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.

In-depth interviews with more than 20 professional writers and editors show a growing concern among professionals for strengthening interpersonal skills. Seventy-five per cent of the sample interviewed stressed the need to improve interpersonal skills while 65% of this same sample noted that written documents benefit when the writer and the editor work collaboratively as early in the process as possible. A technical editing course that examines the process of taking a manuscript from rough draft to publishable form can accomplish this goal by involving students as completely as possible in the writing-editing process. Working collaboratively in a workshop environment, students learn to appreciate the writing act from both a writer's and an editor's perspective. As editors immersed in the writing act, they gain a better understanding of the writer's perspective and of the difficulties encountered when one tries to express abstract ideas in clear prose.