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very year in the United States, an estimated 80,000 product liability lawsuits are filed, and thousands of products recalled—and that’s happening to companies with certified quality programs in place.

In 2014 alone, some of the highest fines were imposed by government agencies because corporations mishandled product safety issues. Juries have handed out the largest awards to plaintiffs in more than a decade.

And yet, according to “Navigating the Product Mindset,” a recent study published by UL, 97 percent of manufacturing executives surveyed thought their companies and management teams were “ahead of the curve in delivering safe and reliable products,” even though all the data show just the opposite.

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