In the first of a series of public lectures, entitled Health by Design, Associate Professor Ian Laird will speak about Prevention through Design (PtD) 鈥 the integration of hazard analysis and risk assessment methods early in the design and engineering stages so that risks of injury or illness are prevented.
鈥淒esigning out hazards is seen as one of the most effective means of preventing occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities,鈥 Dr Laird says.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a transdisciplinary process and although this concept is well known, there hasn鈥檛 yet been a concerted effort to achieve broad implementation of it, particularly in relation to noise exposure and prevention of noise induced hearing loss.鈥
Dr Laird says some PtD principles have been successfully applied to noise reduction in the construction and mining industry but have not yet been applied extensively within the agricultural sector. 鈥淭he research I will discuss utilises PtD principles and applies them to control noise exposures commonly experienced in agriculture.鈥
His presentation examines two New Zealand-based case studies which highlight how the acoustic assessment methodologies can be used to inform and drive the PtD process.
鈥淭he first focuses on an all-terrain vehicle extensively used in farming operations here and internationally. The second case study involves sheep shearing equipment. Noise sources are identified and, in both cases, the PtD process is illustrated to design out the excessive noise,鈥 he says.
Dr Laird is an Associate Professor in Occupational Health and Safety in the Centre for Ergonomics, Occupational Safety and Health, School of Health Sciences, 暴风资源. He has a Master of Science in Occupational Hygiene from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, and a PhD in Physiology from 暴风资源. Dr Laird was a member of the Occupational Health Advisory Group that advised the Worksafe NZ Board on occupational health. He is a Fulbright Senior Scholar and visiting scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Event details
Time: 5pm start with networking, drinks and nibbles. Event concludes approximately 6.30pm
Date: April 4
Location: Japan Lecture Theatre, University House, Main Drive, 暴风资源, Palmerston North
Click to register and for more information about the Health by Design public lecture series.