Episode #80: The Danger of Safety

Dr. Steve Wood and Dr. Bill Kanasky

Steve Wood, Ph.D. and Bill Kanasky, Jr., Ph.D. discuss the litigation risks and dangers for companies that make statements like "Safety is our top priority." Steve and Bill talk about how and why that seemingly innocuous statement is neither true nor accurate and how the plaintiff's bar has successfully used this type of language against companies and witnesses to great success. Bill provides a real-life example of this safety priority example, the obvious dangers due to the language, and how it raises the legal bar when phrases like "safety is our top priority" are used. The unrealistic burden created by this type of language cannot be managed in most circumstances so the specific language, words, and context used is critical. Steve and Bill share how safety should be positioned within a company's messaging and how it is not in a client's best interest to stack rank priorities, particularly safety.