When companies make products that are not safe, they automatically increase their liabilities. This is not in anyone’s interest. Costs increase. Bad PR increases. Good will is lost. Insurance rates go up. And, most importantly, people can get hurt. So, everyone should be able to agree – safer products, less liability = happiness. But, how do you become safer?

There is no magical solution to being safer. It requires corporate focus on every stage of product development and production. Starting right from the beginning helps. If safety is not a key component of new product development, your company is already behind. Without a product safety team, a product safety policy and ongoing product safety audits, companies are pretty much inviting safety defects.

Even when a company does focus adequately on safety, sometimes things just go wrong. In those instances, your organization should be ready to work cooperatively with the pertinent regulatory agency (NHTSA, CPSC, etc.). Every company should know their legal obligations, both to the government and consumers at large. And, when something does go wrong, know what experts you need.