LEEDuser expert
Batya Metalitz
USGBC
Technical Director, LEED
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Credit language
© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Beginning in pre-design and continuing throughout the design phases, identify and use opportunities to achieve safety and health synergies across disciplines and across two key building life-cycle stages described below. Use the analyses to inform the owner’s project requirements (OPR), basis for design (BOD), design documents, and construction documents1.
Operations and Maintenance
Discovery: Perform safety design reviews before the completion of schematic design to explore how the completed building will be operated and maintained over its expected lifetime. Use a life-cycle safety approach to explore how to reduce hazards and improve efficiency and well-being for building operations and maintenance personnel. Assess each of the following systems where applicable:
- Roof systems. Assess how personnel will access the roof for operations, inspection, and maintenance; the distance of equipment and feature locations (including some types of cool roofs, vegetated roofs and solar panel installations) to roof edge; equipment installation and replacement access (including point loading); water and power access for vegetated roofs; and need for installation of fall protection measures.
- Equipment rooms and systems. Assess how personnel will access equipment and controls needing servicing; any work at height or in confined spaces; need for sufficient clearances to electrical or other equipment; equipment installation and replacement access; chemical storage needs; and fall protection, eye wash, or other safety feature needs.
- Building exterior enclosure and daylighting systems. Assess how personnel will clean exterior (e.g. cladding including windows and exterior shading devices) skylights and interior atria features.
- Storage and collection of recyclables. Assess the need for operations and maintenance workers to manually handle recyclables. Assess measures needed for handling of hazardous waste streams that could contain batteries, sharp edges, mercury-containing lamps, or similar items.
- Special features. If applicable, assess rainwater management cisterns, energy recovery wheels, or geothermal wells for confined space hazards. Assess access, confined space, and fall exposures for underfloor air distribution systems.
- Building roof designs: (e.g. use of parapets, guard rails, setbacks, fall protection);
- Equipment room and recyclable storage area design and layout;
- Exterior enclosure, daylighting, and special feature designs; and
- Safe operations and maintenance plans for submittal to owner, including recommendations where applicable for use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as foot, head, eye and face, ear, respiratory or fall protection2.
Construction
Discovery: Perform safety constructability reviews before the completion of schematic design to explore and plan the how safety and efficiency can be optimized during construction. An early review that includes the general contractor and key trade contractors and suppliers improves planning and allows consideration of options such as prefabrication and modularization that can improve construction employee safety, construction efficiency, and downstream maintenance efficiency and safety. Reviewing activities associated with LEED credits can identify additional protective measures for improving construction worker safety and health. Assess the following topic areas where applicable:- Site conditions. Assess site hazards such as presence of overhead power lines or brownfield-related soil exposures relevant to foundation work.
- Building reuse. Assess potential hazards arising out of re-use, ranging from structural safety and deconstruction safety to the presence of hazardous materials such as lead, asbestos, or mold.
- Construction activity pollution prevention. Assess how the pollution prevention plan can be used to further reduce exposures to construction employees. For example, use local exhaust ventilated tools and/or wet method controls on all outdoor dust-generating tools and equipment to reduce exposures from silica, welding, and other construction contaminants at the source.
- Construction indoor air quality management. Assess how the indoor air quality management plan can be used to further reduce exposures to construction employees. For example, use local exhaust ventilated tools and/or wet method controls on all indoor dust-generating tools and equipment to reduce exposures from silica, welding, and other construction contaminants at the source.
- Waste recycling management. Assess construction worker handling of construction wastes, and incorporate measures (e.g. the use of motorized equipment) to minimize the potential for manual handling injuries into waste management plans.
- Materials and resources. Assess the utility of low-emitting materials, material ingredient reporting, chemical of concern avoidance and source reduction approaches to further reduce construction worker exposures.
- Work at height. Assess and minimize the need for work at height. Where appropriate, utilize permanent fall prevention features developed during operations and maintenance safety design review. Plan for general contractors to employ 100% fall protection during the construction phase.
- Special features. If applicable, assess construction safety and sequence issues (e.g. fall hazards, confined space hazards) related to vegetated and cool roofs, installation of solar panels, rainwater management cisterns, energy recovery wheels, or geothermal wells , underfloor air distribution systems, or other special features.
- Construction Plan describing key construction stages;
- Building and temporary structure designs;
- Construction Safety Plan describing safety expectations, roles, procedures, and goals; including recommendations where applicable for use of personal protective equipment such as foot, head, eye, ear, respiratory or fall protection3.
- Construction Activity Pollution Prevention Plan (describe additional worker safety measure);
- Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan; (describe additional worker safety measure) and
- Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan (describe additional worker safety measure).
1 This credit is intended to complement and reinforce the existing Integrative Process credit. It can be performed by expanding the Integrative Process to examine safety and health, or it can done independently of that credit. PtD refers to addressing occupational safety and health needs by eliminating hazards and minimizing risks to workers in the design and redesign processes through the life cycle of a building or structure
2 Project specific health and safety standards must exceed established local or national safety standards. In cases where these standards do not exist, select and use others as project reference standards. Local standard examples include WorkSafeBC (British Columbia in Canada) and WorkCover NSW (New South Wales in Australia). National standard examples include the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
3 Project specific health and safety standards must exceed established local or national safety standards. In cases where these standards do not exist, select and use others as project reference standards. Local standard examples include WorkSafeBC (British Columbia in Canada) and WorkCover NSW (New South Wales in Australia). National standard examples include the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Documentation Requirements
Complete the Prevention through Design Process Worksheet See all forum discussions about this credit »What does it cost?
Cost estimates for this credit
On each BD+C v4 credit, LEEDuser offers the wisdom of a team of architects, engineers, cost estimators, and LEED experts with hundreds of LEED projects between then. They analyzed the sustainable design strategies associated with each LEED credit, but also to assign actual costs to those strategies.
Our tab contains overall cost guidance, notes on what “soft costs” to expect, and a strategy-by-strategy breakdown of what to consider and what it might cost, in percentage premiums, actual costs, or both.
This information is also available in a full PDF download in The Cost of LEED v4 report.
Learn more about The Cost of LEED v4 »Frequently asked questions
See all forum discussions about this credit »Documentation toolkit
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© Copyright U.S. Green Building Council, Inc. All rights reserved.
Requirements
Beginning in pre-design and continuing throughout the design phases, identify and use opportunities to achieve safety and health synergies across disciplines and across two key building life-cycle stages described below. Use the analyses to inform the owner’s project requirements (OPR), basis for design (BOD), design documents, and construction documents1.
Operations and Maintenance
Discovery: Perform safety design reviews before the completion of schematic design to explore how the completed building will be operated and maintained over its expected lifetime. Use a life-cycle safety approach to explore how to reduce hazards and improve efficiency and well-being for building operations and maintenance personnel. Assess each of the following systems where applicable:
- Roof systems. Assess how personnel will access the roof for operations, inspection, and maintenance; the distance of equipment and feature locations (including some types of cool roofs, vegetated roofs and solar panel installations) to roof edge; equipment installation and replacement access (including point loading); water and power access for vegetated roofs; and need for installation of fall protection measures.
- Equipment rooms and systems. Assess how personnel will access equipment and controls needing servicing; any work at height or in confined spaces; need for sufficient clearances to electrical or other equipment; equipment installation and replacement access; chemical storage needs; and fall protection, eye wash, or other safety feature needs.
- Building exterior enclosure and daylighting systems. Assess how personnel will clean exterior (e.g. cladding including windows and exterior shading devices) skylights and interior atria features.
- Storage and collection of recyclables. Assess the need for operations and maintenance workers to manually handle recyclables. Assess measures needed for handling of hazardous waste streams that could contain batteries, sharp edges, mercury-containing lamps, or similar items.
- Special features. If applicable, assess rainwater management cisterns, energy recovery wheels, or geothermal wells for confined space hazards. Assess access, confined space, and fall exposures for underfloor air distribution systems.
- Building roof designs: (e.g. use of parapets, guard rails, setbacks, fall protection);
- Equipment room and recyclable storage area design and layout;
- Exterior enclosure, daylighting, and special feature designs; and
- Safe operations and maintenance plans for submittal to owner, including recommendations where applicable for use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as foot, head, eye and face, ear, respiratory or fall protection2.
Construction
Discovery: Perform safety constructability reviews before the completion of schematic design to explore and plan the how safety and efficiency can be optimized during construction. An early review that includes the general contractor and key trade contractors and suppliers improves planning and allows consideration of options such as prefabrication and modularization that can improve construction employee safety, construction efficiency, and downstream maintenance efficiency and safety. Reviewing activities associated with LEED credits can identify additional protective measures for improving construction worker safety and health. Assess the following topic areas where applicable:- Site conditions. Assess site hazards such as presence of overhead power lines or brownfield-related soil exposures relevant to foundation work.
- Building reuse. Assess potential hazards arising out of re-use, ranging from structural safety and deconstruction safety to the presence of hazardous materials such as lead, asbestos, or mold.
- Construction activity pollution prevention. Assess how the pollution prevention plan can be used to further reduce exposures to construction employees. For example, use local exhaust ventilated tools and/or wet method controls on all outdoor dust-generating tools and equipment to reduce exposures from silica, welding, and other construction contaminants at the source.
- Construction indoor air quality management. Assess how the indoor air quality management plan can be used to further reduce exposures to construction employees. For example, use local exhaust ventilated tools and/or wet method controls on all indoor dust-generating tools and equipment to reduce exposures from silica, welding, and other construction contaminants at the source.
- Waste recycling management. Assess construction worker handling of construction wastes, and incorporate measures (e.g. the use of motorized equipment) to minimize the potential for manual handling injuries into waste management plans.
- Materials and resources. Assess the utility of low-emitting materials, material ingredient reporting, chemical of concern avoidance and source reduction approaches to further reduce construction worker exposures.
- Work at height. Assess and minimize the need for work at height. Where appropriate, utilize permanent fall prevention features developed during operations and maintenance safety design review. Plan for general contractors to employ 100% fall protection during the construction phase.
- Special features. If applicable, assess construction safety and sequence issues (e.g. fall hazards, confined space hazards) related to vegetated and cool roofs, installation of solar panels, rainwater management cisterns, energy recovery wheels, or geothermal wells , underfloor air distribution systems, or other special features.
- Construction Plan describing key construction stages;
- Building and temporary structure designs;
- Construction Safety Plan describing safety expectations, roles, procedures, and goals; including recommendations where applicable for use of personal protective equipment such as foot, head, eye, ear, respiratory or fall protection3.
- Construction Activity Pollution Prevention Plan (describe additional worker safety measure);
- Construction Indoor Air Quality Management Plan; (describe additional worker safety measure) and
- Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan (describe additional worker safety measure).
1 This credit is intended to complement and reinforce the existing Integrative Process credit. It can be performed by expanding the Integrative Process to examine safety and health, or it can done independently of that credit. PtD refers to addressing occupational safety and health needs by eliminating hazards and minimizing risks to workers in the design and redesign processes through the life cycle of a building or structure
2 Project specific health and safety standards must exceed established local or national safety standards. In cases where these standards do not exist, select and use others as project reference standards. Local standard examples include WorkSafeBC (British Columbia in Canada) and WorkCover NSW (New South Wales in Australia). National standard examples include the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
3 Project specific health and safety standards must exceed established local or national safety standards. In cases where these standards do not exist, select and use others as project reference standards. Local standard examples include WorkSafeBC (British Columbia in Canada) and WorkCover NSW (New South Wales in Australia). National standard examples include the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare.
General Pilot Documentation Requirements
Register for the pilot credit- Participate in the LEEDuser pilot credit forum
- Complete the feedback survey:
Documentation Requirements
Complete the Prevention through Design Process WorksheetLEEDuser expert
Batya Metalitz
USGBC
Technical Director, LEED
