Taking A Look At Some Common Defects in Electronics
Manufacturer defects are more common than many people would like to admit. Some products have a failure rate that’s greater than half of all shipped units after just a few years. It doesn’t take a complicated design error to cause problems, either.
After all, people may get their fingers stuck in a switch or pinched in the plastic housing. Faulty wiring and poor heat management could potentially cause a device to explode under the right conditions. Defects that allow a short to ground may melt wires over time, which can damage the product they’re attached to while simultaneously releasing a fair amount of toxic fumes. These problems are especially common in new devices that were rushed to market or imported from questionable sources.
What To Do If You’re Hurt By Defective Devices
Naturally, the first thing you’re going to want to do is apply first aid and make sure that you aren’t in any lasting danger. Only when you’re sure that it’s safe to proceed should you start to look at possible legal solutions to the situation you’re in. Depending on the specific type of device and the damage incurred, there may be the possibility of reaching a settlement, so the single most important thing after ensuring your own safety is to speak to seasoned legal professionals who are prepared to offer advice. Don’t rely on anyone who isn’t in a position to offer genuine legal services in this situation.
When companies put products on the market, they’re expected to have tested them in order to ensure compliance with basic safety laws. Firms that fail to do so could potentially be liable for damages if there’s good reason to believe that their product hurt someone who was using it in a manner consistent with its labeling. Organizations that continue to resist could end up in even more hot water.
Typical Injuries Resulting From Electrical Mishaps
Perhaps the most common injuries are those related to direct electrocution. In a mild case, someone might touch an ungrounded hot wire and get a fairly good-sized bite that stings for some time before they’re able to simply shrug it off. As the amount of amperage grows, however, so does the danger, and powerful shocks will almost certainly cause serious muscle spasms. Eventually, the amount of electricity that passes through a damaged circuit will overwhelm the natural biological systems inside of a human body to the point of death.
Radiofrequency burns can also result from defective electrical equipment, especially if they’re somehow connected to a wireless network. All radio energy runs the risk of heating biological tissue. Should anything from a short enough wavelength penetrate flesh, there’s a good chance that it could burn skin or cause other organ damage. Physical heat from batteries and capacitors could potentially harm someone in a very similar fashion. No matter what type of electronic you’ve been injured by, you must get checked out by your doctor, get legal representation, and inform the product’s manufacturer that you have been injured.