Section 39 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 specifically targets designers. We must ‘design out’ hazards or advise others of the remaining hazards that may be present during construction, operation, maintenance or demolition of the items we design. We typically identify these hazards that would not be obvious to an experienced contractor/operator, as notes on drawings or as a list of residual risks.
Engineering consultants’ responsibility for site safety is being reviewed by WSP Opus, as they were involved at a site that WorkSafe investigated due to a scaffolding collapse. Apparently it was not clear which party had specific responsibility for the scaffold design/supervision, but all parties had responsibility for the site to be safe to work at. We will advise clients of WSP Opus recommendations when they become available.