Which strategy is employed last in the effort to control hazards in inherently safer design?

In inherently safer design, the strategy that is employed last to control hazards is the procedural approach. This approach relies on specific policies, procedures, or training to manage risks after more fundamental design changes have been made.

Procedural strategies can include safe operating procedures, emergency response plans, and safety training for personnel. While they are essential for ensuring safety, they often depend on human reliability and compliance. This makes them less effective as the primary means of hazard control, as human factors can introduce variability and potential for error.

In contrast, inherent strategies aim to eliminate hazards altogether, while passive strategies involve design features that provide safety without active intervention. Active strategies require intervention by operators or automated systems to control hazards, which can be complex and may fail if not properly implemented. Therefore, procedural strategies are utilized last, as they are meant to complement and support the more robust inherent, passive, and active strategies that are ideally employed first in a hierarchy of control.