“ One of Safety Squared ’ s main areas of involvement with standards is to ensure that results from research are used to amend standards , where that research has shown that a particular standard is deficient .”
Inside a test dummy
• To resolve disagreements and deal with complexities , the scope of the standard may be limited or requirements omitted , but resulting product test methods may not be representative of actual conditions of use .
“ There are a number of outstanding issues with these standards , some of which are political ( e . g . EN 795 – some products are classed by European bureaucracy as personal protective equipment ( PPE ), whereas some are classed as construction equipment ), some of which are technical ( e . g . EN 360 – deficient test methods ) and some of which , because of product innovation , have not been written as yet ( e . g . power-assisted climbing ).
“ ISO ( international ) standards are second generation and tend to be much more comprehensive than European standards , but due to bureaucratic constraints , tend not to be used extensively as European standards . Some countries that do not have extensive standards cover do use them as national standards , such as Singapore and Brazil .
“ British Standards tend be written where there are omissions within European standards and where such omissions have led to confusion within the market place . Examples of these are BS 8513 ( twin legged lanyards ), BS 7883 ( code of practice for the installation of fall protection anchors – used extensively abroad as well as in the UK and currently being revised ) and BS 8610 ( currently being drafted ), which covers anchor systems and their applications which are not covered by EN 795 .
“ One of Safety Squared ’ s main areas of involvement with standards is to ensure that results from research are used to amend standards , where that research has shown that a particular standard is deficient .
“ A second area of involvement is that of test methods , which are essential to the credibility of the standard and to the safety of the user . The following are some aspects of test methods that we subscribe to :
• Products have to be well designed , as do test methods .
• Nobody likes complicated test methods , but simple test methods , although relatively easy to set up , may not accurately represent conditions in practice and may omit factors which can compromise safety .
• Products must be able to work properly in the conditions in which they will be used , and test methods must anticipate and cover the relevant factors , whether fidelity of loading and direction , workplace geometry , environmental , endurance or operational .
• Test methods must be able to assess manufacturer ’ s claims .
• Test methods must be able to give a high degree of confidence that an approved product will perform acceptably in the workplace .
• Standards are highly essential in the market place , but may have limited usefulness in terms of what test methods cover and do not cover �.
HSE INTERNATIONAL 19