At Aquatec, Safety in Design (SiD) is not an afterthought, it is a core pillar of how we engineer odour control systems and water infrastructure. SiD in the water industry involves systematically identifying, control and mitigating hazards during the early stages of design, reducing residual risks for construction, operation, and maintenance activities.
HSEQ-driven design culture
Our commitment to Health, Safety, Environment, and Quality (HSEQ) ensures that every design reflects industry best practice in safety and sustainability. By embedding SiD principles, we aim to eliminate, control or reduce hazards at the source, achieving safer project lifecycle outcomes for water authorities and operators.
Key design priorities for water infrastructure systems:
- Safe constructability – Ensuring equipments and assemblies can be safely handled, transported, and installed with minimal high-risk work.
- Maintenance accessibility – Designing external access and lifting points to eliminate confined space entry wherever possible.
- Interface risk mitigation – Identifying interactions between systems, structures, and people to prevent potential safety conflicts.
Designing out hazards in odour systems
We incorporate engineered safety features such as:
- External service access platforms as per AS1657 and maintenance points.
- Lockable, gas-tight access covers to prevent unauthorised entry for the vessels and confined space.
- Forklift-compatible modular odour cassettes to eliminate manual handling.
- Integrated fall protection, handrails, and non-slip walkways.
These innovations apply the Hierarchy of Controls, prioritising elimination and substitution over administrative controls and PPE.
Standards and Compliance
Our designs are developed in full compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety and key clauses from the Australian standards, Water Services Association of Australia, and client-specific Safety in Design frameworks. This ensures alignment with Australian regulations and water authority requirements, supporting the delivery of safe, sustainable, and compliant infrastructure.
For any information or questions about our design processes, please get in touch with Malek Harfi, AQUATEC‘s Mechanical Design Manager.
Banner image: purpose-built Odour Control Unit at Riddells Creek Recycled Water Plant (RWP).
