The five-year-old Prevention through Design (PtD) initiative is picking up speed and may pick up some new partners as well, according to NIOSH chief Dr. John Howard. In a recent statement. Howard hailed the idea -- of designing for worker safety and health up front -- as a wise investment that will pay for itself "many times over."
PtD embodies the concept of reducing the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses by designing out hazards and minimizing occupational risks throughout the life cycle of work premises, equipment, tools, processes, and products, including their construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and ultimate disposal or reuse. PtD emphasizes the importance of giving prospective attention to safety and health before blueprints are drawn, a much wiser and much preferred alternative to the time and cost of retroactively correcting a problem, or even worse, to dealing with the consequences once an injury, illness, or death occurs in the workplace.