Applying safety design to everyday life

Safety engineering and risk analysis gain even more importance in building design and construction especially in the world's rapidly growing economies, including China, to avoid or reduce workplace accidents.

Founded in the late 1970s, Fire Safety Design (FSD) uses state-of-the-art methods to provide architects and builders with the best services in fire safety and environmental engineering, risk and crisis management.

"Basically, what we are trying to do is to save money for our clients by providing optimized engineering solutions which ensure total safety," said CEO Richard Nilsson.

Operating in a niche sector, Malmo-based FSD boasts a top-level staff, many of whom have degrees in civil and safety engineering from Lund University, known for its most comprehensive fire education programs in Europe.

"We provide a total safety concept for new housing and buildings. We have also been involved in the offshore industries and the construction of tunnels," Nilsson said.

The company has undertaken projects around the world and its biggest projects include the Channel Tunnel between the UK and France.

"Our services cover a very wide span of engineering fields, from solving differential equations by parallel computing with up to 18 computers to conducting real life simulations in controlled environments," explained Civil Engineer and FSD consultant Sebastian Jeansson.

Nilsson is optimistic about the company's future, confident that FSD's competence and vast knowledge will eventually set the standard in safety design.

"Architects have realized that in using our competence, we can make their designs possible. With our help, they can now design things that were impossible to build five years ago," Nilsson said.

www.fsd.se

(China Daily 03/02/2009 page7)