6. Impact of a safety strategy at the design stage

There's a tendency among some professionals to say that we're doing far too much when it comes to safety, that we're entering an overprotected society...

Would they accept a car that brakes as well today as it did in 1970?

Would they be willing to carry a baby in a bassinet whose handles fail after a month's use?

The notion of safety is subjective, and evolves in the same way as the notion of "the safety that consumers can legitimately expect". Surveys have shown that, in the minds of consumers, the products on the market are safe because they are all controlled. In reality, while market surveillance is carried out by the DGCCRF in France, the only products systematically inspected are certified products. But the difference between CE marking, a certification mark and other commercial markings is little or unknown...