Prevention through design audits

Waste and energy audits are performed to identify existing problems. In the next four subsections, new approaches are presented that focus on prevention through Ufe cycle design, fife cycle assessment, production planning models with environmental considerations, and environmental management systems. 

The frequency and severity rates of accidents vary from country to country and from industry to industry. A number of accidents in the chemical, oil and gas, marine and nuclear industries over the years have increased the public and political pressure to improve the safety which protects people and the environment. In the evolution of the approach to safety, there has been an increasing move towards risk management in conjunction with more technical solutions. Hazardous industries have developed approaches for dealing with safety and loss prevention, from design standards to plant inspections and technical safety, through to safety auditing and human factors (Trbojevic and Soares (2000)). 

The safety audit is designed to take accoimt of quantitative information available through data on injuries, incident reports, insurance claims, accident reports, first aid records and any other documents that can provide an indication of performance. In looking at the administrative structure, attention is drawn to the support mechanisms that provide the foimdation for hazard management and accident prevention. 

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