Every other competency in engineering is important. This one is life saving. It could be yours…

In this series, we give you simple and compelling industry insights into all of Engineers Australia's Stage 2 Chartered Competencies that will help you prepare your Evidence Statements for assessment for that highly-prized Chartered status.

They have been prepared and condensed by Fellow Chartered Professional Engineers and Engineering Executives based entirely on their personal experience and engineering practice at the highest level of the profession in complex industrial settings.

4. Develop safe and sustainable solutions

Developing safe solutions is priority number 1 in industry. Numero Uno.

To get there, you need to take a lifecycle approach. Safety is actually something you build into the process, it's not an output. It's called "safety in design." You see safety starts in an office, not in the field, the ocean, the air, the mine or the plant.

And the safety management system (SMS) is the process, procedure and artefacts that houses the building blocks to carry you over that lifecycle.

And when it starts going pear-shaped, when things don't look or feel or smell right - then they probably aren't! - it's time to STOP. THINK. CHECK. ASK. Those four words could save a life and it might be yours.

When it comes to sustainability, the reality is it's as much about grubby money as society and the environment. Sustainability means being there in the long term and businesses that can't keep their costs under control are unlikely to make it through next week. Your job is to design for social and environmental dividends - and lowest cost.

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