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© Boardworks Ltd 20051 of 20

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Graphic ProductsHealth and Safety


Learning objectivesL

earn

ing

ob

ject

ives


To learn how to identify hazards in the working environment.

To learn how to work safely.

To learn how to ensure that products are safe for consumers to use.

To learn how products are labelled.


Recognition of hazards




It is crucial that you are aware of all the health and safety risks around you. Under the 1974 Health and Safety at Work Act, employers and schools have certain responsibilities to ensure the safety of workers and pupils.

Risk assessments

Central to these responsibilities is the carrying out of a risk assessment. A risk assessment should:

Identify hazards that pose a risk to employees or pupils

Evaluate the risks

Put control measures in place to minimise the risks.

HAZARD: Gas cooker

RISK: Burns

CONTROL MEASURE: Fire blanket


A risk assessment should be carried out for any practical work you do. Activities, such as practical lessons organized by your teacher, will have had a risk assessment carried out for them.

Here is an entry in an example risk assessment:

Risk assessments

Hazard People at Risk

Risk Control Measure

Using a scalpel for

cutting

Manufacturer Cutting the hand with a sharp blade

o Cut away from the body

o Use a cutting mato Use a safety ruleo Pay full attention

to what you are doing


for example, a sharp saw or hot soldering iron.

Immediate and cumulative risks

Risks can be classed as immediate or cumulative.

Immediate risks:These result from hazards that could cause you sudden and immediate harm from just one use:

Cumulative risks:These risks are caused by prolonged exposure to something. Cumulative risks are often harder to anticipate, as they can be caused by things that are not obviously dangerous:

for example, a computer monitor can cause eye strain if used for long periods.


Managing the working environment

Within the workshops and practical environments of your school or college you will notice that there are health and safety signs. They come in a number of colours – each colour indicates a different type of safety warning.

Red Signs with a white background are Prohibitition Signs. They are ‘DO NOT’ signs.

Green signs with white in them are Safe Signs. They direct us and lead us to ‘SAFETY’.

Yellow signs are Warning Signs. They alert us to ‘DANGER’.

Blue Signs with a white background are Mandatory Signs.They are ‘MUST DO’ signs.




Hazard symbols

Special hazard symbols are used on bottles and vehicles that contain dangerous chemicals.

corrosiveirritant

toxic

These hazard symbols show the level and nature of the risk posed by the substance.

i

h

highly flammable

harmful


Hazard symbols


Notices can also warn us of potential dangers, and alert us to possible protection methods.

What kind of risk does using a keyboard pose?


This warning is printed on computer keyboards.


You must consider the safety of consumers when you design a product. Could your product pose any potential risks to the person using it?

It is important to ensure that the products we design and make are safe for others to use. Here are some hazards that you need to be aware of:


Flammable materials

Plastic wrapping

Moving parts

Loose parts or parts that may break off easily

Toxic paints or adhesives

Sharp corners, points and edges




It is important that we understand health and safety issues.

The government has passed legislation regarding the information that manufacturers have to include on their packaging. This is intended to protect the public.

The legal requirements vary depending on the product. For food, they include the following:

Legislation

company name and address

weight/contents

nutritional information

sell-by date

usage instructions (when necessary).


By law, food packaging must display certain information about the product.

Weight

Nutritional information

Recyclingsymbols

The manufacturer can also include other information such as their logo, a description or a barcode.

Ingredients

Name and address of

manufacturer

Symbols and signs

Best before date

Name of product


The public also must be warned of possible safety hazards. Commercially manufactured products carry symbols that indicate the quality of manufacture. The symbols are issued by the European Community or British Standards.

All products that are potentially dangerous must also clearly display the usage instructions.

The Kitemark

The CE Mark

Tactile danger warnings

BEAB Mark

Quality assurance

The most common symbols are:

The products are tested to check that they are safe and manufactured to a high standard.


The Kitemark

The British Standards Institute’s Kitemark shows that the product meets the standards set by the BSI. To achieve a Kitemark license, a product must go through independent testing.

The CE Mark

The CE Mark is issued by the European Union. Any product bearing the CE mark has met the safety standards set down by European Directives. Certain types of product, like electrical goods, must carry this mark if they are to be sold in the European Union.

Quality assurance


Tactile danger warnings

This embossed (raised) mark indicates that the contents of a package are harmful. It is designed to be read by blind and visually impaired people.

BEAB Mark

BEAB stands for British Electrotechnical Approvals Boards. Their mark appears on domestic equipment that has been tested and approved by the BEAB. The BEAB also regularly inspect approved products to ensure that the quality of manufacturing is maintained.

An embossed (raised) triangle

Quality assurance


Key pointsK

ey p

oin

ts


Hazards need to be identified and evaluated using risk assessments.

Working environments must be managed to minimize the risks to those using them.

Different types of sign are used to manage risks in the workplace.

By law, products are labelled to provide customers with essential information.

Special labels are used to prove the quality of manufacture.

Documents

© Boardworks Ltd 20051 of 20 These icons indicate that teacher’s notes or useful web addresses are available in the Notes Page. This icon indicates that