Health and Safety In Design

In every aspect of design on of the most important thing is the safety of the product or object which is in the design process. When the product is in its early design process it is very important for the designer to take into consideration the safety of the product especially when the particular product is going to be reached from children.

There are different types of consideration that every designer has to take during design process to evaluate the risk of the product or object that is being design. In Product design one of the most important considerations that the designer has to take is about the user. When a designer is commissioned the work to design a product for infants and children, more considerations has to be taken in different aspects of the design from forms to the materials used.

One of the key elements when toys for children are designed it the shape and materials used. When it comes to the shape, one of the most important things in the design is that all the areas of the toy are smooth with no pointed edges. But an important factor which in my opinion has advanced a lot during the years it the material used. It is very important that the designer takes into consideration that the material that is proposed for the product is non-toxic.  As the product has a chance to make contact to the mouth of children, it is very important that the materials used are ideal. During the time the materials used for toys has changed a lot. In the primary years of toys wood was used as the main material. After the introduction of plastic in the industry of manufacturing, designers started to experiment with the material in several ways. But surely we cannot compare the first type of plastic that was developed as it was highly toxic.

An industry which safety is the top priority is the automotive industry. The automotive industry consists from an intensive and vast design process which combines aesthetics with its function. One of the most importing parts of the design process is the design of safety components of the car itself. The awareness of more safety in the automotive industry started from the beginning but in the 60’s the safety of cars improved with new technologies and more awareness around the world.

The first safety device which was introduced in the automotive industry was the introduction of a hydraulic brake system. This kind of brake system was introduced to cards in 1922. It certainly improved the performance of breaks during the usage of automotive. We can now clearly appreciate the work done by engineers and designer which worked to develop new technologies in the braking system of the cars to improve safety standards and protects more our lives. When we compare the technology of the first breaking system and today’s technology we can note a huge leap forward as todays breaking system is more sophistically designed with cutting edge technology. 

To avoid certain crashes the new technology controls the breaking via  computer and enables the car to control better in several aspects. Some other safety equipment which was designed for automotive industry are seatbelts, crimple zoned around the automobile structure, airbags which are installed in different vital areas of the car and other safety equipment.

Reference :

 Designing for Safety - Health and Safety Authority . 2014. Designing for Safety - Health and Safety Authority . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.hsa.ie/eng/Your_Industry/Construction/Designing_for_Safety/. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

History of Car Safety - Crash Test. 2014. History of Car Safety - Crash Test. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.crashtest.org/history-car-safety. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Prevention through Design - Links. 2014. Prevention through Design - Links. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designforconstructionsafety.org/links.shtml. [Accessed 26 January 2014].