Designer duty
The duty on any person who designs a structure in the course of a business to consider the health and safety of those who will construct, maintain, use and eventually demolish it, and to eliminate or reduce foreseeable risks through design choices.
Also known as
By jurisdiction
UK HSE
“designer duty”Exact equivalentRegulation 9 of CDM 2015 (SI 2015/51) requires designers, when preparing or modifying a design, to eliminate foreseeable risks to the health or safety of persons carrying out construction work or likely to be affected by it. Where risks cannot be eliminated, designers must reduce or control them and provide information about residual risks.
Irish HSA
“project supervisor for the design process”Close equivalentThe Construction Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/291) appoint the project supervisor for the design process (PSDP) to coordinate health and safety design considerations during the pre-construction phase. The PSDP is appointed by the client and must ensure designers comply with their duties to consider safety in design.
US OSHA
“designer duty”No equivalentNo equivalent in this jurisdiction.
Practitioner note: The duty applies from concept stage. A design decision that removes a hazard outright outranks anything added later in the construction phase plan.