The obligation
A designer's duty to ensure health and safety is qualified by what is reasonably practicable, weighing up all relevant matters.
Relevant matters include the likelihood and degree of harm, knowledge about the hazard or risk and ways to control it, the availability and suitability of those controls, and whether their cost is grossly disproportionate to the risk. Consideration is given to the prevailing standards of design and the hazards and risks known when the designer designed the structure.
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- What
- A designer's duty to ensure health and safety is qualified by what is reasonably practicable, weighing up all relevant matters.
- Source
- safeworkaustralia.gov.au
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Frequently asked questions
Which WHS law does this come from?
What reasonably practicable means for the designer's duty is a WHS requirement set out in Safe design of structures (SA). It is made under Work Health and Safety Act 2012 (SA). The relevant provision is Safe design of structures > Designer duties.
What does this WHS obligation require?
What reasonably practicable means for the designer's duty is a WHS obligation under Safe design of structures (SA). In short, A designer's duty to ensure health and safety is qualified by what is reasonably practicable, weighing up all relevant matters.
What changed recently?
What reasonably practicable means for the designer's duty was last updated on 19 October 2026.