Implement Product Safety Requirements According To As9100 Rev D

By Author: Charles
Total Articles: 137
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AS9100 Rev D introduced additional standards for recognizing and controlling product safety in your aerospace Quality Management System (QMS), however, these rules can be perplexing for many firms who have not previously detected product safety issues. As the importance of product safety has grown in the aerospace sector, the AS9100 Rev D standard has incorporated new requirements for this vital topic. While Clause 8.1.3 is brief, understanding how to apply those requirements to your item cannot be stressed. Let's have a look at the complete sentence and how it should be interpreted and used.

Purpose/Inputs: The clause 8.1.3 asks you to consider your product or service across its whole life and assess whether any safety hazards require attention. The organization will next have to decide what, if anything, needs to be done to address any risks and/or safety issues. If there are no safety concerns associated with your good or service, you might not need to implement any procedures.

Options/Decisions: Processes that can be used to address product safety are demonstrated in the AS9100 standard itself. The inclusion ...
... of all, some, or none of these steps may be necessary, contingent on the nature of your offerings. It is up to you to decide if any action is required because this standard's "as appropriate clause" states as much. AS9100 offers the following process options:

• Measuring hazards and managing risks
• Managing safety-critical objects
• Evaluating when safety events occur
• Safety communication and AS 9100 auditor training

Documentation: Clause 8.1.3 clause contains no requirements for recorded information, which is likely because many of the methods for documenting the data are already covered elsewhere in the standard. Safety-critical things, for example, would be recorded in AS9100 Documents such as drawings or performance plans. Similarly, operational risk management will oversee the assessment of safety threats and risk management, while communication and training regarding safety occurrences will be documented as part of your QMS communications.

For instance, any electronics manufacturer that designs motors for aerospace applications. A compact motor was designed, and a safety issue was assessed: the integral battery may be dangerous. To mitigate the dangers throughout the product's lifecycle, the following processes are implemented:

• Batteries are procured in safety-sealed packaging so that contacts will not be inadvertently touched during assembly
• For those operating the batteries, safety training has been implemented
• At the battery installation step, warning information is included in the procedure documentation
• After installation, the design was able to make sure that the battery wouldn't pose a risk during further assembly
• The motor's labels warn of potential risks if the unit is opened and the battery is exposed.
• Delivery of the battery to the customer includes a notification
outlining the dangers if the assembly is not done correctly

The standard does not have many criteria, but it does force you to think about how product safety relates to each step of your product's existence. It's crucial to keep in mind that identifying and controlling risks for a complicated product can take a lot of time. On the other hand, for a basic product, such as a small machined part, this could only involve doing a safety assessment to determine that there are no threats to the product's safety that need to be addressed. Because of this, the criteria are not very stringent; the product safety evaluation must be tailored to your particular product, which may not be as difficult as you may have initially assumed for many simpler items.