Designer and Contractor Responsibilities in Design for Safety
Designers and Contractors contribute to Design for Safety in different ways. Confusing the two is one of the more common sources of gaps in a project's DfS process.
Designers are expected to consider foreseeable design risks and reduce them through design, then pass on residual-risk information. Contractors are expected to communicate construction-related design risks and take part in reviews when their means, methods or temporary works could create or control a material risk.
Designer's role
Consider foreseeable design risks
Identify risks that construction workers, building users, maintenance staff or people involved in eventual demolition could foreseeably face, arising from the design.
Reduce risk through design
Eliminate a risk through design where reasonably practicable; where not, reduce it at source, favouring collective protective measures over individual ones.
Provide residual-risk information
Pass on information about risks that remain after design measures, so they can be recorded in the DfS Register and managed downstream.
Participate in reviews
Take part in DfS review meetings relevant to their scope, including specialist designers and temporary works designers where their design creates or controls material risk.
Contractor's role
Communicate construction-related design risks
Raise design risks that become apparent through the Contractor's knowledge of construction methods, sequencing and site conditions.
Participate when required
Join DfS review meetings, particularly at pre-construction and whenever a design or method change affects construction-stage risk.
Temporary works designers
Designers engaged by the Contractor, including temporary works designers, should participate directly in reviews where their designs create or control material risks — not be represented secondhand.
Own the site safety process
Site safety and health management remains the Contractor's responsibility; a DfS review does not replace the Contractor's own risk assessments and safe work procedures.
A DfS review meeting is not the same thing as a Contractor's risk assessment or safe work procedure. DfS review addresses risk arising from design decisions; site risk assessments and safe work procedures address how work is actually carried out on site.
| Role | Primary DfS contribution | Responsibility not transferred |
|---|---|---|
| Developer | Appointments, information, coordination and project-level arrangements for DfS | Duties placed directly on the Developer by legislation |
| Designer | Eliminate or reduce foreseeable risks through design, so far as reasonably practicable | Technical responsibility for the design itself |
| Contractor | Communicate construction-related design risks and participate in reviews where required | Construction methods and site execution |
| DfSP | Facilitate reviews and maintain risk information where appointed to do so | Designers' design duties and Contractors' site duties |
Coordinating designers, temporary works and site teams?
We can help schedule the right participants into each DfS review so nothing is decided without the people who need to be in the room.