When you are designing in industry you need to think about various regulations and legislation.

Regulations

There are multiple organisations which look after the public and the consumers interests. Most of these are set up by manufacturing bodies to ensure that all their members follow a 'voluntary code of practice'. These groups give advice and support to designers and manufacturers. The government also provides regulations by acts of parliament. One example is for designers who need to protect their new design ideas from being copied. The designer can have their ideas protected using the following means:

• Copyright

• Patents

• Registered design ideas

Legislation

Legislation are the acts of law which require all citizens and public and private companies to obey. Failing to observe these legal requirements, can result in criminal prosecution. It is not necessary to remember information about all legislation but the following are worth bearing in mind when designing.

• The Consumer Protection Act - Tries to prevent the sale of harmful or defective products.

• The Consumer Safety Act - This allows the government to ban the sale of dangerous products.

• The Trade Description Act - This makes it illegal to make false claims about a product.

• The Weights and Measures Act - This makes it illegal to sell products which are underweight or short measures.

• The Sale of Goods Act - This states that products must be fit for purpose.

• Food Safety Regulations and The Food Safety Act - Provide guidance on food hygiene management.

• The Food Labelling Regulations - This requires specific information on what goes onto food labels.

You can browse and view the original documents (although they make for very 'dry' reading) by visiting the embedded legislation.gov.uk website at the bottom of this page.

British Standards Institute (BSI)

The British Standards Institute provide an agreed way of doing things. They give organizations a set of tools with the potential to help them perform better and compete strongly.

Consumer Associations and Advice

Which Magazine

Which Magazine provides a paid for service which aims to give consumers the best advice when it comes to buying goods and services. They are a self-appointed comparitor of all sorts or products and give reviews based upon real-world user conditions (not necessarily carried out in a lab). This makes them well-positioned to give user-centered advice. They often engage in value-for-money and efficiency surveys meaning that subscribers can get the best deal for their money.