Professional Safety Magazine is out with a very timely article about Prevention Through Design (PTD.) This is a professional movement that the American Society of Safety Engineers and other bodies are very interested in. Driven in part by common sense and in part by liability claims, the premise is that the best time to incorporate safety and reduce risk and hazards is in the design phase of a project, whether it is as a new build or renovation.
The concept clearly applies to the problem of storefront crashes; drivers are going to make pedal errors, or have medical emergencies, or drive drunk. Pointing cars at store entrances as they drive down the drive aisles of a parking lot (as happened in several recent grocery store incidents reported in these pages) or having nose-in parking pointed right at store windows and glass doors (as with most convenience stores and strip malls) is inviting accidents and injuries into your projects.
Protecting pedestrians, customers, and employees at retail stores, restaurants, and commercial buildings where these types of design issues are present needs to become a higher priority -- as recent litigation and liability claims have proven. The cost of redesigning parking areas and traffic flow, or simply by installation of tested barriers or bollards, is all that is required to transform your store or project from exposed to protected -- and to keep architects and engineers and property owners in their offices and out of lawyers offices.
Here is an excerpt of this excellent article. Thanks to ASSE and Professional Safety
Getting Started With Prevention Through Design
By Marjory E. Anderson & Craig Galecka
If you ask someone in the safety profession, "Do you want to reduce risk and save money at the same time?" the answer is always a resounding "yes." That is why the concept of prevention through design (PTD) has gained so much momentum in the past few years.
PTD is an invaluable tool that allows organizations to address safety measures early in the design process, which has proven to decrease risk and save money. Risk is minimized by eliminating hazards before they are created and applying solutions that are high in the hierarchy of controls. Costs are reduced in two ways: 1) by applying the initial solution; and 2) by minimizing injuries, reducing claims and decreasing lost production time. READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE
The concept clearly applies to the problem of storefront crashes; drivers are going to make pedal errors, or have medical emergencies, or drive drunk. Pointing cars at store entrances as they drive down the drive aisles of a parking lot (as happened in several recent grocery store incidents reported in these pages) or having nose-in parking pointed right at store windows and glass doors (as with most convenience stores and strip malls) is inviting accidents and injuries into your projects.
Protecting pedestrians, customers, and employees at retail stores, restaurants, and commercial buildings where these types of design issues are present needs to become a higher priority -- as recent litigation and liability claims have proven. The cost of redesigning parking areas and traffic flow, or simply by installation of tested barriers or bollards, is all that is required to transform your store or project from exposed to protected -- and to keep architects and engineers and property owners in their offices and out of lawyers offices.
Here is an excerpt of this excellent article. Thanks to ASSE and Professional Safety
Getting Started With Prevention Through Design
By Marjory E. Anderson & Craig Galecka
If you ask someone in the safety profession, "Do you want to reduce risk and save money at the same time?" the answer is always a resounding "yes." That is why the concept of prevention through design (PTD) has gained so much momentum in the past few years.
PTD is an invaluable tool that allows organizations to address safety measures early in the design process, which has proven to decrease risk and save money. Risk is minimized by eliminating hazards before they are created and applying solutions that are high in the hierarchy of controls. Costs are reduced in two ways: 1) by applying the initial solution; and 2) by minimizing injuries, reducing claims and decreasing lost production time. READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE
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