E.S.M. undertook a safety assessment of unauthorised and unintended public use of waterfront assets, applying a hazard-based methodology aligned with WHS principles and balanced site-security objectives.
Following reports of inappropriate public interaction with waterfront facilities, the client engaged E.S.M. to assess foreseeable unauthorised use and identify practical controls. The assets form part of a broader waterfront network where public access, operational equipment, and sensitive waters intersect. Although the assets provide important functions, their location and accessibility can attract behaviours beyond the intended purpose, including recreation near operational areas, land or water-based access, climbing, and interference with equipment.
The Challenge
The key challenge was to assess foreseeable public behaviour without compromising asset function or community amenity. The assessment considered water-related hazards such as deep water, currents, moving vessels, falls from height, submerged objects, and limited self-rescue opportunities, alongside asset-related hazards including chemical exposure, electrical equipment in wet environments, pinch and shear points, slippery surfaces, steep embankments, and contamination risks.
Our Approach
E.S.M. applied a structured, systems-based methodology. Facilities were broken into water-based, land-based, and surrounding-area systems, with intended uses compared against foreseeable unintended uses. Hazards were assessed by considering the likelihood of misuse, likelihood of harm once exposed, and event consequence.
The study included representative site visits and a facilitated workshop with client stakeholders and contractors. It incorporated the hierarchy of controls and selected Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles, including territoriality, surveillance, access control, image, and target hardening.
Key Findings
The assessment found that higher-priority risks generally arose where people, water, and operational infrastructure interacted, particularly around deep water, strong currents, moving vessels or watercraft, falls from height, and submerged hazards. Other concerns included chemical exposure, electrical equipment in wet areas, pinch points, and slippery surfaces.
Some risks were inherent to the waterfront environment and could not be eliminated. Therefore, deterrence, clear communication, practical engineering controls, and emergency response capability were central to the risk-reduction strategy.
Outcomes and Recommendations
E.S.M. developed consolidated recommendations to improve public safety, environmental protection, and operational reliability. These included revised signage and labelling, clearer public-interface messaging, design measures to discourage climbing and unsafe access, fencing and access-control improvements, edge protection, self‑rescue and response provisions, spill prevention and containment, emergency planning, electrical safety, embankment and surface-hazard controls, pinch-point controls, and improved identification of services and equipment.
Value Delivered
The project demonstrates E.S.M.’s ability to apply practical engineering risk management to public infrastructure where community behaviour, environmental setting, and asset function intersect. By combining site observation, stakeholder knowledge, systems engineering, WHS-aligned risk assessment, and environmental design thinking, E.S.M. provided the client with a clear, actionable pathway to strengthen safety outcomes across public-facing waterfront assets while preserving essential facility functions.
