Corps of Engineers Design Guidance

USACE Engineer Regulations (ERs) outline what needs to be done and Engineer Manuals (EMs) show how to do it. The first brief USACE reference to the public safety philosophy was contained in Engineer Manual (EM) 1110-2-1611, Layout and Design of Shallow-Draft Waterways (USACE 1980), paragraph 2-11 as follows  

Economy should consider both first cost and maintenance and operation cost without sacrifice of safety, efficiency, and dependability. 

This brief statement on the importance of public safety was expanded by paragraph 4 of regulation ER 1110-2-1404, Hydraulic Design for Deep Draft Navigation Projects (USAGE 1981) 

Design Rationale The design of a deep draft navigation project must result in a safe, efficient, reliable and least cost plan with appropriate consideration of environmental and social aspects. However, the factors of safety, efficiency and reliability must be accommodated before the cost is optimized. Costs include construction, maintenance and replacement. 

This first published account of the safety, efficiency and reliability philosophy is no longer in print but has been replaced by a revised ER 1110-2-1404, (USAGE 1996c). This revised ER carries forward the same concept as follows in Section 5, Project Rationale  

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