A Call for Updating the FHSA Regulations With Warnings Research and to Match ANSI Z535.4

Abstract

The Federal Hazardous Substances Act (FHSA) regulations apply to many household products that may cause substantial personal injury or illness as a result of customary or foreseeable use. This article examines a warning on an FHSA-regulated hazardous product involved in a fatality and discusses how the warning would have been more effective had the FHSA, and the product labeling, followed guidelines provided by the American National Standards Institute Z535.4 standard for Product Safety Signs and Labels. The article concludes with a call to update the FHSA with information from current warning research and standards that, if implemented in FHSA labeling requirements for manufacturers, would lead to more effective warnings.