It makes perfect sense: incorporate safety when designing equipment and facilities, rather than trying to correct for safety later. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) have adopted a new standard that addresses this: “Prevention through Design: Guidelines for Addressing Occupational Risks in Design and Redesign Processes”
ASSE has issued a Tech Brief on this standard.
The scope is described as:
This standard provides guidance on including prevention through design concepts within an occupational safety and health management system. Through the application of these concepts, decisions pertaining to occupational hazards and risks can be incorporated into the process of design and redesign of work premises, tools, equipment, machinery, substances, and work processes including their construction, manufacture, use, maintenance, and ultimate disposal or reuse. This standard provides guidance for a life-cycle assessment and design model that balances environmental and occupational safety and health goals over the life span of a facility, process, or product.
NIOSH has a blog discussion on the new standard.