Notes · Design and TechnologyUK · A-Levels

Health and safety

This chapter covers keeping people safe both in making products and in using them: how hazards are assessed and controlled in manufacture, the main health and safety legislation and the duties it places on employers and employees, and how products themselves are designed and marked to be safe. It stresses the hierarchy of risk control and the difference between a hazard and a risk.

3 sections~11 min reading time3 competenciesLevel Standard 3

T·131313 / 18

Exam profile

AO4 · Explain safe working practices, health and safety legislation and the design and marking of safe productsAO3 · Analyse and evaluate the risks in a process and how a product is made safe for the userAO2 · Carry out risk assessment and work safely when making a prototype

Operators:explaindescribeidentifyanalyseevaluateassessjustify

basic level

AS-Level expects hazards, basic risk assessment, PPE and the main legislation recognised, and the idea of a safe product.

higher level

The full A-Level expects the hierarchy of risk control applied, legislation and duties explained, and product safety and safety-critical design evaluated.

Depth

Text

Contents · 3 sections

Health and safety

Safe working practices and risk assessment#

StandardAQA 7552 3.1.9DfE GCE D&T - health and safety in manufacture

The hierarchy of risk control

Fig. 1The hierarchy of risk control: eliminating the hazard (apex) is the most effective control and PPE (base) the least - a last resort. Good practice reaches for the top of the hierarchy first.

Safe working starts by distinguishing a hazard from a risk. A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm (a spinning blade, a toxic solvent, a hot surface); a risk is the likelihood that the hazard actually causes harm, combined with how serious that harm would be. Risk assessment is the systematic process of identifying hazards, deciding who might be harmed and how, evaluating the risk, putting control measures in place, recording them and reviewing them - the legal and practical basis of a safe workshop or factory.

Risks are reduced by controls arranged in a hierarchy of risk control, from the most to the least effective. The most effective is to eliminate the hazard altogether (remove the dangerous process); then to substitute it with something safer (a less toxic adhesive); then engineering controls that isolate people from the hazard (machine guards, extraction, interlocks); then administrative controls (safe procedures, training, signage, limiting exposure time); and, only as a last line of defence, personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by the individual. Good practice reaches for the top of the hierarchy first and treats PPE as the last resort, not the first.

In practice a workshop combines these controls. Machine guards and emergency stops isolate people from moving parts; local exhaust ventilation extracts dust and fumes; clear procedures, training and supervision reduce unsafe acts; housekeeping keeps floors and benches clear; and PPE - goggles, gloves, ear defenders, respirators, aprons - protects where the hazard cannot be fully removed. Warning and hazard symbols communicate dangers quickly and consistently.

The designer and maker have a duty to work safely and to assess risk before starting, especially in the NEA. A good risk assessment for a task names the specific hazards, who is at risk, the likelihood and severity, and the controls chosen from the hierarchy - not a generic 'be careful'. This disciplined approach both protects people and is exactly what examiners and moderators expect to see evidenced.

The risk assessment process

Fig. 2Risk assessment as a repeating process: identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed, evaluate the risk and choose controls, record and implement them, and review - it is revisited when anything changes.

Worked example

Assessing and controlling a workshop risk

A student must sand MDF panels on a belt sander. Carry out a brief risk assessment and choose controls using the hierarchy of risk control.

Identify hazards and who is at risk
Hazards: hazardous MDF dust (a respiratory risk) and the fast-moving abrasive belt (an entanglement and abrasion risk). At risk: the operator and anyone nearby breathing the dust.
Apply the hierarchy - higher controls first
Engineering controls: use local exhaust ventilation or dust extraction at the sander to capture the dust at source, and keep the belt guard in place with the tool rest set close. Administrative controls: train the operator, tie back hair and loose clothing, and limit exposure.
PPE as the last line
Because dust cannot be fully removed at source, add PPE - a dust mask or respirator and goggles - as the final layer, not the first, of protection.

Result: The main hazards are MDF dust and the moving belt; controls follow the hierarchy - extraction and guarding first, safe procedures and training next, and a respirator and goggles as the last resort - reducing the risk far more effectively than relying on PPE alone.

Typical mistakes

Using hazard and risk as synonyms - a hazard is the potential to cause harm; risk is how likely and how serious that harm is.
Jumping straight to PPE as the answer, when elimination, substitution and engineering controls are more effective and come first in the hierarchy.

Active revision

Carry out a risk assessment for using a pillar drill to bore holes in a metal bracket: identify two hazards, who is at risk, and the controls you would use, referring to the hierarchy of risk control.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: GCE AS and A level subject content for design and technology (Department for Education) · AQA A-level Design and Technology: Product Design (7552) specification (AQA)

Health and safety legislation#

StandardAQA 7552 3.1.9DfE GCE D&T - legislation

Key health and safety legislation

Fig. 3The main legislation: HASAWA sets the overarching duties, COSHH controls hazardous substances, PUWER covers machinery, the PPE regulations cover protective equipment, and RIDDOR covers reporting.

Health and safety at work is governed by legislation that places legal duties on employers and employees. The overarching law is the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), which requires employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of their workers and of others affected by the work - providing safe equipment, systems, training and a written safety policy. Employees in turn must take reasonable care of themselves and others and cooperate with safety measures. The law makes safety a shared, enforceable responsibility.

More specific regulations sit under the Act. COSHH (the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations) requires hazardous substances - solvents, adhesives, dusts, fumes - to be assessed and controlled, with data sheets, exposure limits and control measures. PUWER (the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations) requires work equipment and machinery to be suitable, maintained, guarded and used only by trained people. The PPE regulations require suitable protective equipment to be provided and used where risks remain.

Reporting and record-keeping are also legal duties. RIDDOR (the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations) requires certain accidents, injuries and dangerous occurrences to be reported to the authorities, so that patterns can be tracked and prevented. Together these laws create a framework in which hazards must be assessed, controlled, communicated and recorded - the legal backbone of the safe practices described in the previous section.

For a designer or maker, the practical effect is that safety is not optional or a matter of judgement alone but a legal obligation with defined duties. Choosing a less hazardous adhesive (COSHH), guarding a machine (PUWER), providing goggles (PPE regulations) and reporting an accident (RIDDOR) are all responses to specific laws. Understanding this framework lets a candidate justify safety decisions by reference to the relevant legislation, which is what higher-level answers do.

Worked example

Applying the legislation

A small manufacturer starts using a hazardous spray lacquer and a powered guillotine. Identify the legislation that applies to each and a control it requires.

The spray lacquer
COSHH applies: the manufacturer must assess the hazardous substance, obtain the safety data sheet, and control exposure - for example with a spray booth, extraction and respirators - and keep exposure within limits.
The guillotine
PUWER applies: the guillotine must be suitable and maintained, fitted with guards and safety devices, and used only by trained, authorised operators.
Overarching duty
Under HASAWA the employer must, so far as is reasonably practicable, provide safe equipment, systems and training and a safety policy, and under RIDDOR must report a serious injury if one occurs.

Result: COSHH governs the hazardous lacquer (assess and control exposure), PUWER governs the guillotine (guard, maintain, train), all under the overarching HASAWA duties, with RIDDOR requiring any serious accident to be reported - each measure tied to the law that requires it.

Typical mistakes

Treating safety as only the employer's responsibility - employees also have legal duties to take care and cooperate.
Confusing the regulations - COSHH is substances, PUWER is equipment, RIDDOR is reporting.

Active revision

A workshop introduces a new solvent-based adhesive and a new bench saw. State which legislation applies to each and one duty it places on the employer.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: AQA A-level Design and Technology: Product Design (7552) specification (AQA)

Safety in products and services#

StandardAQA 7552 3.1.9DfE GCE D&T - product safety

Safety is designed into products as well as processes. A safe product protects its user from harm in normal use and, as far as possible, in foreseeable misuse - no sharp edges, no accessible live parts, no toxic materials, no trap or choke hazards, and stable, guarded and clearly labelled operation. Designing for safety means anticipating how real people, including children and vulnerable users, will actually use (and misuse) the product, and removing or guarding the hazards.

Some products are safety-critical, meaning a failure could cause serious injury or death - a car's brakes, a smoke alarm, a climbing harness, medical equipment. These demand the highest standards of design, material selection, testing and quality control, often with redundancy (a backup if one part fails), generous factors of safety, and rigorous certification. The consequence of failure sets the level of rigour, so a designer identifies whether a product or feature is safety-critical early.

Products are tested and marked to show they meet safety requirements. CE marking (and, in Great Britain, UKCA marking) is a manufacturer's declaration that a product meets the relevant safety and legal requirements to be sold in that market - it is a legal conformity mark, not a quality award. The BSI Kitemark, by contrast, is an independent certification from the British Standards Institution that a product has been tested and meets a British Standard - a voluntary mark of tested quality and safety that consumers recognise and trust.

For the designer, product safety is both an ethical duty and a legal and commercial necessity: unsafe products injure people, trigger recalls and destroy reputation. Safety is therefore built in from the specification onwards - hazard analysis, safe materials, protective features, testing against standards, and clear instructions and warnings - and verified before sale. This connects product safety to the standards and testing covered later in the course.

Worked example

Designing and certifying a safe product

A company designs an electric kettle for the home. Explain three safety features the design must include and how the product would be marked for sale.

Design against the hazards
Guard against burns (a cool-touch body and handle, a lid that stays shut when pouring), electric shock (fully insulated, no accessible live parts, correct fusing), and boil-dry (an automatic cut-out) - anticipating normal use and foreseeable misuse.
Consider safety-critical aspects
The electrical safety is safety-critical, so it needs rigorous testing, correct materials and quality control, with the cut-out providing a measure of protection if the user forgets to fill it.
Mark and certify
The kettle carries UKCA (or CE) marking as the manufacturer's declaration that it meets the legal safety requirements to be sold; it might also earn a BSI Kitemark as independent proof it was tested to the relevant British Standard, reassuring consumers.

Result: The kettle is made safe by cool-touch surfaces, full electrical insulation and a boil-dry cut-out; it is UKCA/CE marked as a legal conformity declaration and may carry a Kitemark as independent tested certification - safety designed in and then verified.

Typical mistakes

Thinking CE or UKCA marking is a quality or safety award - it is the manufacturer's own declaration of conformity, unlike the independently-tested Kitemark.
Designing only for correct use and ignoring foreseeable misuse, especially by children.

Active revision

A new children's toy must be safe. Identify three hazards the design must guard against and explain how CE/UKCA marking and a Kitemark differ in what they tell a parent.

Active recall

Recall the key points — then reveal.

Sources: GCE AS and A level subject content for design and technology (Department for Education) · AQA A-level Design and Technology: Product Design (7552) specification (AQA)

References & sources

Sources

Department for Education

GCE AS and A level subject content for design and technology

AQA

AQA A-level Design and Technology: Product Design (7552) specification

Health and safety

3 sections~11 min reading time3 competenciesLevel Standard 3

Health and safety

Key points

Assessing and controlling a workshop risk

Key points

Applying the legislation

Key points

Designing and certifying a safe product

Sources

Health and safety

Key points

Assessing and controlling a workshop risk

Key points

Applying the legislation

Key points

Designing and certifying a safe product

Sources