Glossary · Risk assessment and risk reduction
Reasonably foreseeable misuse
German: Vernünftigerweise vorhersehbare Fehlanwendung
In machine safety, reasonably foreseeable misuse is use of machinery in a way not intended by the manufacturer but which can result from readily predictable human behavior. Manufacturers must consider it in risk assessment, not only intended use.
- Machine safety
- Risk assessment
- Human factors
In one sentence
Reasonably foreseeable misuse covers predictable ways people use a machine wrongly, such as reaching past a guard, and must be covered by risk reduction.
Example
Operators of a packaging machine are known to reach in to straighten a tilted carton without stopping the machine; the risk assessment treats this as foreseeable misuse and adds an interlocked guard.
Explained in context
Context cards connect this term with others to answer one question. Also in British English and German.
- Human error types and troubleshooting: from slips, lapses and mistakes to recovery informationTransitional topicHow do the error types of James Reason and Jens Rasmussen's skill-, rule- and knowledge-based behavior help design troubleshooting and recovery information?UKDeutsch
- Documenting foreseeable misuse without making it an optionHow do instructions describe reasonably foreseeable misuse without presenting it as a way to use the product?UKDeutsch
- Operating modes in technical documentationWhy do operating modes change what the documentation of a machine has to say?UKDeutsch
How it applies
- Human factors: Typical sources are loss of control, reflex reactions, taking the path of least resistance, pressure to keep the machine running, and behavior of untrained or unauthorized persons. Bypass behavior is a common form.
- Risk assessment: Ask operators and maintenance staff how the machine is actually used. Field data and incident reports reveal misuse that designers did not imagine.
- Machine safety: Design against foreseeable misuse first, for example with tamper resistance or guards that do not hinder normal work. Warnings alone rarely prevent predictable behavior.
- Technical documentation: The operating manual should warn against foreseeable misuse that cannot be designed out, stating what not to do and why. It does not transfer responsibility for risks that design could have reduced.
Reasonably foreseeable misuse vs. intended use
Intended use is defined by the manufacturer. Reasonably foreseeable misuse is defined by predictable human behavior. Deliberate sabotage or unforeseeable abuse falls outside both.