Question

business ethics

Product safety has become a hot topic for business around the world. The point for product safety is to keep the consumers safe. There is also an expectation of product quality and essentially profits to be made for the business.

How does the company factor all these competing responsibilities and still hold the consumer responsible for their proper product use for safety effectiveness?

Answer 1

Companies should not compromise the look or capabilities of a product with the safety of use. It is the companies responsibility to create products that are safe for consumers to use. If this is violated, consumers have the right to seek legal representation for repair and damages while using the product.

In order for companies to hold consumers responsible for proper product use, there definitely should be thorough testing prior to the product going on the shelf. That is where the quality assurance department comes in to make sure the product meets the standards of safety as provided by the law. Labels, warnings, and instructions are also required to be included with products before they hit the shelf ("5 Risk Management Steps to Prevent Product Liability Claims"). The company should also remain up to date on how consumers are improperly using the product and use this information to continuously update their product labels and warnings of effects of improper use.

When the risk of use has been placed on the consumer, this deflects the company from most product liability claims. With proper education on use of products, companies can continue to update their warnings. If consumers decide not to heed the warnings, the company will not be at fault.