Managing safety risk through whole-life competency

The management of risk is an essential element of all engineering projects. Whereas the elements of risk may vary between projects, the need to have regard to other people—that is, the health and safety risk—is always present and an obligation on us all. In order for this risk to be embedded in an engineer's thinking it is essential that the fundamental concepts are introduced within the education base, built upon with experience during the initial development phase and honed throughout the career span. This paper describes how this is happening and adds some suggestions for strengthening its provision.