As the name implies, a hazard-based standard looks at hazards associated with a product and then determines how to protect the user of the product against the identified hazards. One fundamental intention of a hazard-based standard is that it is created as a descriptive rather than a prescriptive document. In other words, the document describes a method to create safety specifications and does not attempt to prescribe which safety specifications should exist. An advantage of creating this style of regulatory standard, is the standard can apply to a wide range of existing and future safety issues rather than being limited in scope by existing technologies.