[HPFGU-OTChatter] Product Warnings Just Kill Me!

[Ladi lyndi]

--- "Cindy wrote:
> Is it just the U.S. that has gone
> warning-crazy, or is this also the 
> case in other countries?

Lynn:

I've seen strange warning labels here in the
Netherlands as well, but that may be US influence
since certain items made by a company go to many
countries and warnings written for one are just
translated for the others.

The reason the US is warning-crazy is due to the
number of really stupid people who do stupid
things and, rather than accept the consequences
of their stupidity, expect the companies to pay
for the consequences instead.  Then you have
stupid juries or judges who buy into that type of
thinking.  Manufacturers are trying to protect
themselves from expensive trials and judgments
and I can't blame them.

I remember one case I worked on where a guy
disregarded a bright orange warning label, about
the size of a half a sheet of paper, that was
right at the opening of a piece of machinery that
specifically said that if the machine jammed, to
turn off the machine before attempting to unjam
the machine.  It continue to say that failure to
do so could result in physical injury.  Even
people with glasses could have read this label
without their glasses.  Of course, some guy knew
better than the warning and stuck his hand in and
ended up getting injured.  So, why the suit when
the warning was right under his nose?  The
argument was that since society is so used to
seeing the warning labels and ignorning them, the
manufacturer should have made the warning label
much bigger and more emphatic.  A judge bought
the argument and the case actually went to trial.
 The jury itself found the man 51% responsible
for the accident and the manufacturer 49%
responsible.

And that's why the US is warning-crazy.

Lynn

=====
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