Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication: EServer TC Library

1.
#27905

Safety and warning notices form the most important elements of user information wherever safety and [product liability are concerned. A carefully thought out and systematic process is required in developing safety-relevant information, in order to increase the completeness and comprehensibility of product safety. This will also disarm any suspicion of gross negligence in internal documentation in case of missing safety notices and it will ensure traceability.

Schmeling, Roland. tekom (2006). Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication

2.
#13770

The Engineer as Rational Man: The Problem of Imminent Danger in a Non-Rational Environment

Mine safety instruction manuals and training guides reflect an engineering perspective based on the concept of a Rational Man, a perspective which obsstructs effective risk management.

Sauer, Beverly A. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (1992). Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication>Rhetoric

3.
#31777

Mistakes Can Be Costly

In the aircraft industry, a number of factors have converged to highlight the importance of maintenance manuals.

Between the Lines (2007). Articles>Documentation>Engineering>Risk Communication

4.
#29695

The Presentation of Safety Information in Product Manuals

Technical communicators may be asked to design and develop safety information for a product manual. During this process, technical communicators can add value to the presentation of safety information. In addition to adhering to a manufacturer’s internal guideline for the content and formatting of safety information, other factors can be considered as well. This paper presents the following factors: (1) an overview of common failure-to-warn allegations, (2) an analysis of current practices in automotive owner’s manuals for presenting safety information, and (3) an update on a new ANSI Z535 consensus standard for the presentation of safety information in product manuals.

Wisniewski, Elaine. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication>Technical Writing

5.
#14577

When Is A Warning Adequate? Perspectives From Document Design

Although safety information is hardly ever read by users of appliances such as hair-dryers warnings must be included in manuals to protect manufacturers from litigation lawsuits. The law stipulates that a warning is adequate when the reasonable user is likely to read it, and when it sufficiently alerts the user both to the nature and degree of the danger. The present study was aimed at examining to what extent regular users of hair-dryers are able to calculate risks that are not explicated in safety instructions; and to determine whether/how users' estimation of the severity of a risk could be paired to the nature of the consequences of non-compliance. As predicted by the researcher the majority of respondents were acquainted with the nature and the level of danger associated with contact between electrical current and water, but were unable to calculate the risks associated with a significant number of other safety instructions. A redesign would, however, require the active involvement of graphic designers, subject experts (electrical engineers and products liability experts) as well as a second round of user-evaluation.

Carstens, Adelia. Universiteit Stellenbosch Taalsentrum (2002). Articles>Documentation>Risk Communication