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 Contents


Front Matter
Overview and Perpectives
THE DYNAMICS OF INNOVATION AND PRODUCT LIABILITY
Technology Issues and Product Liability
Making Product Liability Work for You: A Path Out of the Product Liability Jungle
The Role of the Justice System in the Product Liability Debate
IMPACT ON ENGINEERING PRACTICE, INNOVATION, AND CORPORATE STRATEGIES
The Chemical Industry: Risk Management in Today's Product Liability Environment
Medical Devices, Component Materials, and Product Liability
General Aviation Engineering in a Product Liability Environment
Indirect Effects of Product Liability on Automotive Engineering Practice
The Effects of Product Liability on Automotive Engineering Practice
Approaches to Product Liability Risk in the U.S. Automotive Industry
Innovation, Engineering Practice, and Product Liability in Commercial Aviation
Regulation, Litigation, and Innovation in the Pharmaceutical Industry: An Equation for Safety
THE SOCIAL, LEGAL, AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT
Insurance: The Liability Messenger
Junk Science in the Courtroom: The Impact on Innovation
Product Safety Regulation and the Law of Torts
The Inconvienient Public: Behavioral Research Approaches to Reducing Product Liability Risks
Contributors
Index