The safety hierarchy and its role in safety decisions

Kenneth R. Laugher/, Michael S. Wogalter2 1 Psychology Department Rice Univers ity MS-25, P.O. Box 1892 Houston, Texas 77251-1892, USA 2 Psychology Department North Carolina State University 640 Poe Hall Raleigh, NC 27695-7650, USA 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 pr eference, alternative designs that eliminate or reduce th e 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 pr esented as a context for exploring some of the issues.