Product Liabilities and Testing

Between 1970 and 1980, one phrase caught the attention of the manufactures and suppliers more than any other phrase product liability. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that the number of product liability suits increased 983% from 1974 to 1988. In 1991 it was reported by insurance industry that 1.6 billion was paid out in product liability losses. They also reported that an additional 1.1 billion was spent on legal costs (1). The cost of liability insurance has increased substantially in the last five years. Virtually every industry has been plagued with liability suits and the plastics industry is certainly no exception. 

From the foregoing discussion it is clear that product liability and product safety are interrelated. The majority of manufacturers, especially the smaller ones, allow 

Handbook of Plastics Testing and Failure Analysis, Third Edition, by Vishu Shah Copyright 2007 by John Wiley Sons, Inc. 

The product is manufactured defective and proper testing and inspection was not carried out. 

The proper records of product sale, distribution, and manufacturer are not kept up to date. 

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