Edition #18 - Using Standards as a Strategic Tool in Product Development

In the last newsletter, we looked at understanding and meeting regulatory requirements. Product standards are often either mandated by particular regulations or serve as a key way for you to demonstrate compliance.

Standards can be grouped by function in relation to safety. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) for example classifies safety-related standards into three categories:

• Type A Standards – Fundamental Safety Principles: These outline general principles for risk assessment and risk reduction. They apply across a wide range of products and technologies. Example: ISO 12100.
• Type B Standards – Generic Safety Aspects: These address specific safety aspects or safeguards that are applicable across many product types.
  • Type B1: Standards for general safety aspects (e.g. safety distances, surface temperature limits).
  • Type B2: Standards for safety devices (e.g. guards, emergency stops).
• Type C Standards – Product-Specific Standards: These apply to particular product categories or machines and contain detailed requirements tailored to those products. Where a Type C standard exists, it generally takes precedence over Type A or B for the same risks.
  

Using the right combination of type A, B, and C standards makes your product design more robust, defensible, and aligned with industry best practice.

If you are developing an innovative product for which no type C standard exists, you can still apply type A and B standards to demonstrate safety and manage risk. In these cases, thorough risk assessments and well-documented design decisions are critical. Standards become one of several tools for demonstrating due diligence, not the sole indicator of product safety.

Product standards also offer valuable technical knowledge that can enhance your products. International standards such as ISO, IEC, ASTM, CEN, and AS/NZS are developed through collaboration among industry experts, academics, and consumer organisations. This gives them credibility and ensures they reflect current best practices and technical understanding. As a result, they are a powerful resource in product development. Fundamentally, product standards should raise the bar, ensuring that products meet minimum safety and performance expectations, that protect users, the environment, and others affected by their use.

Standards are not just about checking compliance boxes, they help your business anticipate known risks and embed preventive measures into your design and manufacturing processes. Most standard requirements are grounded in past incidents or known failure modes. Type B and C standards often include test methods and even specifications for test equipment. These tests can be integrated into your product verification plans.
When working with suppliers or outsourced manufacturers, referencing relevant standards in contracts and technical specifications helps ensure product consistency and safety. It also reduces ambiguity and strengthens your position if disputes or failures occur.

Like regulations, standards are regularly updated. Ensure your teams are subscribing to update alerts or notifications from relevant bodies. This allows your business to incorporate updates into future product revisions and avoid falling behind evolving expectations.

Product standards are more than technical documents, they’re strategic tools that support quality, safety, and trust. Used well, they help you anticipate problems, reduce risk, and build products that meet both regulatory expectations and customer needs. Whether you're referencing them for compliance, design assurance, or supplier alignment, standards offer a defensible foundation for decision-making in a complex and evolving global market.