Hi Ron, Having been involved in product safety for over two decades it was not a surprise to me either. However, I know that there are many less experienced safety engineers out their who think that once they have established that their product meets some standard or other, or perhaps has a third party safety mark or two, that they are done. This seemed to be a good example that such a view is over simplistic. Your comment about the number of recalls of Listed products in the USA is another good example.
In this case it was decided that the standards were inadequate, which is why CENELEC were tasked to correct the shortfall. The revision for the LVD currently under discussion are far more detailed in terms of their essential requirements. This could well mean that certain Harmonised Standards that are adequate today will need to be revised if they are to remain listed in the OJEC once the updated LVD becomes effective. Merry Christmas, Richard Hughes Safety Answers Limited www.safetyanswers.ltd.uk ___________________________________________________________________________ In a message dated 12/12/2003 02:34:26 GMT Standard Time, [email protected] writes: Hello Richard, This doesn't surprise me considering it has always been my philosophy that complying with a safety standard does not guarantee that your product is safe. There are always additional things to consider in evaluating a product's safety beyond established standards. This is one reason why many companies are looking at a hazard based approach to product safety. BTW, in the United States, we have many products that are listed with Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs) that are recalled every year by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). However, one can argue whether the standards used in listing these products are inadequate or the manufacturers were at fault in their production of the products. Each case is different and if someone is injured as a result of a problem the liability attorneys can have a field day in court. Additionally, most Consumer Protection laws in the United States are based on bad experiences. Politicians react to these bad experiences and enact laws. Knowing this, it is interesting to see how the European Commission is handling this issue and what their solutions is for this specific case. However, one can wonder if this will set a precedent or new EU laws will be enacted to deal with these types of problems in the future. Best regards, Ron Wellman
