Design features to minimise risk

The following are possible examples of problems that may be found during inspection of new or refurbished workplaces, together with suggestions on how the health and safety risks can be eliminated or reduced by design. The lists of suggestions are not exhaustive – it is acceptable to use any other means which achieves a similar or higher level of safety.

Please Note: This guidance is primarily aimed at those who take on responsibility for the design of workplaces, to assist in complying with requirements of the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Risk: Falls from height

Fragile roofing materials in new/refurbished premises

• Do not specify fragile roof panels or fragile roof lights through which workers maintaining the roof can fall
• Replace or protect existing fragile roof lights
• Provide permanent walkways, platforms, travelling gantries across existing fragile roofs

Flat roofs without adequate edge protection

• Install permanent edge protection, such as guard rails or parapet walls on flat roofs

Unsatisfactory access to plant rooms

• If frequent access to plant rooms is required for maintenance, do not locate the plant rooms at height. If this is unavoidable, you should provide safe, fixed means of access
• Design of the plant room entrances (i.e. the shape, size, ease of access etc) should enable safe access for activities such as replacing plant and equipment, transporting replacement parts and tools etc. Where possible, the use of ladders for access should be avoided

Inadequate arrangements for cleaning windows, atria etc.

• Specify reversible windows which can be fully cleaned on both sides from within the building
• Incorporate permanent walkways, platforms, travelling gantries at height/ceiling level to clean atria windows and skylights (internal and external)
• Provide secure, reliable anchor points for rope access systems and for fall restraint systems where no other protection can be provided for window cleaning

High-level light fittings requiring ladder access for maintenance

• Specify high-level light fittings that can be lowered or manoeuvred to floor or landing level for lamp or tube changing
• Install high-level light fittings in positions accessible to a Mobile Elevated Work Platform (MEWP) rather than needing to use a ladder
• Provide external hard standing to facilitate use of a MEWP or scaffolding tower for maintenance of external features e.g. lighting, building fabric etc
• Consider using fibre optics lens solutions for particularly awkward or inaccessible lighting    

Use of ladders for cleaning/maintaining guttering

• Provide self-cleaning guttering and/or
• Fit mesh protection to prevent blocking

Risk: Manual handling

Unsatisfactory access to plant room/poor plant room layout

• Design of the plant room entrances (i.e. the shape, size, ease of access etc) should enable safe access for replacing plant and equipment, transporting replacement parts and tools etc. Where possible, the use of ladders for access should be avoided
• Ensure plant rooms are laid out to allow safe handling of plant and equipment
• Provide lifting beams where heavy plant may need to be handled

Heavy gratings and covers requiring regular removal

• Gratings and drain/sump covers etc. that require removal to allow access for maintenance should be either lightweight or suitably located so as to enable mechanical handling methods to be deployed
• Removable gratings or covers should be positioned to minimise manual handling risks (e.g. not underneath obstructions where removal involves unnecessary twisting and manoeuvring)

Risk: Slips and trips

Slippery floor coverings

• Specify flooring materials  that take into account factors such as slip resistance, usage, likely contaminants etc to reduce risk of slips
• Design-in adequate drainage (e.g. floor gulley) for areas such as vehicle wash areas, where water is used inside buildings
• Consider arrangements for minimising tracking of water and/or contaminants into buildings that could cause slips - e.g. by fitting canopies over entrances

Changes in flooring level

• Ensure designs minimise changes in floor level to reduce slip and trip risks
• Provide suitable identification (e.g. change-of-level strip) to clearly highlight  any level changes that cannot be eliminated

Plant room layout

• Avoid low-level pipe runs that can cause trips, or provide walkways with bridges etc

Risk: Workplace transport

Traffic routes

• Design one-way traffic systems where possible
• Design out the need to manoeuvre around “blind corners”
• Where pedestrians cannot be excluded from traffic routes, clear, segregated pedestrian routes should be provided.

Delivery yards

• Ensure delivery yards are designed to eliminate or minimise need for reversing
• Need for pedestrian access to delivery yards should be minimised: separate areas should be provided for e.g. customer car parking or cycle racks for employee/public use.
• Where pedestrians cannot be excluded from delivery yards, clear, segregated pedestrian routes should be provided.