Safety notes must be regarded in conjunction with warning messages, which have been discussed in an earlier essay on "Warning messages". Safety notes are essentially based on the manufacturer’s obligation to constructively eliminate unjustifiable risks (see Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC). This risk elimination is often carried out iteratively based on a risk assessment (see ISO 12100, IEC 60204-1 and others). If residual risks cannot be excluded, safety notes should describe the safe use of a product (see ISO/IEC 82079-1). Such safety notes should take the following aspects into account:
- The necessity of reading the documentation
- Target group definition
- Minimum qualifications as well as minimum age and skills of the target group
- Training and instructions on the product that the target group must have undergone
- Indications of warning signs and alarm devices on the product, and safety notes and warning messages in the documentation
- Intended use
- Reasonably foreseeable misuse and advice on how to avoid it
- Types of hazards
- Protective measures to be taken by operators and the target group
- Personal safety equipment that must be used
- Technical rules and maintenance intervals to be observed
- Safety notes that apply to different life cycle phases of the product
- Information on hazardous substances
The above list is generally applicable and by no means complete. For more detailed information, see for example tekom’s guide to "Safety Notes and Warning Messages".
