The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has adopted a new standard that provides much-needed guidance to manufacturers for meeting their “duty to warn” for the content of product and safety manuals.
Manufacturers are held to a two-prong “legal duty to warn.” First, they must reasonably warn of the hazards associated with their products. This was already addressed by existing ANSI guidelines for product safety labels. Second, they must instruct users in the safe use of the product. As part of this second duty, a manufacturer must provide the information necessary for the consumer to use the product in a reasonably foreseeable and safe manner. The new ANSI standard primarily addresses this second duty.
The ANSI Z535-6 standard is a significant step forward in helping manufacturers address their legal duty to warn and instruct. Properly written, manuals will instruct users on how to safely use the company’s products and avoid harm. Accidents will be avoided, leading to reduced claims and loss. Equally as important, product safety and instruction manuals represent the face of the company. They should be the key in the defense of any failure to warn claim. The new ANSI standard provides writers with the guidance they need to meet their legal responsibilities on how to warn and instruct the users of their products.
Source: IndustryWeek
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