Prevention through Design (PtD) safe design from an Australian perspective.

This paper aims to place current safe design activity in Australia into context by providing an overview of the regulatory environment, the history of safe design initiatives in Australia, and the influence of the National Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) strategy. The paper summarizes recent work in safe design policy undertaken at the national level in Australia. The paper sets out the Australian experience that designing for safety can reduce injuries and fatalities at work. Design solutions already exist for most problems, but the challenge is to effect attitudinal changes to ensure hazards and risks are designed out of products before they enter the workplace. Setting targets and strategies at the national level, for OHS in Australia, has assisted in maintaining the engagement of key stakeholders and making real improvements in the area of safe design.