Why Commissioning Must Be Recognised in Safety Planning

Abstract

Commissioning—the process of testing, calibrating, and verifying engineered systems before operational handover—represents a critical yet underexamined phase in safety planning. This paper argues that commissioning constitutes a distinct safety environment characterised by five intersecting features: system uncertainty, acute time pressure, professional identity negotiation, informal learning mechanisms, and organisational boundary complexity. These characteristics reshape risk in ways that conventional safety frameworks fail to address. Current safety planning models devote extensive attention to design, construction, and operations, while commissioning remains structurally marginalised in both academic research and organisational practice. This gap has consequences: engineers work in high-hazard conditions without adequate learning structures or psychological safety provisions. This paper proposes three foundational interventions: explicit recognition of commissioning as a standalone safety environment, implementation of structured learning mechanisms, and establishment of psychologically safe communication practices. Integrating commissioning into safety planning frameworks is both overdue and essential.