Stupid Warning Labels

Sunday, January 7th, 2007 5:34 pm by Neal

(Hat tip: slashdot)

Our favorite: A watercraft manual states, “Never use a lit match or open flame to check fuel level.”

The results of The 10’th Annual Wacky Warning Label Contest are in, and this year’s results are a ridiculous collection of lawsuit-inspired absurdities. From the website:

The contest, now in its tenth year, is conducted by Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch, M-LAW, to reveal how lawsuits, and concern about lawsuits, have created a need for common sense warnings on products.

Here are the winners:

  • A warning label on a washing machine at a laundromat that warns, “Do not put any person in this washer” has been chosen as the nation’s wackiest warning label in M-LAW’s annual Wacky Warning Label Contest.
  • Don’t follow this advice and you’ll get the surprise of your life. The $250 second place award went to Rich Heitzig of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota for a label on a personal watercraft that warns: “Never use a lit match or open flame to check fuel level.”
  • You might just want to have it dry cleaned… There was a tie for third place prize. Farrah Kakavand of Oak Park, California won a share of third place and $100 for a warning she found on a Super Lotto ticket which says, “Do not iron.”
  • Guess where I’m calling you from now? The other third place winner was found by Nancy Shue of York, Pennsylvania on a on a cell phone. The warning? It says: “Don’t try to dry your phone in a microwave oven.”
  • Don’t let your fingers do the walking while you are doing this… Honorable mention goes to Ronald Hyman of Augusta, Georgia for a warning he found on the cover of his local Yellow Pages book which cautions users: “Please do not use this directory while operating a moving vehicle.”

Comments are closed.