Key points
- The Prevention through Design (PtD) Program seeks to prevent or reduce occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities through the inclusion of prevention considerations in all designs that impact workers.
- One of the best ways to prevent injury is to eliminate hazards and minimize risks early in the design or re-design process.
Overview
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Prevention through Design (PtD) addresses occupational safety and health needs by eliminating hazards and minimizing risks to workers throughout the life cycle of work premises, tools, equipment, machinery, substances, and work processes including their construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and ultimate disposal or re-use. The Program conducts research on the effectiveness of current PtD interventions, increases practice of PtD by sharing case-studies of real-life PtD solutions and encouraging stakeholders to apply them, and advocates lifecycle sustainability to address health and safety for all building occupants or users.
Program priorities
The PtD Program has selected research priorities on the basis of burden, need, and impact and collaborated with other NIOSH research programs to write the research goals in the NIOSH Strategic Plan for FYs 2019-2026. Priority areas include (but are not limited to):
- Preventing injuries among high risk workers in the agriculture, forestry, and fishing sector.
- Preventing and protecting from falls in the construction sector
- Reducing machine-related injuries among mining workers
- Reducing machine-related injuries and transportation incidents among transportation, warehousing and utilities workers
- Reducing noise and ototoxic chemical exposures among manufacturing workers
- Reducing musculoskeletal disorders in wholesale and retail trade
- Reducing silica-induced respiratory diseases among oil and gas extraction workers
PtD in Practice
Prevention through Design (PtD) Pilot Credit
Ptd can be applied to Construction projects through the PtD Pilot Credit available in the US Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED© (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system. LEED is a certification system for green buildings, and environmental rating systems play an important role in helping to promote and implement green and sustainable practices. Buildings qualify for different levels of LEED© certification based on acquiring a sufficient number of "credits" demonstrating that the building is efficient, cost-effective, and better for occupants and the environment.
The USGBC tests new and innovative concepts through the development of pilot credits. Pilot credits that are found to be effective and have high usage rates may be added to the LEED Innovation Catalog, a permanent listing of credits that can be pursued for Innovation in Design points. The aim of the PtD pilot credit is to reduce illnesses and injuries by supporting high-performance, cost-effective employee safety and health outcomes across the building life cycle by designing structures that reduce or eliminate potential safety and health hazards.
Prevention through Design (PtD) Award
The NIOSH Prevention through Design (PtD) annual award recognizes individuals, teams, businesses, and other organizations that have eliminated or reduced hazards through design or re-design efforts or have contributed to the body of knowledge that enables PtD solutions. NIOSH presents the award in partnership with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), and the National Safety Council (NSC).