Mini-Lesson

Health and Safety

This mini-lesson covers health and safety — the difference between a hazard and a risk, the 5-step risk assessment, the hierarchy of control, PPE, COSHH and safety signs.

Work through each screen, answer the questions as you go and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you’re ready.

Overview

Designing and working safely

Health and safety is a legal duty, governed by laws such as the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HASAWA), the COSHH Regulations 2002, PUWER (work equipment) and RIDDOR (reporting incidents). Employers and employees share responsibility, and products must be safe for users too.

Hazard vs risk

A hazard is anything with the potential to cause harm (a spinning blade, a solvent, a trailing cable).
Risk is the likelihood that the hazard causes harm, combined with the severity of that harm.

A sharp knife locked in a drawer is a hazard with low risk; the same knife left on a busy bench is a hazard with high risk.

Quick check

Hazard or risk?

?A bottle of solvent stored safely in a locked, ventilated cabinet. How is this best described?

Risk assessment

The 5 steps of a risk assessment

The HSE sets out five steps:

1. Identify the hazards.
2. Decide who might be harmed and how.
3. Evaluate the risks and decide on control measures.
4. Record findings and put controls in place.
5. Review and update regularly.

Calculate

Your turn — risk rating

∑A common way to rate risk is likelihood × severity, each scored 1–5. A hazard scores likelihood 3 and severity 4. What is its risk rating?

Hint: risk rating = 3 × 4.

Hierarchy

The hierarchy of control

Control measures are ranked most-to-least effective — always try the top first:

Eliminate the hazard entirely.
Substitute it for something safer.
Engineering controls — guards, extraction, interlocks.
Administrative — training, signage, safe procedures.
PPE — the last resort, protecting the individual only.

Quick check

Where does PPE sit?

?In the hierarchy of control, why is personal protective equipment (PPE) treated as a last resort?

COSHH & PPE

COSHH and PPE

COSHH requires employers to assess, control, label and store hazardous substances (solvents, dusts, adhesives) and provide safety data.
Hazard pictograms (CLP/GHS) warn of toxic, corrosive, flammable or harmful substances.
PPE includes eye protection, gloves, ear defenders, respirators, aprons and safety footwear.

Safety signs

Safety signs — colour and shape

Prohibition — red circle with a diagonal bar ("do not…").
Mandatory — blue circle ("you must…", e.g. wear eye protection).
Warning — yellow triangle ("caution…").
Safe condition — green square/rectangle (fire exit, first aid).

Quick check

Read the sign

?A blue circular sign shows a person wearing goggles. What kind of instruction is this?

Sort it

Sort the safety signs

Tap a sign, then tap which category it belongs to.

⛔ Prohibition

🔵 Mandatory

⚠️ Warning

Duties

Employer & employee duties

Under HASAWA, employers must provide a safe workplace, training, equipment and risk assessments. Employees must take reasonable care of themselves and others, use equipment correctly and not misuse safety provisions. Serious incidents are reported under RIDDOR.

Recap

The big ideas to know

Law: HASAWA 1974, COSHH 2002, PUWER, RIDDOR — shared employer/employee duties.

Hazard vs risk: hazard = potential to harm; risk = likelihood × severity.

Assessment: 5 steps — identify, who, evaluate/control, record, review.

Hierarchy: eliminate > substitute > engineering > administrative > PPE (last).

Signs: red prohibition · blue mandatory · yellow warning · green safe condition.

Risk rating: likelihood × severity.

You’ve covered the key ideas for this topic. Press Finish to see your score.

🏆

Mini-lesson complete!

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You’ve worked through Health and Safety for AQA A-level Product Design (7552). 🎉

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