Technical Communications and the Law: Product Liability and Safety Labels

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jul 1990

Technical Communications and the Law: Product Liability and Safety Labels

Herb Smith University of Southern Philippines Foundation

Abstract

Studies show that products are often judged defective for one or more of the following reasons: 1) manufacturing defects, 2) design defects, 3) inadequate warnings, and 4) inadequate instructions [1, p. 127]. The last two reasons are of particular importance to technical communicators, for we function as the information specialists who link the companies that make the products to the people who use the products. This article examines the relationship between warranties and product liability. It includes a discussion of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) guidelines for safety labels in the workplace and an analysis of warnings and labels as they apply to the pharmaceutical industry. In its closing section, the article discusses some of the key references that technical communicators can consult for additional information on product liability and safety labels.

Journal: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published: 1990-07-01
DOI: 10.2190/t04m-epwj-9d4d-26bh
Open Access: Closed
Topics: multimodality technical communication

Citation Context

Cited by in this index (4)

Digmayer et al. (2022)

Analyzing Safety Communication in Industrial Contexts

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Agboka (2020)

Legally Minded Technical Communicators: A Case Study of a Legal Writing Course

Journal of Business and Technical Communication
Todd (2014)

Avoiding Litigation for Product Instructions and Warnings

Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Hannah (2010)

Legal Literacy: Coproducing the Law in Technical Communication

Technical Communication Quarterly

Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

Also cites 2 works outside this index ↓

10.1109/TPC.1987.6449064

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10.1109/TPC.1985.6448868

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CrossRef global citation count: 4 View in citation network →