Expert Witness Blog
In The Goldhaber Warnings Report, linguistics expert witness Dr. Gerald M. Goldhaber writes on how to design a product warning:
1. What hazard(s), risks and dangers that are known or likely to be known to us (the manufacturer) exist or are likely to exist with the use of our product(s)? A meeting among the key engineers who have designed the product and the marketing personnel who must sell the product (and any other relevant personnel, e.g., industrial hygienists, lawyers, etc.) should be held to discuss the details of:
a. How can an individual get hurt at the time they use the product?
b. If there is a medical or scientific literature about the product’s potential hazards, what are the conclusions?
c. If there is a documented history of injury, complaints or legal claims associated with this product’s use, what are the conclusions from this history of use?
d. How severe is the injury likely to be?
e. How likely is the injury to occur (risk)?
f. Are these hazards likely to be hidden or open and obvious to the likely user? (e.g., knives typically have no warnings because their hazards are well known to most people.)