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By the way, I have nothing against specific, in-context
safety info included in the customer documentation.
I don't have to include any, because we already tell
our customers the kind of environment in which to run
our equipment (server-room, or air-conditioned office),
which automatically precludes holding charged metal
parts while standing hip-deep in water.
But I do include the Cautions and Notes where they
are applicable to prevent loss of data and livelihood
(the most serious negatives anyone is likely to
encounter in our business - barring the very specialized
and compartmented risks of espionage... you don't get
to sue us if you get water-boarded for trying to steal
one of our appliances from one of our customers, so
we don't have to warn you against doing that).
The same would apply if any of our equipment was the
sort that is physically dangerous in normal (or emergency)
use. If there is a specific concern at a specific point
in the use of the product, then specifically delineate
it and say how to avoid it. Right there, where it's
needed. Not in the roman-numeral pages up front.
My concern is the generalized blah-blah that adds no
customer-value and whose only goals are as a tick on
a compliance checklist and as a preventive in case
of ludicrous litigation. If it's generally acceptable
practice to include a separate, mass-printed booklet
for just that info, then I'm in favo[u]r.
Since I would, indeed, prefer our legal beagles to take
over full responsibility for such text, it's assumed
that the presentation would have their blessing, too.
It should go directly from them to purchasing department
who would order up the print runs. I would never need
to touch it, and rightfully so. Nor would any of the
other, widely scattered techwriters in our company.
-k
<bumpf-start>
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