Safety in Product Design, Manufacture and Use. This session will cover: Consumer expectations Applying safety factors to your product design and make activities. Design standards and legislation. Machine use, training and risk assessments. Product safety in use.

Designing and making safe products Consumers should have a right to expect that their purchases, if used correctly, will not cause harm, (legislation) Designers and manufacturers of products therefore have a certain responsibility for the safety and wellbeing of the end user.

Some statistics In the UK, accidents in the home are one of the largest causes of injury and fatalities. 2.7 million visit A&E departments as a result of accidents, and there are approx. 4000 deaths per year resulting from accidents at home. Fire is a major cause in the home, with over 300 fatalities and 12,000 casualties last year Home DIY accounts for over 250,000 accidents per year In addition Britain's’ roads claim approx. 3000 lives each year, but thankfully this figure is steadily decreasing. However, there will be an estimated 800,000 reported road-related accidents before the end of this year.

Considering safety when designing and manufacturing At the design brief stage Within the initial spec. and factor analysis, When researching legislation and any safety standards, Certainly within the final specification When planning for manufacture and compiling associated risk assessments When testing and evaluating the finished product. When producing user instructions/packaging

Safety Standards The BS kite mark and CE mark denote compliance. e.g. toys must meet the CE directive -88/378 BSEN 71 (see example, textbook page 131) The British Standards Institute has a database of UK national standards for quality and safety in products (and services) The BSI also represents the UK in European (EN) and International (ISO) statements Companies pay to have their products tested and accredited. Leading car manufacturers can have their models ‘new car assessed’ (NCAP) tested and rated for accident protection effectiveness.( www.euroncap.com ) Trades people might be affiliated to professional organisations as a mark of quality and reliability. e.g. Gas engineers should be Corgi registered which is expensive, hence ‘rogue traders’

Legislation and Regulations The Trades Descriptions Act (1968) - it is illegal to make false claims about the product e.g. misleading slimming ads. The Consumer Protection Act (1987) – aims to prevent the sale of products that may be harmful or defective The Sales of Goods Act (1979) – goods should be fit for the purpose they are intended The Weights and Measures Act - it is illegal to sell products that are underweight or to sell a short measure The Food Safety Act and Food Safety Regulations (1990) - guidance is given on food hygiene management and handling. The Food Labelling Regulations – certain information is required to be shown on most food labels. EU Product directives concerning: General product safety, Machines, Toy safety, Noise emission, LV electrical equipment, compliance enables CE mark to be displayed on the product.

Safety during manufacture Specific legislation is set up to protect employees namely: The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) Personal Protective Clothing Regulations. (2002) Control of Substances Hazardous to Health - COSHH (2002) Responsible employers should generally: Make the workplace safe and free from risks to health Ensure machinery is safe and safe working practices are followed Ensure that dangerous items and substances are removed and stored safely Provide sufficient welfare facilities Provide information, training and supervision as necessary for health and safety

Employer safety responsibilities for those working with machines Specifics:- Machine guarding to HSE regulations. Issuing personal protective clothing and equipment Efficient fume and dust extraction installations Implementation of COSHH regulations. Performing Risk Assessments – but why bother to do them…..?

CASE STUDY Make brief e-notes under the book headings, page 171/172

Built-in safety Electrical cable (length/connection) Switch design Electrical insulation (PAT testing) Guarding against moving parts Product labelling Noise considerations Safety instructions for the user (operation and maintenance)

Risk Assessments in more detail This is a printed document that assesses the: type of hazard level of risk who might be affected by the hazard, and, describes the measures to control and minimise the stated risks -some example risk assessments:-

Example of Risk Assessment applied to the design and manufacture of a child’s sit and ride plastic toy

example risk assessment (as used at RHS) Blank forms are available for self-formatting.

Probability (likelihood) guide

Some useful web sites www.opsi.gov.uk (descriptions and content concerning Acts of Parliament) www.wikipedia.org ( general info. source) www.euroncap.com (new car safety info.) www.rospa.com (promoting positive attitudes to safety) www.hse.gov.uk (a government body that legislates on safety practices) www.bsigroup.co.uk (British standards publications and information)