Product Liability and Safety

1. Product Liability and Safety • In design • In manufacturing • In marketing

2. In Design • Plan for safety as a requirement • Fire, explosion,electrocution, contamination,... • Design reviews for safety • Demonstrate an attitude of concern

3. Design Reviews for Safety • It’s not good enough just to make it work • Follow established standards • ANSI, NEC, NESC, UL, IEEE, etc.

4. Demonstrate an Attitude of Concern • Safety analysis • Preliminary Hazard Analysis, Failure Modes and Effects Analysis, Fault Tree Analysis, etc. • Identify high energy systems • Danger! HIGH VOLTAGE • Identify critical systems • Failures in what subsystems/components will cause catastrophic failure.

5. Safety Analysis • Each system • Each subsystem • Each board • Each component • Single-point • Multipoint

6. Identify High Energy Systems • Guard • Isolate • Monitor heat • Alarm systems • Warn when you can’t avoid

7. Identify Critical Systems • Controls • Power to controls • Power to life support • Electrical grounding • Make redundant • Make robust • Make fail-safe

8. In Manufacturing • Quality assurance • Quality control • Incoming parts • Procedures followed • Systems going out • Functional testing • Safety testing

9. In Marketing • Warnings as a last resort • Surgeon General’s warning • Incorporate human factors engineering • Ergonomics • Attorney • Intentional - knowingly and deliberately • Ford Pinto • Negligent - didn’t know, but insufficient safety considerations • no life support backup systems • Reckless - not intentional, but knowingly • Challenger