Your product may be the coolest thing on the market, but if it’s not safe to use then you’ll never make any sales. One of the most important steps in creating any new product is making sure it meets safety standards, whether it’s related to fire hazards or electrical issues, or anything else. With the right safeguards in place, you can make sure your product meets safety standards and can be sold without issue.
Five Ways to Ensure Product Safety.
Brands that aim to make a profit from a new product need to make sure these items are safe enough to meet the high standards put forth by regulatory agencies like the FDA and CPSC.
Read on for important tips on how to ensure your product meets safety standards:
1. Follow Material Specifications.
One of the most important safety standards that apply to your product is material specifications. However, these specifications differ based on the type of product. For example, children’s pajamas must be made of flame-retardant fabric, while tables and chairs need safety tips or feet if they don’t have rounded edges or protective corners. Depending on how your product is constructed, it may also need special finishes, padding, or attachment devices for protection against injury. Always make sure you know what safety standards apply before you start building anything.
2. Ensure Machine Guarding.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforces several regulations regarding machine guarding. It requires that machines have adequate safeguards, such as covers or housing, which protect employees from injury when an unexpected event occurs. Failure to adhere to these regulations can result in substantial fines from OSHA and serious liability for your company.
In addition, compliance with all applicable safety regulations can add value to a workplace liability claim. For example, if you violate a safety regulation when your employee is injured on your property, an attorney representing them in a lawsuit against you may use it as evidence of negligence by your company.
3. Practice Electrical Protection.
To ensure your new device doesn’t damage your home or business, make sure it meets proper electrical protection standards, such as being properly grounded and certified as a low-voltage product. Likewise, avoid double plugs on electrical outlets as the wires will wear out more quickly and can cause serious fire hazards. Promote proper electrical protection by working with a qualified electrician for installations or repairs.
4. Require Product Safety and Conformity Representative Training.
Understand that in most industries, there are specific rules and regulations around what your product is allowed to include. In addition to making sure it’s safe, you also need to make sure your team understands how to stay compliant with all applicable safety standards. To ensure they’re properly trained, designate one individual on your manufacturing team to undergo Product Safety and Conformity Representative or PSCR training.
This training teaches those within the manufacturing and automotive industry to be responsible for ensuring employees understand product safety regulations, filing any necessary forms, and communicating with any applicable regulatory agencies regarding potential issues. It is especially important to ensure employees handle hazardous materials responsibly or don’t work unsupervised around dangerous equipment.
5. Follow Emergency Equipment and Response Plans.
No matter what industry you’re in, there are specific pieces of equipment or pieces of knowledge you need to be able to work safely with your product. For example, if you’re manufacturing electrical devices, it would be good for your employees to know how to trip an electrical circuit that was shorting out and potentially harming nearby workers or property. What’s important is that these safeguards are outlined in an emergency response plan. The exact details will vary based on your particular business—and for smaller businesses, OSHA may only require a basic first aid kit.
Having a product that consumers will love and buy is the ultimate goal of every business owner, but it’s just as important to ensure that your product can meet all safety standards and requirements to stay in business long-term. Keep these safeguards in mind when designing and producing your product to keep your brand and consumers safe.