Safety Standards, Organizations

Promulgating Standards, And

Professional Liability
GROUP 4
ARCENO, ALFRED MERNILO, MATHEW SEGUNDO, AIME
CENIZA, ZENDDY CRYSTAL PUNZAL , RONIELLE JACOB
FERRER, RI CHMOND L EO OBIANO, JED FERUARD
FI EL, JOHN CARL SAPUCO, RALPH AL LEN
HAMMURABI’S CODE (approximately 1750 B.C.)
“If a builder constructs a house for a man and does not
make it firm and the house collapses and causes the death
of its owner, the builder shall put to death.”
Hammurabi’s Code contains what may be the first written
statements regarding responsibilities of a party in accident
prevention. Since 1750 B.C., the penalties have softened,
but the volume of standards, codes, and other written
safety documents has proliferated in step with technological
advances over the 3700 years (Hammer, 1989).
THE ROLE OF SAFETY STANDARDS
Safety, in part, depends on the development and use of
safety documents summarizing previous knowledge
designed to protect individuals in a society. As engineers,
we rarely design every aspect of a product or process from
scratch. By using standards, we are free to spend more time
and energy on the new and unique aspects of a design.
A few definitions
A standard is a sets of rules, requirements, or principles.
A code is a collection of laws, standards, or criteria relating to a particular
subject.
A recommended practice is a series of recommended methods, rules, or
designs.
A test method defines such things as specimen selection, testing procedures,
sampling, and analysis methods to determine the properties, composition, or
performance of materials or products.
A definition explains standardized meaning of terms as applied to materials,
products, systems, and methods.
Voluntary versus Mandatory
Standards may be applied voluntarily, or they may be
mandated by some federal, state, or local regulatory
agency. Voluntary standards may be those developed
and followed by a single company (i.e., “in-house”),
or they may be consensus standards decided on by a
group of representatives for a given industry.
Consensus
Consensus implies more than simple majority approval, but
it does not necessarily mean unanimity. Unanimous
agreement usually cannot be achieved without
compromising the effectiveness of the standard (Bass,
1986).
Horizontal versus Vertical
Standards can be classified as horizontal or vertical.
A horizontal standard is one that applicable across all
industries-one that is generalized by particular hazard type,
regardless of the industry.
A vertical standard is one that applies to on type of industry
only.
Specification versus Performance
A standard may also be classified as being a specification or
a performance standard. A specification standard is one that
describes exact details of what and how something must be
done.
Performance standards emphasize the results that should
be realized to satisfy the code without specifically stating
the methods to do so. Performance standards allow the
user more leeway and creativity in devising methods to
eliminate or reduce hazards.
ORGANIZATIONS PROMULGATING
STANDARDS

Throughout your career you will probably sift through

thousands of pages of standards from a variety of
organizations and agencies.
Some of the Organization
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
The National Electric Code (NEC)
American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL)
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
State and Federal Government Regulations
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
NFPA
NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE (NEC)

• DRAFTED IN 1887 BY COMBINING THE EFFORTS OF ARCHITECTURAL, ELECTRICAL, INSURANCE

AND ALLIED INTERESTS.
• IN 1920, OFFICIALLY ENDORSED BY ANSI
• 1923 – REARRANGED AND REWRITTEN
• 1937 & 1959 – EDITORIALLY REVISED
• 1993 EDITION – MOST RECENT EDITION
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND
MATERIALS (ASTM)
UNDERWRITER’S LABORATORIES
UNDERWRITER’S LABORATORIES
IEEE
STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
REGULATIONS
STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
REGULATIONS
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
ACT
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
administration
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
administration
Osha standards
Osha standards
Osha standards
PROFESSIONAL LIABILITY
“Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and
welfare of the public in the performance of their
professional duties.”
This statement is the first principle listed in “The
Fundamental Canons” of the “Code of Ethics of Engineers.”
The basis on which parties named in a products liability suit
are judged is called the standard of responsibility. The legal
standards used to test liability are the theories of
negligence, strict liability, warranty, and misrepresentation.
Negligence focuses on conduct and asks whether the
manufacturer acted reasonably. Under this theory, the
standard of responsibility is the duty to exercise due care in
providing a reasonably safe product.
Under the theory of strict liability the standard of
responsibility is to provide a product free of defects. A
product may be deemed defective if a reasonably prudent
manufacturer or seller, knowing of the risk which the
product presented, would have put the product into the
stream commerce. Under strict liability theory, even if a
manufacturer did not know of a defect, it can be held liable
if expert testimony reveals a defect.
A warranty is a promise made by a seller that a product
possesses certain performance, safety, or quality
characteristics. Under warranty, the standard responsibility
is whether the capabilities of the actual product differ from
the expressed capabilities. Within this theory, a seller may
be found liable under express warranty or implied warranty.