Product Liability and Innovation

Product liability is a contentious issue. Proponents argue that American tort law promotes product safety. Manufacturers contend that lawsuits chill new product development.Product Liability and Innovation provides an overview and an engineering perspective on the product liability system. The volume offers studies of selected industries, exploring the effect of product liability on corporate product development decisions and on the creative opportunities and day-to-day work of engineers.The volume addresses the potential liability of the parts or materials supplier and discusses the impact of liability on the availability of insurance. It looks at "junk science" in the courtroom and analyzes opportunities to incorporate into product design what we know about human behavior and risk. The book also looks at current efforts at tort reform and compares U.S. injury claims handling with that of other countries.This volume will be important to policymakers, industrialists, attorneys, product engineers, and individuals concerned about the impact of product liability on the industrial future.Table of ContentsFront MatterOverview and PerpectivesTHE DYNAMICS OF INNOVATION AND PRODUCT LIABILITYTechnology Issues and Product LiabilityMaking Product Liability Work for You: A Path Out of the Product Liability JungleThe Role of the Justice System in the Product Liability DebateIMPACT ON ENGINEERING PRACTICE, INNOVATION, AND CORPORATE STRATEGIESThe Chemical Industry: Risk Management in Today's Product Liability EnvironmentMedical Devices, Component Materials, and Product LiabilityGeneral Aviation Engineering in a Product Liability EnvironmentIndirect Effects of Product Liability on Automotive Engineering PracticeThe Effects of Product Liability on Automotive Engineering PracticeApproaches to Product Liability Risk in the U.S. Automotive IndustryInnovation, Engineering Practice, and Product Liability in Commercial AviationRegulation, Litigation, and Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry: An Equation for SafetyTHE SOCIAL, LEGAL, AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENTInsurance: The Liability MessengerJunk Science in the Courtroom: The Impact on InnovationProduct Safety Regulation and the Law of TortsThe Inconvienient Public: Behavioral Research Approaches to Reducing Product Liability RisksContributorsIndex