Posted By James K Trevor, If you log onto the Health & Safety Authority's website hsa.ie, and type in the word drsign into the search box you will get a few options. One of the options will be the booklet " Guidelines on the Procurement, Design and Management Requirements of the Safety Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) regul;ations 2006" Long winded title I know. All the information you want will be in this booklet which is available free on download. Sorry I havent got a direct link to post but I am not a computer whizz. Hope this helps. Jim

Posted By Larry Shannon Some personal observations , The changing role of the PSDP as now been experienced, has introduced a new layer of management in to projects, and a new role for the H&S experienced, trained and competent engineer( usually civil). The roles formally taken by the architects now been evolved to designers. The production of the preliminary H&S plan been vital, the management of the design , enabling works, temporary structures all at the design stage. A lot of H&S people are heading into this area, without in my opinion the necessary engineering experience to do so. Cert/Dips/Bsc in OHS don't make for good designers/ engineers. I see the role of PSDP more as a management/ project management role, ordinating input form many sources, and producing a clear result, that can be build, economically, safely, on time and on budget, which can be maintained though out its working life and can be demolished safely at some time in the future. Poor design and construction will come back and bite you in the you in the ass, and its the PSDP's ass that Will Be bitten( as you have been appointed and accepted the role in written) I have turned down the PSDP role a number of times, but am happy as a CMOISH to contribute to the team effort.

Posted By willhiem Larry, I'd have to disagree with you on one point - 'Cert/Dips/Bsc in OHS don't make for good designers/ engineers.' no one is asking of them to be fully competent in design / engineering, just experience of building design. i dont think certs in h & s necessarily make engineers more qualified to fill the role of PSDP, yet there are a lot of engineers filling the role as well as H & S professionals. I myself have engineering experience but probably more H & S experience and i find this is more useful in identifying risks which designers have overlooked. The PSDP role isnt one of design, and should you suggest design / structural engineering changes to the project you yourself are taking on the role of designer which you are not competent to do so therefore opening a can of worms in terms of liability etc. The PSDP role is to ensure the general principles are followed not to make suggest specific design / Structural changes. The PSDP more or less co-ordinates for safety, as regards the actual safety of the project their safety plan manages safety on site, where as the designers / engineers RF1 forms ensure responsibility has been take on for what they design. I've worked on Sites as H & S and while there may be some level of cross over i still feel persons trained in H & S are more adept at handling the safety plan and the more pertinent procedures relating to PSDP. I know many good engineers who now practice safety as their primary role and most are very good at it, and have great experience. One factor which creeps in in certain cases is the fact that those who've studied safety over a long period of time- say degree level- have learned various tools of health and safety which can be adapted to their work places where as those who tend to get into safety in an industry ther're already working seem to just pick up whats there already so they dont really develop these systems ie. risk assessment methods etc. anyway just a point, as with all new areas of H & S there seems to be everyone and anyone trying to get into it, it seems to be a fact of life in H & S.