1.9 Health and Safety

By the end of this unit you should have developed a knowledge and understanding of:

• safe working practices including identifying hazards and the need for risk assessments 

• the Health and Safety at Work act and how it influences products

• COSHH and safety precautions that need to be taken

• safe working practices in schools and colleges

• how designers ensure products are safe for use

• legislation used to protect consumers

• BSI and how products are tested to ensure safety

• measures taken to ensure the safety of products

• advice given to consumers and their rights

Summary

There are a range of consumer protection laws enforced by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the European Union.

The Trading Standards Industry is responsible for the day to day enforcement of consumer safety.

Products that meet the relevant EU directives can display the CE mark.

Products that meet the relevant British Standards can display the BSI Kitemark.

Ensure you are familiar with risk assessments and safety signs and symbols.

There are two main safety standards for consumer products: CE and BSI.

Items produced for sale in the UK should meet the relevant British Standard (BS).

The BSI mark is also known as the ‘kitemark’ due to the fact the symbol is shaped like a kite.

You will find one or both symbols somewhere on most consumer products. Where they don’t have a symbol they may not be safe for use.

Revision Notes

You should be familiar with a range of safety procedures and legislation, in particular, the Health and Safety at Work act.

You should also be familiar with a range of signs and symbols and what they mean.

As the examination is UK based it would help to know about the British Standards institute (BSI), the use of the Kitemark and at least one BSI standard which should ideally be relevant to your own design work.

The UK 3 pin plug is a good example of a product with various safety features that meets BSI standards.

Ensure you can apply safe working practices in your own environment.

It is helpful to critically analyse a product such as a toy in order to understand its safety features.