[1] Compared to traditional forms of hazard control, PtD possesses a proactive nature whereas other safety measures are reactive to incidences that occur within construction projects.
This method for reducing workplace safety risks lessens workers' reliance on personal protective equipment, which is the least effective of the hierarchy of hazard control.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the United States is a major contributor and promoter of PtD policy and guidelines.
[13] Some Notified Bodies provide testing and design verification services to ensure compliance with the safety standards defined in regulation codes such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
The PtD National Initiative's goal is to avoid or mitigate occupational accidents, diseases, deaths, and exposures by incorporating prevention factors into all designs that impact people in the workplace.
This is accomplished by eliminating hazards and reducing worker risks to an acceptable level "at the source," or as early in the life cycle of items or workplaces as possible.
[18] The idea of redesigning job tasks and work environments has begun to gain momentum in business and government as a cost-effective means to enhance occupational safety and health.
Even before the Work Health and Safety Act of 2011, since 1998, any construction project that was valued over AU$3 million was subject to this requirement.
[24] The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is a contributor to prevention through design efforts in the United States.
Through NIOSH efforts, the U.S. Green Building Council posted new PtD credits[25] available for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for construction.
[27] The Prevention through Design (PtD) Initiative of NIOSH collaborates with business, labor, trade unions, professional organizations, and academia.
[29] Even though PtD is not a new concept and has shown to be associated with reductions in injuries and fatalities across various construction industries on the international stage, it is still not a core feature of various engineering and architectural schools' curriculum.