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ANSI Standards outline a uniform national standard for designing product
warnings, which include graphics, color, text and overall layout. ANSI
requirements and formats are specific and the ANSI Standards give you
explicit details, charts and examples.
Hazard Communications Systems, Inc, has an extensive catalog of warning
labels and claims copyright status to all of them, many of which come
directly from the ANSI Standards.
Their web page is a good source of information on labels, as well as a good
source for ideas. The web page also has some information one of the ANSI
standards for labels (although it pointedly ignores the ANSI standard that
tells you how to create the labels yourself).
They also offer a color catalog, which makes an excellent reference: http://www.hazcomsys.com/ http://www.hazcomsys.com/domestic.php
The following ANSI Standards deal with labels and warnings:
ANSI Z535.1
ANSI Z535.2
ANSI Z535.3
ANSI Z535.4
ANSI Z535.5
You will find ANSI Z535.3 particularly useful for the specific standard on
how to draw things like the lightening bolt, figures, hands, faces, fires
etc. The overall format for labels is covered in ANSI Z535.4. These two
standards are the most useful of the five, but if you are dealing with
warning labels or instructions, it is a good idea to have all five. It is
also a good idea to be versed in Tort Law, specifically Tort's Third Law.
The emphasis of the Tort Law is consumer protection.
Tort Law did for the consumer what the unions did for the worker and were
designed to keep companies whose bottom line is the almighty buck from
injuring and killing folks for the sake of that almighty buck. I am appaled
at how many times I've been told a possible law-suit resulting from
death/injury is considered the "cheaper" alternative. I am also appaled at
how often a ligit liability lawsuit is turned into a media circus and made
to look friviolus. The bottom line is, if a company has a documented risk
assesment and has shown good faith in warning the public, a friviolus
lawsuit will never make it to court.
According to the Third Law, "A product is defective when, at the time of
sale or distribution, it contains a manufacturing defect, is defective in
design or is defective because of INADEQUATE INSTRUCTIONS OR WARNINGS."
This is important to any of us in the technical writing domain, as it puts
the onus on us to provide adequate instructions, which include warnings
(and labels if that is a part of our job). Most writers are completely
oblivious to their responsibility under the Tort Law and many companies are
equally oblivious (or choose to ignore). As such, they are also ignorant
to the fact that they can be sued in a liability action, as a company and
as individuals, for their failure to provide adequate instructions and
warnings.
To make matters even more complicated, it's a double-edged sword for a
writer. Business loves to hate the Tort Law and tends to kill the
messenger. If you, as the writer, are doing a proper job, you are the
messenger.
There are also very few places that teach you this stuff - even the
university tech writing courses overlook it. Metropolitan University/ St.
Paul, Minnesota plans on offering a short workshop, if they can ever get
their funds together in this sluggish economy (I will be teaching it).
The only other place that I know of is the Department of Engineering at the
University of Wisconsin/Madison. They offer a three-day workshop called
"The Role of Warnings and Instructions"
Anyone writing instructions and user manuals should take this course. Any
engineer and marketing type who interacts with the writer should take the
course as well and spare the writer their inane (and generally WAY off
base) OPINIONS on instructions and warnings (e.g., proper warnings will
frighten away customers, warnings are silly, etc). Anyone creating warning
labels, should not attempt to do so without the benefit of this course. If
you muck around without knowing the standards and the law, you could get
yourself and your clients sued.
BTW, The Big B (big business) is currently throwing a lot of money at our
political types to try and weaken the Tort Law and relieve themselves of
the burden of liability (recalling those bloody toys that kill or maim kids
is such a blessed nuisance and just munches away at the bottom line). In
addition, any politicians who do not play ball will find themselves up
against some pretty big bucks intent on running them out on a rail.
Another interesting product liability tidbit to chew on: The media
coverage of the McDonalds case (hot coffee) was completely biased and
totally off base. We got the real poop at the Madison workshop. As a
result, I have boycotted McD ever since I heard the REAL story.
MN Mary
"Many have forgotten the truth, but you must not forget it. You remain
responsible forever, for what you have tamed."
- Antoine de Saint-Exapery
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