OMG ! It has happened again. A lightening bolt of sheer nonsense has struck. Listening to the morning news I hear of another lawsuit. Children are being burned,at the rate of an estimated 600 a year, by hot soup ! Not just any shot soup though, it is those instant cup a soups that are causing all this carnage. The manufacturers should be held accountable for these accidents. No, we can't call them accidents because they are avoidable. The engineers have failed to consider all the possibilities and the design currently in use is flawed. The base of the cup is smaller in diameter than the rim. This design is inherently unstable when tipped from a horizontal plane. I know that is true because they had an engineer on the news to explain that concept to me, the unsuspecting public. Oh what a devious plan by those manufacturers.
The parent or legal guardian can not be expected to have a degree in engineering. As a result they unwittingly fill these unstable vessels with boiling water and sit them before the children. The children,also unaware of this design flaw, tip the cup over and get burned by the hot liquid. Clearly this is the fault of the manufacturer. The engineer on the news even demonstrated how this could be avoided. Make the container in the shape of a casserole dish. The wide base coupled with a low profile adds stability. As for the possibility the container may slide of the edge of the table, that aspect wasn't addressed but I suspect the table design would be at fault. When I was in the Navy we had sides we could raise on the table edge to keep things from sliding off. The dishes stayed on the table but sadly the liquid contents did not.
I have been aware of this problem for some time. That's why I drink my coffee out of a mug instead of a cup. Those mugs don't tip as easy as those ill designed cups. I expect that is why saucers were invented. Of course they didn't get those right either,they should be at least three times the height of the cup in diameter and able to hold the contents of the cup. Saucers currently do little more than prevent rings on the tabletop.
There are other possibilities however. Maybe the parent or legal guardian should pour the hot soup into a bowl before giving it to the child. Maybe the parent or legal guardian should ensure the product is not at a temperature that will cause serious burns before giving it to the child. Maybe, just maybe, the parent or legal guardian should SUPERVISE the child. Those are just a few of the possibilities.
I can not help but laugh and shake my head. To do anything else is fruitless. As long as attorneys are willing to file these suits it will continue. In their defense they are acting within the bounds of the law. Justice for all is the law of the land. Too bad there isn't a court of common sense. There should be a court for these " special kind of cases " to tried in. They certainly must be some " special " people to think this stuff up.
The parent or legal guardian can not be expected to have a degree in engineering. As a result they unwittingly fill these unstable vessels with boiling water and sit them before the children. The children,also unaware of this design flaw, tip the cup over and get burned by the hot liquid. Clearly this is the fault of the manufacturer. The engineer on the news even demonstrated how this could be avoided. Make the container in the shape of a casserole dish. The wide base coupled with a low profile adds stability. As for the possibility the container may slide of the edge of the table, that aspect wasn't addressed but I suspect the table design would be at fault. When I was in the Navy we had sides we could raise on the table edge to keep things from sliding off. The dishes stayed on the table but sadly the liquid contents did not.
I have been aware of this problem for some time. That's why I drink my coffee out of a mug instead of a cup. Those mugs don't tip as easy as those ill designed cups. I expect that is why saucers were invented. Of course they didn't get those right either,they should be at least three times the height of the cup in diameter and able to hold the contents of the cup. Saucers currently do little more than prevent rings on the tabletop.
There are other possibilities however. Maybe the parent or legal guardian should pour the hot soup into a bowl before giving it to the child. Maybe the parent or legal guardian should ensure the product is not at a temperature that will cause serious burns before giving it to the child. Maybe, just maybe, the parent or legal guardian should SUPERVISE the child. Those are just a few of the possibilities.
I can not help but laugh and shake my head. To do anything else is fruitless. As long as attorneys are willing to file these suits it will continue. In their defense they are acting within the bounds of the law. Justice for all is the law of the land. Too bad there isn't a court of common sense. There should be a court for these " special kind of cases " to tried in. They certainly must be some " special " people to think this stuff up.
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