ABSTRACT
The safety hierarchy, or hazard control hierarchy, is a priority scheme for dealing with product hazards. It is often referred to as the design, guard and warn sequence. In order of preference, alternative designs that eliminate or reduce the hazard should be given first consideration. Where alternative designs are not feasible, guarding is the next preferred approach. Guarding can be viewed as an effort to prevent contact between the product user and the hazard. But like alternative designs, guarding is not always a feasible solution. Warnings are the third line of defense. Warnings are intended to provide information needed to use the product safely. Several issues and/or questions are explored regarding the application of the hierarchy to product safety. Examples are presented as a context for exploring some of the issues.
