Let’s start with an assumption: if you’re reading this, you’re a reasonable person. Not the kind of person that would swallow Tide pods, set yourself on fire, or put salt on your skin and hold ice against it. You’re possibly also a person who would respond with “you can’t fix stupid” to these, or the many other internet-fed viral “challenges” we hear about today. People are going to post videos doing the most dangerous things they can think of, and there’s simply no warning label that would keep them from doing bad things to themselves with products that are safe when used as originally intended.
There’s another way warnings take on more limited value, and that’s over use. In today’s litigious society, consumer products manufacturers endeavor to protect their legal backsides by warning for every conceivable danger, and even some that are hard to imagine. With warning overload, it’s hard to tell when you face a real danger. Are you selling some promotional products that suppliers have over extended the reach of reasonable warnings? It’s a lot like the boy in Aesop’s fable, “The Shepherd Boy and The Wolf.” He cried “wolf” one too many times, and when he really needed help, the villagers he had fooled before were no longer interested in helping him. If you’ve seen one too many warning labels, it’s entirely possible you may end up ignoring the one you really need to adhere to.
Warning labels are everywhere, alerting us to the risks of eating unhealthy foods, smoking cigarettes, taking prescription drugs, driving cars, or using power tools. In a perfect world, warning labels should provide risk information, then allow consumers to decide for themselves whether the benefits of an action or a product outweigh its risks. Consumers should be able to decide whether or not to take those risks, and, if so, what precautions are in order.
The problem is, the current product warning system shouts “DANGER!!” but with no discernible volume knob. It’s a system of one-size-fits-all, like changing the story of our shepherd boy to not being able to tell the difference between wolves and puppies. His wolves weren’t seen often, but when they did show up, they ate his sheep. Puppies, on the other hand, may have nipped his hand all the time, but he didn’t need to go to the emergency room because of their bite.
When it comes to a wolf-like cause of preventable deaths, cigarette smoking is one of the most complex public health problems. For fifty years the government has mandated on-product warnings designed to raise awareness on smoking’s substantial risks. In combination with cigarette taxes and bans on smoking in public, these efforts have led to a drop in the percentage of the adult population that currently smokes, from 42.4 per cent in 1965 to 15.5 per cent in 2016.
California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, established warning requirements for carcinogens and reproductive toxins. I’m sure you’ve had to explain to clients frequently why they get products with a label that reads: “WARNING: This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.” The fact is there are some puppy-level risks here, the risk levels depend on the amount of chemical present. There are nearly 900 different hazardous chemicals listed in California at present. It really is hard to tell the wolves from the puppies when the number gets that big.
Then, there are some warnings that are just downright silly, whether or not you know your wolves and puppies. Since you are a reasonable person, you already know you shouldn’t use charcoal indoors, re-use a condom, or take the label off the hair dryer cord. You’re welcome.
Jeff Jacobs has been an expert in building brands and brand stewardship for 40 years, working in commercial television, Hollywood film and home video, publishing, and promotional brand merchandise. He’s a staunch advocate of consumer product safety and has a deep passion and belief regarding the issues surrounding compliance and corporate social responsibility. He retired as executive director of Quality Certification Alliance, the only non-profit dedicated to helping suppliers provide safe and compliant promotional products. Before that, he was director of brand merchandise for Michelin. You can find him volunteering as a Guardian ad Litem, traveling the world with his lovely wife, or enjoying a cigar at his favorite local cigar shop. Connect with Jeff on Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram, or reach out to him at jacobs.jeffreyp@gmail.com.