Ohutusstandardid

Ohutusstandardid are safety standards that specify requirements, guidelines, and best practices intended to protect the health and safety of people, property, and the environment. They cover a range of areas, including product safety, workplace safety, and consumer safety, and can be national, European (EN), or international (ISO/IEC) in scope. Ohutusstandardid provide common terminology, testing methods, risk management criteria, and performance criteria that help designers, manufacturers, and regulators ensure safe design, production, and operation.

In Estonia, ohutusstandardid are published and maintained by the Eesti Standardikeskus (Estonian Centre for Standardisation). Many standards adopted in Estonia are harmonized with European directives and appear as EVS‑EN or EVS‑ISO standards, enabling conformity assessment and, where applicable, CE marking. Standards may be used voluntarily to demonstrate safety or may be referenced by law or regulation to impose compliance requirements.

The development of safety standards typically involves risk assessment, specification of design controls, testing procedures, and acceptance criteria. They aim to reduce ambiguity, facilitate interoperability, and support market access for safe products and services. Compliance can involve conformance testing, certification, or self-declaration, depending on the standard, the sector, and the regulatory framework.

Common fields addressed by ohutusstandardid include occupational health and safety management (for example ISO 45001), electrical and machinery safety (such as IEC 60364, ISO 13849, ISO 12100), and general product safety frameworks. In the European Union, many of these standards are harmonized, meaning that adherence supports conformity with corresponding directives, although legal obligations vary by sector and jurisdiction.

See also: standardization, harmonized standards, CE marking, EVS.