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Practice Tip: Changing Standards in Safety

By Sheila T. Kerwin and Christine Mennen
February 20, 2009

When faced with a weak design or manufacturing claim related to a product, skilled plaintiff's attorneys will develop sophisticated failure-to-warn claims focusing on the written materials related to the product. Product manuals, instructions and other lengthy product materials can provide substantial fodder for inadequate warning claims. While safety standards have existed for years for warning labels, safety signs and hang tags (ANSI Z535.1-.5), no standard existed which provided guidance for manufacturers in drafting safety information in manuals, instruction booklets or other collateral materials. Now ANSI Z535.6 has been approved, which will create consistency in longer product materials and, if followed, assist in the defense of product liability failure-to-warn claims.

ANSI Z535.6:
The New Standard

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