BES fulfils the role of Principal Designer, or supports the nominated Principal Designer throughout the project, ensuring that Health and Safety considerations are embedded in the design process from the very beginning through to completion.

We take a lead role in managing the design process, coordinating all key in-house disciplines, including Architectural, HVAC, Electrical, and Process Utilities, while also managing interfaces with external design teams where required. From the earliest stages, we identify and manage risks to Health and Safety, influencing design decisions to protect all personnel throughout the project lifecycle.

Critical design milestones are set, monitored, and reviewed meticulously. We continue to oversee these principles through construction, including any design changes. Our comprehensive Hazard Identification process is applied to eliminate or minimise risks, with all work independently reviewed to ensure compliance with current legislation and HSE guidelines.

Our extensive experience in multi-disciplined, complex projects makes BES a trusted choice to deliver safe, compliant, and high-quality designs as Principal Designer. We ensure professional due diligence is captured, challenged, and mitigated across all RIBA stages. As Principal Designer, we carry out timely design checks to ensure that critical criteria such as DDA compliance and accessibility are addressed and validated. By considering practical aspects, such as plantroom access and equipment layouts, well in advance of construction, we enable intelligent planning and programming, supporting Safety in Design (SID) and reducing risk at Stage 5.

An example of where SID has undergone successful optioneering is where a client’s 7m high Fluid Bed drying Machine has been accommodated within the existing structure and extension. Key considerations, such as personnel and material flow, safe installation, ease of maintenance, and potential catastrophic failure, were all successfully navigated before BES submitted a timely and welcomed design for our client.

Ultimately, safety in design is about people. Our guiding principle is simple: everyone should go home safe at the end of the day. By embedding safety thinking into design, we protect not only those building and operating our facilities, but also the communities around them.