Requirements for safety-related information in standards for consumer products

Abstract

Consumers are confronted with various kinds of product-related information when they buy a product and during the subsequent use of that product. Most standards for the safety of consumer products contain requirements for markings, instructions for use, and other aspects of product-related information. The principal aim of this information is to reduce the hazards which cannot be eliminated by design or safeguarding, i.e., the residual hazards. However, there is a great deal of confusion and inconsistency in the terminology and the requirements for safety-related information in standards. On the basis of an investigation of existing guidelines for standardization and the contents of current product safety standards, a conceptual framework for the presentation of product-related safety information has been drawn up. The framework has two axes: the life cycle of the product from purchase to disposal, and the importance of the information (essential vs. necessary information). It is recommended that a standard be established on the basis of this framework, containing easily applicable rules and test methods for various aspects of safety-related information, and providing a range of harmonized or standardized texts and images. Such a standard should be developed in close cooperation with experts in the fields of communication and consumer perception.

Keywords:

• information
• standards
• safety
• user instructions
• labeling
• warnings

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Willem van Weperen

Correspondence address: Consumer Safety Institute, P.O. Box 75 169, NL-1070 AD Amsterdam