Category: Examples Blog

  • Notifying Management About a Dirty Bathroom

    Notifying Management About a Dirty Bathroom

    This clever idea is not a mistake-proofing device in the purest sense. However, rapid feedback is a guiding principle in mistake-proofing and this switch in a discount store restroom seems to fully exemplify that idea.

  • UK Electrical Plug Protections

    UK Electrical Plug Protections

    British 240v/50Hz electricity can injure people, so electrical plugs are designed so that live electrical pins are never exposed. 1. the pins’ position and orientation are such that the plug can only fit one way in the socket 2. the pins are insulated near the plug body so that electric shock is not possible via…

  • Model Rocket Launcher Safety

    Model Rocket Launcher Safety

    Estes’ rocket launcher system has two mistake-proofing devices: 1. A safety key must be inserted in control box inorder to launch the rocket.  The key is attached to a plastic cap that is supposed to be put on the end of the launch pad guide rod.  Thus locking out a launch while people are nearby.…

  • Treadmill Safety Stop

    Treadmill Safety Stop

    This treadmill has a clip that attaches to the user’s clothes. If the user falls off the back of the machine, a safety peg is pulled from the machine turning the motor off

  • Garage Door Safety Stops

    Garage Door Safety Stops

    Well Designed garage door openers have two safety features that prevent people or pets from being crushed by a closing door: (1) a contact safety reverse feature, which opens the door if it hits a person or object, and (2) an infrared beam across the doorway that causes the door to reverse automatically if a…

  • Preventing Washing Machine Hose Leaks

    Preventing Washing Machine Hose Leaks

    Substantial damage is caused when washing machine hoses burst while homeowners are away. The Saf-T-Smart valve kit detects when the washing machine is operating and opens the valves allowing water to flow freely. When the washing machine is off, the valves are closed, reducing pressure on the hoses and avoiding serious water damage (and returning…

  • Never Use Cold Syrup Again!

    Never Use Cold Syrup Again!

    Hungry Jack syrup has a small window near the bottom of the container that changes from black to clear when heated, revealing the word HOT. This signals that the syrup is warm and ready to serve.

  • Keep the Wheelchair From Rolling Away

    Keep the Wheelchair From Rolling Away

    Correspondence from www.saferwheelchairs.com reports that the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recorded 167 deaths due to wheelchair-related accidents from 1997-1999. Of these, 105 were wheelchairs rolling away from the person for one reason or another. The response? A mistake-proofing device that locks the wheelchair when no one is sitting in it.  An unlocking lever on the…

  • Don’t Crash the Jetbridge into the Plane

    Don’t Crash the Jetbridge into the Plane

    You would like to move the jetway up to the plane quickly so travel-weary passengers can get off. Your plane is worth millions of dollars. Great care should be taken. Quickness and care don’t always go together so well. The solution: build a switch into the jetway, which stops it an inch away from the…

  • Don’t Leave Your Coat in the Jacket Stall

    I have never hung my coat in a bathroom stall and then walked out without it.  But, apparently, someone has because this stall door in the Dallas Galleria is designed so you cannot unlatch the door without moving your coat.