as dust collection systems.
• Administrative controls that change the way people work, such as mandatory safety training, and scheduling rotations on drilling equipment so nobody has prolonged exposure to the dust and vibration.
• PPE, such as respirator masks and anti-vibration gloves.

All of these techniques are important, but there hasn’t been much in the way of an organized effort to consider the most effective safety controls during the design phase of a project.

But that may be changing with the increasing adoption of a discipline called Prevention through Design (PtD)—also referred to as “Design for Safety” or “Safety by Design.”

Understanding Prevention through Design

PtD is the practice of managing jobsite risks during the design phase of a project. Instead of asking workers to operate around fall hazards or be really careful when drilling concrete, PtD tries to design such hazards out of the job altogether.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recognizes PtD as “the most reliable and effective type of prevention,” and offers a free “Prevention through Design Toolkit for the Construction Industry” with nearly 150 recommended design interventions for engineers and architects. 

Some examples:

• Design window sills to be at least 42 inches above floor level to prevent falls during construction l (i.e., act as guard rails during construction).
• Specify anchor points along roof edges to support use of safety harnesses during construction—and to improve maintenance safety upon completion.
• Build permanent stairways early in construction to reduce the risk of falls from ladders or temporary stairways.
• Design separate entry points to work zones for pedestrian workers and vehicles to avoid struck-by-vehicle accidents. 

None of this is theoretical; PtD is being proactively applied at large construction companies and design firms.

“Through the PtD process, we increase our ability to eliminate or substitute elements because we are thinking about safety early during design,” wrote Chris Hermreck, vice president at JE Dunn Construction, in the company blog back in 2021. “For example, deciding to locate an air handling unit on the ground in lieu of a roof (for safer and easier maintenance access) is much more viable during design than it would be once construction has started or especially after construction is complete. If PtD thinking is implemented too late, it could result in increased costs and/or delays.”

Research also supports the effectiveness of the PtD strategy. A 2023 bibliography of safety studies, assembled by CPWR-The Center for Construction Research & Training, cites more than 30 published papers demonstrating the impact and progress of PtD.

PtD isn’t new. But as with many innovations, it is better known outside the United States than it is within. It was mandated across the United Kingdom in 1995, after which construction fatalities dropped from about 10 per 100,000 workers to just 1.6. 

In Australia, bridge decks are frequently fabricated in pieces at ground level and then lifted into place—reducing the amount of work done at high level and shortening project timelines in the process.

Why PtD Isn’t Mainstream Here

If PtD has proven results overseas and strong backing among safety leaders, why isn’t it being widely adopted in U.S. construction? That’s the subject of a 2024 peer-reviewed publication “Clearing the Path: Overcoming Barriers to Prevention Through Design (PtD) Utilization in the U.S. Construction Industry,” which found:

• Awareness issues: Many architects, engineers and contractors haven’t been trained in PtD principles, and few U.S. design or engineering schools include these concepts in their core curriculum.
• Divided responsibilities: Designers and contractors are often siloed, meaning designers don’t consider construction-phase risks, while contractors inherit hazards they can only mitigate with PPE and training.
• Lack of incentives: Owners and developers often focus on upfront costs and schedules. Without explicit contract requirements, PtD doesn’t always make it into the scope of work.

But momentum appears to be growing. In Oregon, the Port of Portland integrated PtD into design and construction of a new rental car facility, according to a NIOSH presentation. Completed in 2022, design features included:

• Installation of permanent guardrails during construction—eliminating the need to install/remove temporary guardrails and reducing worker exposure to falls from heights.
• Increasing parapet wall heights to make them OSHA-compliant guardrails during construction and for rooftop maintenance.
• Relocating a roof antenna farm inside permanent guardrails, easing installation and improving safety during maintenance.
• Placing an HVAC unit on the ground vs. traditional rooftop—eliminating the need for fall arrest protection during routine maintenance.

The Port of Portland is now applying PtD to other aspects of its ambitious $2 billion airport expansion.

As use of PtD increases, builders and contractors will still need to provide safety training and encourage use of PPE. But it will be with the knowledge that if they’re the last line of defense for jobsite safety, they’re no longer the only line.

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