Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Truly dumb product-warning labels


15 Stunningly Dumb Warning Labels


Washing Machine Warning Label

Only a moron would try to wash her daughter in a washing machine; or shake hands with the business end of a chainsaw; or light a match to check the contents of a gas tank. And yet manufacturers continue to go to laughable lengths to protect their customers, bombarding them with ridiculous warning labels or stunningly obvious explanations of how their products work. Here are 25 of the best--er, worst--we found over the last four years. 

In Pictures: 25 Stunningly Dumb Warning Labels

The plaintiff's bar has plenty to do with this silly--and costly--trend. Sham product-liability cases can rack up very real damages. In 2007 the median jury award in product liability cases was just north of $1.9 million, estimates Jury Verdict Research, which tracks results of personal-injury claims.
These cases basically boil down to two principles. First, companies must take care not to put customers in "unforeseen" danger, assuming that those customers act in a "reasonable" manner when using a product or service. (Repeatedly jabbing a bottle of Coca-Cola in your eye and suing for damages probably wouldn't fly in court.) Second, companies have to provide sufficient warning of "foreseeable" danger.
Hence the proliferation of all those goofy warning labels on products and websites.


News Source: Yahoo

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