What is the primary focus of inherently safer design during the research stage?

The primary focus of inherently safer design during the research stage is safety enhancement. This stage emphasizes identifying and implementing design strategies that prioritize safety right from the outset, aiming to eliminate or significantly reduce hazards in processes, materials, or systems. By focusing on safety enhancement, designers can integrate safety considerations into the very fabric of the design, leading to more robust solutions that minimize risks to workers, the public, and the environment.

Inherently safer design seeks to achieve safety through design choices that avoid the use of hazardous substances or reduce the severity of potential hazards, rather than relying solely on protective measures or equipment after hazards have been introduced. This proactive approach is foundational to inherently safer design principles, ensuring that safety is not just an add-on but an integral part of the design process from the beginning.

Other aspects such as cost efficiency, market adaptation, and technology advancement are important in the broader design and industrial context but do not directly align with the primary goal of enhancing safety during the research phase of inherently safer design.