There are many reasons for organisations to managing WHS risk with the primary objective being to eliminate or minimise the consequences of adverse effects (injury, illness or property damage) on employees or the workplace utilising the Risk Management Model.

How do you manage a risk without first identifying it? Risk Identification or within the concept of WHS, “HAZID” is a fundamental step in the Risk Management Model and requires a well-structured systematic process.  

Hazard identification is the process to find, recognise and record potential hazards. The purpose of this process is to identify all potential hazards to persons and property both within the control of the organisation as well as external factor that can impact it. Hazard identification may be accomplished by identifying causes and effects (what could happen and what will follow) or effects and causes what outcomes are to be avoided and how each might occur)

There are a number of methods that can be utilised in achieving this including:

• Review of activities by way of inspections, walk throughs as well as utilising checklists
• Review of historical data, records including accident & incident records and near misses and industry accident statistics
• Review of Drawings and Plans
• Review of technical reports and papers
• Review of models and computer simulations
• Systematic team approaches
• Review of legislation
• Review of major accidents

One key method of identifying potential hazards and risk is by asking key stakeholder involved in operational activities including: 

• employees , contractors
• emergency services
• safety professionals
• union representatives
• Regulatory Bodies.

For a comprehensive and accurate approach to hazard identification it is best to use a combination of the above mentioned methods. All potential hazards should be recorded during the process this is to ensure that in the later stages of the Risk Management Model all critical control measures are identified and to determine their effectiveness.

Risk Analysis is the next step in the Risk Management Model. This step is about providing the employer and employees with sufficient objective knowledge, awareness and understanding of the risk of the hazards identified and recorded. It also provides a basis for identifying, evaluating, defining and justifying the selection of control measures for eliminating or reducing risk.

Risk analysis involves the considerations of the sources of risk (Hazards identified) their consequences and the likelihood that those consequences may occur.

There are a variety of methods in analysing risk which can be qualitative, semi quantitative or quantitative. The degree of detail required will depend on each situation.  Some risk analysis methods may be prescribed within legislation.

Care should be taken in expressing risk levels to ensure that they are suitable and relevant in order to assist in the risk evaluation step.

Following on from the risk analysis step is risk evaluation with a purpose to assist organisations in making decisions, based on the outcomes of risk analysis, about which risks need treatment and treatment priorities.

Risk evaluation involves comparing the level of risk found during the analysis with risk criteria established when the context was considered. The as low as reasonably practicable or ALARP method is commonly used within WHS as it provides organisations decision making based on a number of factors including weighing a risk against the trouble, time and money needed to control it. ALARP describes the level to which organisations expect to see workplace risks controlled.

While the objective of WHS risk management is to minimize work related ill health and injury, it is not possible to reduce all WHS risks to zero. Risk is inherent in all activity (and inactivity) it is during this step organisations will pass judgement on when risks have been reduced sufficiently.

The output if the risk evaluation step is the production of a prioritised list of risks for further action. This list will assist organisations in making decisions on what is considered acceptable or tolerable by the organisation and to what level treatment is required.

The final step is the risk treatment or controls. Once risks have been prioritised through the evaluation process, plans need to be developed. Risk control plans may involve the re-design of existing controls, the introduction of new controls or monitoring of existing controls. Low impact risks require only periodic monitoring while major risks are likely to require more intense management focus. Within the context of WHS the Hierarchy of Control is used in the treatment of risks.  The options at the top of the list are more effective, as they address the hazard (the thing that could cause harm), rather than just reduce the risk (the harm that the hazard could cause).

The hierarchy of controls is as follows:

• Eliminate the hazard altogether;
• Substitute the hazard with a safer alternative;
• Isolate the hazard from anyone who could be harmed;
• Engineering controls to reduce the risk;
• Administrative controls to reduce the risk; and
• Personal protective equipment (PPE).

Effective WHS risk management involves the monitoring and review not only the risks, but also the effectiveness of the associated risk treatment plans and the management processes for controlling their implementation. Furthermore communication and consultation are also equally important tools during each step of the process.

Andrew Angelides

Functional Risk Solutions 

Prior to the modernisation of industry, historically managers have understandably been primarily concerned with performance and cost. Workplace safety (WHS) unfortunately was often only considered when it affected any goals associated with performance and cost. With the passage of time and gradually increasing awareness of worker rights, employee health, safety and wellbeing has of course also gained additional attention.
There are various reasons for managing WHS risk. Typically they are summarised into one of four main groups:

Ethical and moral: accident prevention is undertaken to prevent injury to personnel purely as the result of humane considerations.

Legal: legislation places a number of duties on various persons and failure to carry out these duties can result in fines and in extreme cases imprisonment.

Financial: the costs of an injury are made up by two parts the direct cost (cost associated with medical treatment, and damage) and the indirect cost (time spent on investigations, lost production retraining); and,

General business considerations:  these could be considered as financial however given the difficulty in quantifying are best to be separate. They generally relate to the organisation’s corporate image and reputation. Poor health and safety systems and outcomes affect many stake holders including employees, customers, insurance companies, as well as investors and financiers. 

WHS Risk management is concerned with providing a structured systematic approach to decision making with respect to WHS issues.  The strength of applying a systematic risk management approach to WHS issues is that it combines technical, consultative and managerial approaches into processes that support informed, consistent and defensible decision-making.

The WHS Risk Management Process can be introduced at any time, however, good practice dictates the process should be commenced at the earliest possible time. Whether designing a piece of plant or a whole facility, the risk management process of hazard identification, risk assessment, control, and review should be incorporated at the design / planning stage.

WHS Risk Management includes the process concerned with identifying, analysing and responding to WHS risk. The primary objective is to eliminate or minimise the consequences of adverse effects (injury, illness or property damage) on employees or the workplace. This consists of the following major steps also known as the Risk Management Process Model Establish the context:

• establish the strategic, organisational and risk management context in which the rest of the process will follow;
• Identify risks: identify what, why and how thinks can arise that will be the basis for further analysis;
• Assess risks, determines the existing controls and analyses in terms of consequences and likelihood in the context of those controls.  Typically as a guide the analysis should take into account a number of potential consequences and how likely those consequences are to occur;   
• Evaluate risks: compares the levels of risk against a pre-established criteria. This allows risks to be ranked so to identify management priorities;
• Treat risk: allows for the development of specific management plans to control the risk by way of elimination or minimisation strategies;
• Monitoring and review;
• Communication and Consultation.

By implementing systematic WHS Risk Management activities organisations are able to better understand operations and their associated hazards as well as afford greater flexibility with regard to the methods used to control risks and the costs of implementing those controls.

With the increased ability to respond effectively to organisational changes, both internal and external to the organisation, WHS risk management may lead to a myriad of direct benefits including:

• Reducing injury and illness to employees and the community;
• Saving money and adding value by more effective allocation of resources;
• Improving the quality of information available for making decisions;
• Improving the understanding of WHS risks throughout the organization;
• Complying with WHS legislation and the ability to better to demonstrate this;
• Improving the organization’s image and reputation; and
• Improving accountability and transparency of decision-making.

Possible broader and longer term benefits of an effective OHS risk management program are:

• Effective strategic planning as a result of increased knowledge and understanding of key risk exposures;
• Lower workers’ compensation costs because undesirable OHS outcomes are foreseen and addressed;
• Improved audit processes;
• Better outcomes in terms of the effectiveness, efficiency, and appropriateness of OHS programs, i.e. programs targeting key risk areas;
• Improved communication, both within the organization and between the organization and its external stakeholders

WHS Risk Management is a foundation of an organisation and it touches all facets of an organisation’s activities.  For this reason careful planning is required in the development and implantation of a WHS Risk Management program. Successful WHS risk management requires a sensible and straight forward approach. The purpose of implementation should not only be seen as a compliance requirement but also as a key business tool in adding value to the organisation objectives.        

WHS Risk Management should include regular reviews of all WHS aspects of an organisation’s activities. The effectiveness of the WHS Risk Management Process should be monitored and documented in order to ensure that the risk management strategies continue to be relevant to the organisations activities that affect WHS.




Andrew Angelides

Functional Risk Solutions Pty Ltd  

 Confined Spaces

Each year a number people are killed across Australia and internationally while working in confined spaces. Confined space related injury or death occurs in a wide range of industries and confined spaces are considered to be high-risk, high-consequence environments. With the addition of chemicals and gases into these places, those risks are magnified.  Many deaths in confined spaces occur because people who are attempting to rescue someone else are neither trained nor equipped to do so. In more than 60% of reported confined space fatalities, the would-be rescuer also loses their life.

What is a confined space?

Confined spaces include spaces such as those in a vat, tank, pit, pipe, duct, flue, oven, chimney, silo, reaction vessel, container, receptacle, underground sewer, well, shaft, trench, tunnel or other similar enclosed or partially enclosed structure, which meet certain conditions.

However, many other types of structures may also meet the definition of a confined space provided in the Regulations.

Some structures may become confined spaces when work that generates atmospheric contaminants is carried out or during their construction, fabrication or subsequent modification.

A confined space is determined by the hazards associated with a set of defined circumstances (restricted entry or exit, hazardous atmospheres or risk of engulfment) and not just by the fact that work is performed in a physically restrictive location. The effect of physical or chemical agents may be exacerbated in a confined space.

The description of a confined space by Australian Workplace Health and Safety legislation is a space that:

• Is at atmospheric pressure when anyone is in the space; and
  
  
• Is not intended or designed primarily as a workplace; and
  
  
• Could have restricted entry to, or exit from, the place; and
  
  
• Is, or is likely to be entered by a person to work; and
  
  
• At any time, contains, or is likely to contain, any of the following:
  
  
  • an atmosphere that has potentially harmful levels of a contaminant;
    
    
  • an atmosphere that does not have a safe oxygen level;
    
    
  • anything that could cause engulfment
    
    

What are the risks of working in confined space?

There are many risks of working in confined spaces including:

• loss of consciousness, injury or death due to the immediate effects of airborne contaminants
  
  
• fire or explosion from the ignition of flammable contaminants
  
  
• asphyxiation resulting from oxygen deficiency
  
  
• asphyxiation resulting from engulfment by stored material, including grain, sand, flour or fertiliser.
  
  

Confined space and the Law

The WHS/ OHS Legislation within Australia imposes a general duty on persons with management control to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that workers and other persons are not exposed to health and safety risks arising from the business or undertaking. The legislation also includes specific obligations on a regarding confined spaces.

This duties extends to Designers, manufacturers and suppliers of plant or structures that include a space that is intended, or is likely to become, a confined space.  This duty requires that the designers, manufacturers and suppliers must eliminate the need for any person to enter a confined space and eliminate the risk of inadvertent entry or, if this is not reasonably practicable, ensure safe means of entry and exit and minimise risks to the health and safety of any person who enters the confined space.

Additional duty holder include Officers, such as company directors, who are required to exercise due diligence to ensure that the business or undertaking complies with the WHS Act and Regulations. As well as to ensure that the appropriate resources and processes to eliminate or minimise risks that arise from entry into confined spaces.

Workers must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that their work does not adversely affect the health and safety of other persons. Workers must comply with any reasonable instructions given relating to confined space entry permits, risk control measures and emergency procedures, and should carry out work in a confined space in accordance with any relevant information and training provided to them.

The OHS / WHS legislation also set out requirements for specific controls measures including communication and safety monitoring, signs, isolation of connected plant and services, and controls to maintain a safe atmosphere within the confined space.

Manage the risks

The most important step in the risk management process involves controlling risks by eliminating them so far as is reasonably practicable, or if that is not possible, by minimising the risks so far as is reasonably practicable

If entering a confined space cannot be avoided, then a safe system for working inside the space must be implemented. Using the risk management process of identifying, assessing and controlling the hazards of working in a confined space should be adopted in order to ensure that the risks are minimised.

The identified hazards will dictate what controls are needed to minimise any risk associated with work in the confined space. The following item must be considered:

• The nature of the space
  
  
• The concentration of oxygen or airborne contaminants
  
  
• The work and work method
  
  
• Emergency procedures
  
  

Andrew Angelides FRS's Principal Consultant is now a Exemplar Global (RABQSA) Principal Auditor for OHS. 

RABQSA Certification formally recognizes the competence of personnel, with the objective of improving the performance of organizations in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and competitiveness. 

Incorporating the requirements of current Occupational Health and Safety legislative requirements with a heritage building can be challenging to say the least, as such buildings were constructed at a time when persons were expected to assume their own risk and, as such, were more likely to avoid hazards.

Although it is still a requirement for a person to avoid hazards, it is no longer acceptable as the only form of risk control. Current Occupational Health and Safety legislation requires people who carry out activities involving heritage buildings to actively manage health and safety risks from the design stage throughout the life cycle of the building to the end user.

In general, building codes and regulations are for the construction of new buildings and structures, they are also applied to existing buildings when they are subject to significant renovation or a change in use.

Building codes and regulations mainly focus on safety and health in the areas of fire, structural failure, indoor air quality and hygiene, and not necessarily within the traditional realms of Occupational Health and Safety. Building regulations play an important role in protecting the community from catastrophic losses with requirements to mitigate losses resulting from fire, structural collapse and natural hazards. They also address issues associated to the protection of human rights such as access to buildings for persons with physical disabilities. The eight-storey commercial building that collapsed in Bangladesh on April 24 highlights the importance of Building codes and regulations. These, however, do not necessarily aim at mitigating losses or harm from end user hazards (occupational), but direct the majority of their intent at the mitigation of a major hazard (the one-off catastrophic).

Clients, developers, building owners, occupiers, design professionals such as architects, engineers, industrial designers, health and safety professionals, construction workers and users all have a role in the identification and control of the existing latent hazards. A safe work environment and effective safety outcomes do not happen by chance or by guesswork planning but through the effective coordination of all the relevant stakeholders.

Each stakeholder must ensure they are aware which of their activities are likely to harm people. It is important to understand what could go wrong, what the consequences could be and to inform those that could be impacted.

Risks associated with heritage buildings should be identified and addressed following a systematic process including:

• Identifying hazards – what could cause harm?
• Assessing risks – how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening?
• Controlling risks – implement an effective control measure that is reasonably practicable
• Reviewing control measures to ensure they are working as planned.

This process should be documented and shared between the stakeholders as information transfer is key in the effective management of risk.

Areas that pose high risk to all users include:

• Exiting base building electrical wiring
• Walk ways and stair cases
• Indoor air quality
• Use of hazardous material (asbestos, PCBs, Lead Paint etc)
• Manual handling and ergonomics
• Fire
• Structural failure

The objective is to achieve a maximal level of protection for the health and safety of the building occupants while minimising the impact on the heritage significance of any given building.

There will be no one solution to a problem. Different buildings will have varying levels and items of heritage significance and exist within different settings and environments, and there may well be a range of possible solutions. Each case will need to be assessed on its own merits and the most practicable set of solutions found.

Very little attention is given to this issue in the literature readily available regarding refurbishment of buildings of heritage significance. A multitude of publications and guidelines in preserving heritage buildings, or modifications in this area which address environmental sustainability and access for people with disabilities, however scant consideration to Occupational Health and Safety is generally offered.

Andrew Angelides
Functional Risk Solutions

Asbestos has received and continues to receive a significant amount of media attention, and as such awareness of its potentially fatal effects are now well known.  Asbestos was discovered 4,000 years ago and has been widely used for its strength and unique physical properties.  In Australia, the proliferation of asbestos use in construction as well as other industries occurred between 1945 and 1980. There was increasing concern regarding the dangers of asbestos during the 1970s and consequently mining of asbestos ceased in 1983. The use of asbestos was phased out in 1989 and banned entirely in December 2003.

It became increasingly popular among manufacturers and builders during this time because of its sound absorption, average tensile strength, its resistance to fire, heat, electrical and chemical damage, and affordability.  The versatility of asbestos had made it attractive in many industries and is thought to have more than 3000 applications worldwide. Australia was one of the highest users per capita in the world up until the mid-1980s. Approximately one third of all homes built in Australia contain asbestos products which can still be seen building wall and roof cladding.

Asbestos containing materials can be categorised as friable and non-friable. Non-friable asbestos, is the type most commonly found in our built environment and it is mixed with other materials such as cement.

Both friable and non-friable asbestos pose a significant health risk to all workers and others if the materials are not properly maintained or removed carefully. The risk of exposure from the built environment is broad, with the potential to impact the entire Australian community.

Despite an Australia-wide ban on asbestos being sold, reused and/or imported into the country after 31 December 2003, some has inadvertently been imported into Australia and such products are still found in many residential and commercial settings and continue to pose a health risk to workers and building occupants.

The main route of entry for asbestos is through inhalation. When inhaled, the respiratory system cannot effectively filter or clear out these fibres because of their small size. Once inhaled, these fibres begin to penetrate the lining of the lungs, resulting in various types of lung diseases such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis, which is the scarring of the lungs.

Such is the problem and associated risk with Asbestos a National Strategic Plan for Asbestos Awareness and Management was developed in consultation with Commonwealth, State and Territory, local governments and a range of non-governmental stakeholders.

While the responsibility for the regulation of asbestos spans all levels of government, the Australian Government is responsible for the regulation of import and export laws as they apply to asbestos. Asbestos in the workplace is primarily regulated by state, territory and local governments and work, health and safety regulators in each state or territory.

While jurisdictions have taken steps to minimise exposure, predominantly in the workplace, this is the first time a national approach to asbestos eradication, handling and awareness is being pursued.

It is a high level document that establishes a framework within which jurisdictions work both cooperatively and independently to achieve set objectives. The aim of the Plan is to prevent exposure to asbestos fibres, in order to eliminate asbestos-related disease in Australia.

State based Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations contain specific obligations for a number of duty holders in relation to safely removing asbestos, including requirements for asbestos removalists to be licensed.

The model Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations set out a framework for the management of asbestos materials in workplaces including:

• the training of all workers at risk of encountering asbestos during their work;
  
  
• naturally occurring asbestos;
  
  
• removal of asbestos; and
  
  
• the licensing and competency requirements for asbestos removalists and assessors.
  
  

The Model WHS Regulations also create a new license category for asbestos assessors. The role of the licensed asbestos assessor is to carry out air monitoring and clearance inspections following removal of friable asbestos.

Detailed Information on identifying asbestos, and managing the risks of asbestos in the workplace can be found in the Safe Work Australia’s model Code of Practices: How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace and How to Manage and Control Asbestos in the Workplace. Also each state and territory work health and safety regulator has detailed information on the requirements for working with asbestos under the WHS legislative framework.

By Andrew Angelides

With winter just around the corner there comes a heightened risk for slips, trips, and falls. These incidents can and do happen year-round, however with the increase in rain, and in some instance frost and ice, the risks of a fall increase significantly.
No matter what industry or work people do, slips, trips and falls (STFs) are an ever present danger. Within Australia STFs result in thousands of injuries every year. Most common are musculoskeletal injuries, as well as cuts, bruises, fractures and dislocations, however there is the potential for more severe injuries resulting in seminar disability and even death. SafeWork Australia’s publication Key Work Health and Safety Statistics, Australia, 2013 shows that STFs are the second leading cause of workplace injuries at 21.2 %. These incidents frequently result in severe injuries requiring extensive and expensive recovery and lost time. STFs had also been identified as a priority injury mechanism in the National OHS Strategy 2002–2012, and the proportion of injury claims due to STFs have changed slightly changed since the Strategy began.

A further relatively recent study by the Monash University Accident Research Centre regarding the incidence of STFs and their relationship to the design and construction of buildings, found that STFs in buildings constitute a large and costly public health problem, and was expected to grow due to the ageing of the Australian population as well as the increase in housing density associated with multi-storey dwellings.

STFs are usually defined with the following delineations:

• Slips occur when a person’s foot loses traction with the floor. The most common causes are slippery floor surfaces (eg, highly polished, wet or greasy) and inappropriate footwear.
• Tripping occurs when a person unexpectedly catches their foot. In most instances, the objects people trip on are small and unobtrusive, such as cracks in the floor or electrical leads.
• Falls can result from a slip or trip, but many occur during falls from low heights, such as steps, stairs and curbs.

It has long been recognised that management of issues relating to health and safety is an integral part of sound business practice, and that careful selection and use of appropriate footwear and flooring can substantially reduce the risk of STF accidents. Employers, building owners, persons who have control of a workplace and designers should be aware of their accountability for hazards relating to STFs, including floor quality, cleaning, housekeeping, machinery and equipment, lighting, ramps, stairs, and drainage.

Australian work place health and safety legislation obligates the aforementioned parties to manage the risks associated with STFs by either eliminating them, and if that is not reasonably practicable, minimising them. Examples of possible control strategies can include:

• Elimination: Designers can eliminate STF hazards at the design stage by understanding who the end users will be, removing changes in floor levels and redesigning thorough fares away from wet areas and installing more power outlets to avoid trailing cords.
• Substitution: Replace existing flooring with a more slip-resistant surface.
• Isolation: Prevent access to high risk areas, for example cordon off wet floor areas while cleaning is in progress.
• Engineering controls (redesign): Applying floor treatments to increase slip resistance, improve lighting, and marking edges of steps and changes in floor levels.
• Administrative controls: Implementing housekeeping regimes, use signage to warn of wet or slippery areas, and by also providing training and supervision,
• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): supplying PPE such as slip-resistant footwear.

While there are a number of factors that contribute to the occurrence and prevalence of STFs ranging from design through the entire life cycle of the building, a simple yet effective control that can be explored is the introduction of a dress policy focusing on footwear. 

Given the enormous cost STFs present, investment in effective preventative solutions is necessary. A key way forward in reducing the effect of STF accidents can be through the introduction of solutions and mitigation strategies early that are readily available from within the design and construction industry and its regulators.  

Most buildings regardless of scale generally provided at least one plant room. These rooms are essential to the buildings operations and typically house a variety of different plant and equipment. These may include:

• Air handlers Boilers,
• Chillers, Heat exchangers,
• Water heaters and tanks,
• Water pumps (for domestic, heating/cooling, and fire fighting water),
• Main distribution piping and valves,
• Fire fighting equipment (Sprinkler distribution piping and pumps),
• Back-up electrical generators,
• Elevator machinery, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) equipment,

Most owners and occupiers understand that the equipment in the plant rooms provides the means for the heating and cooling for the building but often little thought to the safety of the included equipment on and ongoing basis. Plant and equipment located within such rooms may be 10, 20 or even 50 years old and it is increasingly evident that this plant and equipment, although compliant  with the codes of the day, can poses a significant risk to the health and safety of the people that are required to maintain it.

Due to the very nature of the plant and equipment located within these rooms there are substantial implications to technicians, and maintainers of such equipment. Plant, as defined within workplace health and safety terms, is a major cause of workplace death and injury in Australian workplaces.

Severe injuries to technicians, and maintainers of such equipment can result from unsafe design, manufacture, installation, maintenance and use of plant. Plant and equipment located within such rooms have moving parts and the action of moving parts may have sufficient force in motion to cause injury or death. In addition to the moving parts there are non-mechanical risks including harmful emissions, contained fluids or gas under pressure, chemicals and chemical by-products, and electricity and noise; all of which can cause serious injury to technicians and others if not adequately controlled.

The importance of the equipment contained within these rooms are paramount to the smooth operation of the building and as such technicians are required to periodically assess, maintain and repair these items of plant and equipment  to guarantee the ongoing performance of the building.  

Risks to health and safety exist throughout the lifecycle of the plant from manufacturing through to installing, commissioning, using, maintaining, repairing, decommissioning and disposing of the plant. As such building owners , facility managers as well as persons who conduct a business or undertaking (PCBU)must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the fixtures, fittings and plant are without risks to the health and safety of any individual.

In order to ensure that the risk associated with the items of plant and equipment are controlled, a systematic process involving the following should be implemented:

• Identify hazards – find out what could cause harm from using the plant;
• Assess risks if necessary – understand the nature of the harm that could be caused by the hazard, how serious the harm could be and the likelihood of it happening;
• Control risks – implement the most effective control measures that are reasonably practicable in the circumstances;
• Review control measures to ensure they are working as planned.

Designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of plant are also required apply this process as a way of making plant as safe as possible before it is used within the building in addition to obtaining and providing information about plant so other duty holders can fulfil their responsibility to manage risks. 

The most readily available source of information pertaining to the safe operation and maintenance of plant and equipment is contained within the equipment operations manuals. WHS legislation requires (amongst other things) persons who supply machinery to, so far as is practicable, ensure that persons using the machinery in the manner intended are not exposed to hazards. As part of this obligation suppliers are required to provide adequate information in respect to any dangers associated with the machinery, the proper maintenance of the machinery and the correct use the of  machinery.

Given that most of the equipment located within such rooms may have been present from the day of completion, the reality unfortunately is that operator's manuals are frequently not available.

Building owners, facility managers as well as persons who conduct a business or an undertaking must ensure information pertaining to the safe operation and maintenance of the plant and equipment is readily available and up to date.

A building must accommodate the activities that will occur within and surrounding it. The building should not cause harm to its occupants or the environment and must, for example, be structurally stable and fire safe. In order to achieve this primary purpose it must supply a healthy and comfortable indoor environment to the people using it.

Given that most people now spend a significant portion of their time indoors, indoor environment quality is imperative to health and safety. Good indoor climate is an important factor in design and construction as it decreases the number of illnesses and sick building syndrome symptoms, improves comfort and increases productivity.

The quality of indoor climate is affected equally by heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment, construction engineering, quality of construction work, building materials as well as the operation and maintenance of the building.

Working in hot or cold conditions without adequate control measures can create a number of health effects ranging from discomfort to serious illness

Thermal comfort can be defined as a condition of mind which expresses satisfaction with the thermal environment.

The most commonly used indicator of thermal comfort is air temperature – it is easy to use and most people can relate to it. However although it is an important indicator to take into account, air temperature alone is neither a valid nor an accurate indicator of thermal comfort or thermal stress. Air temperature should always be considered in relation to other environmental and personal factors.

The six factors generally recognised to affect thermal comfort can be classified as environmental (air temperature, radiant temperature, humidity, air speed), and personal (the amount of physical activity, and the amount and type of clothing worn). These factors may be independent of each other, but together contribute to a building occupant’s thermal comfort.

Due to large variations from person to person, it is of course difficult to satisfy everyone’s varying needs within the same thermal environment.

Typically concerns about indoor thermal comfort occur in areas that are poorly ventilated and/or inadequately shaded from sunlight. Individual thermal comfort can also be affected by physical exertion, crowded working areas and some medical conditions. Thermal comfort is determined by subjective judgment, and even in optimal conditions some individuals may experience discomfort.

Indoor temperatures considered to be optimal for winter are 19-22°C; this temperature range is approximately 1-3°C lower than what is considered optimal in summer. A wider range of 18-24°C applies to what is considered acceptable (as opposed to optimal) for winter. These are again lower than those considered acceptable in summer.  A relative humidity of between 30-60% is also applicable to thermal conditions considered acceptable.

Even though there are no specific legislative requirements under Workplace Health and Safety laws relating to thermal comfort, the general duty to provide a safe workplace and safe systems of work represent a responsibility to employers and facilities managers to address this and related issues. There is substantial local and international guidance material on managing thermal comfort; worth noting however is the importance in distinguishing between a condition which threatens health and safety, and a feeling of discomfort as the controls of management will also differ. 

In an existing building a simple way of estimating the level of thermal comfort is to ask the workers or their workplace representatives. If the percentage of workers dissatisfied with the thermal environment is above a certain level that will indicate that there is an issue which should be appropriately addressed.

There are many different types of methods to achieve indoor climate comfort including passive systems, evaporative cooling systems and refrigerated systems. These may be locally controlled, occupant controlled at a building level or electronically controlled via a BMIS system.

It is important, to achieve the best performance out of a building’s system, and that the occupants of a building fully understand how their system operates in order to achieve this.

Thermal comfort can be controlled or adjusted by a number of different measures:

• Environmental monitoring and control (automated or user-controlled systems, active systems such as heating and cooling and passive systems such as shading).
• Adapting or changing clothing. Businesses can allow people to wear different clothing depending on conditions. They can also provide things like cloak rooms or lockers so that people can change clothes or take off and store warmer clothing.
• Allowing flexible working hours.
• Adjusting tasks. For example, allowing breaks or reducing the length of time people are exposed to particular conditions.
• Providing information with regard to the conditions to expect so that they can dress and behave appropriately.
• Providing or allowing personal equipment such as desk fans.
• Separating people from sources of discomfort. For example putting heat generating equipment such as IT equipment in separate rooms, insulating pipes, preventing draughts and so on.
• Providing protective clothing. This however should be an option of last resort.

 

To avoid unnecessary claims and to provide a safe and comfortable building to its occupants, it is important that these issues be managed and addressed at all phases of any building’s life cycle. A robust and well considered design process is equally, if not more critical, than the ongoing management of facilities, associated plant and operational strategies.

One of our fundamental needs is the feeling of safety and security. This is evident across all cultures and historical periods. What deviates however is the strategies by which these needs are addressed. 

More recent events such as natural disasters and the frequency at which they are now occurring has heightened public awareness and interest toward efforts to protect people, building and operations from their devastating effects.
Within Australia safety and public liability of common and tenanted areas are covered by a variety of applicable health, safety & environmental legislation, Australian Standards, Codes of Practice and the National Construction Code (NCC).

The National Construction Code (NCC) defines types of building and structures and also contains technical provisions for the design and construction of buildings and other structures, covering such matters as structure, fire resistance, access and egress, services and equipment, and energy efficiency as well as certain aspects of health and amenity.

The goal of the NCC is to enable the achievement of nationally consistent, minimum necessary standards of relevant health, safety (including structural safety and safety from fire), and amenity and sustainability objectives efficiently. All buildings are required to have essential services fitted and maintained in an
operational state to ensure adequate level of safety over the life of the building. So we take this as inherent safety mitigation and a minimum design standard. This level of safety mitigation alone however does not necessarily achieve what may be reasonably considered a safe building. It does however provide a suitable base level of design in developing safe and functional buildings for most users through all stages of the building life.

Facility and property managers are faced with many challenges in ensuring the health and safety of tenants, workers (including contractors) and the public within the buildings they manage. Further complicating the matter are additional inherent safety and environmental risks associate with older building stock and associated superseded design standards, fittings and fixtures. Recurrent fit outs and improvement undertaken by tenants over time add additional layers of complexity. 

With the above in mind it seems fit to explore the relationship and continuum formed between safety, building design and property management and how risk management can influence the function and
safety of a building.
With Risk Management being defined in ISO 31000 as “the effect of uncertainty on objectives, whether positive or negative”. 

The objective for applying a systematic risk management approach to facilities and property management is to prevent undesirable events proactively through responsible action, as well as a detailed and timely allocation of responsibilities in the event of a disruption or incident.

In simple terms risk management is a process for identifying, assessing and systematically controlling events that may lead to a loss. In order to achieve the objective above, given that there are many tools and techniques that can be used, it can be helpful to consider the complexity of the problems, the nature and degree of undertenancy based on the information available, the extent of resources that are required, the desired output in terms of qualitative or quantitative data and the timing. 
 
Although risk management processes potentially present a powerful tool, as with all tools, if it is not used with care and understanding, the outcomes may well be totally incorrect and lead to inappropriate decisions being made that are not practicable and ultimately not successfully implementable.
 
Examples of key safety risks in buildings include: 

• Slip Trip Fall hazards in building entrances, especially where rain is tracked inside;
• Contractors staff and tenants working at height, confined spaces, plant and under exposure to electromagnetic radiation;        
• Inadequate lighting affecting building users’ ability to identify and negotiate hazards in their immediate environment;    
• Security for both staff and public; 
• The analysis and management of the interaction between vehicles and pedestrian using the facility;        
• Types and location of hazardous materials (e.g. asbestos, lead, PCBs);      
• Inadequate way finding signage;        
• Poor siting and design of car parks can have a significant impact on the safety of buildings where sightlines, lighting requirements and direct access by pedestrians is affected;        
• Inadequacy of emergency services and their communication preventing an effective response.

With the use of both active and passive measures, the benefits of the risk management approach to managing safety within facility or a building provide both direct and indirect benefits that may include premium reductions, reputation, and increased savings. They can assist with meeting due diligence obligations as well as in providing a safe and healthy environment for tenants, employees, contractors and the public.