Safety and quality 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. Risk assessments. Product safety in use. Quality control and assurance and tolerances

Learning objectives Understand the relevance of safety for the product user. Understand that designers and manufacturers of products have a moral and legal responsibility for the products they create. Understand that many judgements regarding quality are subjective, depending on such things as cost and availability of resources. Develop an understanding of commercial methods used to provide quality assurance.

Some statistics about safety 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 deaths per year Fire is a major cause in the home, with over 300 fatalities and 12,000 casualties last year DIY accounts for over 250,000 accidents per year In addition Britain's’ roads claim approx lives each year, but this figure is steadily decreasing. However, there will be an estimated 800,000 reported road-related accidents before the end of this year. Safety-driven product development. Examples?

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

A closer look at design safety standards and legislation Products sold in the UK should comply with British Standards and/or the European Community Directive Legislation is in place to ensure that products are also safe to use, and many are governed by Acts of Parliament

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.( ) 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. Failure to comply may result in prosecution!

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

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. Undertaking Risk Assessments

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.

QC and QA Quality assurance- an overall approach to design and production. This concerns all functions that affect quality such as materials, equipment, staff training, culminating in an ‘awarded’ accreditation. Quality control- checks made from the production sequence to ensure that components meet specification. This concerns such things as accuracy, weights, fit and finish.

Tolerances +/-/= A range of acceptable different sizes, weights etc. within a minimum and maximum eg. witness ‘building cars live programme’. Food packaging may display estimated weights and volumes due to settlement and drying.

Consumer ‘Champions’ The ‘Which?’ guides and product reports, sometimes called ‘consumer choice’ BBC Watchdog ‘Rogue Traders’ programme- Matt Allright ‘Cowboy Builders’- Dom Littlewood

Some useful web sites (descriptions and content concerning Acts of Parliament) ( general info. source) (new car safety info.) (promoting positive attitudes to safety) (a government body that legislates on safety practices) (British standards publications and information)