ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the case histories which are grouped according to the products concerned: consumer products, motor cars, industrial products, aerospace and ships to provide a wide range of examples. In virtually every case blame can be directed at a management failure somewhere along the line. This failure usually originates away from the scientific or engineering error in the product itself that was the immediate cause of the accident. Many companies rely on third parties to help contribute to the safety of their products by formally recognizing them. Information about a product can be in the form of instructions, warnings, directions and claims, all of which can be part of the product. If they are wrong the product may not be safe, as the case histories demonstrate. A producer is not liable for a defective product if, at the time of supply, the state of science and technology was such that the defect could not have been discovered.
