Chapter Nine – PRODUCT SAFETY AND LIABILITY
TRUE OR FALSE: Place T or F in the space provided.
_____1. Poorly written instructions are a common cause of product liability
exposure.
_____2. The purpose of a product safety program is to limit as much as
possible a company’s exposure to product liability and related problems.
_____3. All companies must report their daily level of toxic chemical
emissions to the EPA.
_____4. The Community Right-to-Know Act applies only to large companies
that make chemicals.
_____5. In order to recover damages in a product liability case, a person must
satisfy the burden of proof criteria.
_____6. Ralph Nadar is closely associated with the Consumer Product Safety
Act.
_____7. Most product liability lawsuits involve one party seeking redress from
another party in the form of monetary damages.
_____8. Today both consumers and employees use products and machines at
their own risk.
_____9. Radiation leakage from microwave ovens is a major concern of public
safety and health.
_____10. The quality of product literature can be as important as the quality
of the actual product.
_____11. The safety professional has no role in preventing product recalls.
MULTIPLE CHOICE: Circle the letter before the correct answer.
1. Which of the following is a fundamental component of a product safety
program?
A. product safety coordinator
B. product safety committee
C. product safety auditor
D. All of the above
2. Which of the following concepts requires warning labels on many
consumer products?
A. Latent defect
B. Duty to warn
C. Reasonable risk
D. User feedback
3. The concept of nonliability was established in the courts of England during
what year?
A. 1642
B. 1742
C. 1842
D. 1942
4. Together, burns and scalding accounted for how many microwave-related
injuries in 1989?
A. 2,000
B. 3,000
C. 4,000
D. 5,000
5. When developing product literature, which of the following should be used
whenever possible?
A. Illustrations
B. Narrative writing
C. Reverse print
D. Technical jargon
6. Identify the product-related regulatory agencies in this list :
A. Consumer Product Safety Commission
B. Environmental Protection Agency
C. Federal Aviation Administration
D. All of the above
10. T
6. D
1. Explain the best way for a manufacturer to limit its exposure to product
liability lawsuits.
2. What are the steps to follow in =ling a product liability lawsuit?
3. What is the discovery period in a product liability lawsuit?
4. Brie>y explain the concept of strict liability in tort.
5. List the three criteria governing a company’s duty to warn.
6. What are two purposes of the Consumer Product Safety Act?
7. De=ne the following concepts associated with product liability law: patent
defect, latent defect, prudent man concept.
Patent Defect – A patent defect is one that occurs in all items in a
manufactured batch.
Latent Defect – A latent defect occurs in only one or a limited number
of copies in a batch.
Prudent Man Concept – In determining whether a risk is reasonable
or unreasonable, the prudent man concept is applied. A reasonable risk
exists when consumers a) understand the risk; b) evaluate the level of
risk; c) know how to deal with the risk; and d) accept the risk based on
8. Explain the reporting requirements component of the Community Right-to–
Know Act.
9. List and brie>y explain the three components of a comprehensive product
safety program.
10. How may assigning product safety coordination duties to an executive of
the company aCect the success of the program?
11. What role do you think safety and health professionals should play in a
product safety program?
12. De=ne the term quality management and explain the =ve key strategies
of QM.
13. Why is record keeping so important with product safety?
14. List four strategies for producing high-quality, eCective product literature.