Product safety program planning — From prescriptive to hazard-based safety

The goal of a product safety program is to eliminate mishaps. To accomplish this goal we must design to eliminate energy hazards or reduce the probability of uncontrolled energy release to zero. In reality, neither of these ideals can be realized. Therefore, it is incumbent on product safety engineering to identify the energy sources, determine the energy transfer mechanisms, and establish adequate control, thereby minimizing the risk of a mishap. To be most effective, this effort cannot be ad hoc, but it must be accomplished in a planned process. Unfortunately, because of the nature of prescriptive standards, this ad hoc approach is more the rule than the exception. The advent of hazard-based safety standards reveals that a planned product safety program is essential. This paper presents the rudiments of a Product Safety Planning Program. It explains the basics of a risk assessment process and presents a product safety program outline that can be tailored to each product development project.