KUNDINGER CONSULTING - Legal knowledge, technical understanding and writing expertise for your manuals

Good manuals start here!

Mathew Kundinger – Your source and resource for everything you need to know about the manuals for the products you sell in the United States.

Manuals that actually work  |  ANSI Z535.6 compliant safety messages  |  Product liability aspects

Whether you are a domestic or foreign manufacturer or importer of products that are sold in the United States, you need good manuals that actually work. Manuals that reduce your risk of product liability law suits due to errors, failure to warn or ineffective or wrong safety messages.

If you want assistance with writing manuals, need your manuals reviewed or evaluated, are looking for ways to minimize your product liability exposure, want information about ANSI Z535 and in particular ANSI Z535.6, or if you are interested in seminars about these subjects, then you have come to the right place.

I am an engineer and attorney, practicing law in California since 1991, the sole attorney member of the ANSI Z535 committee and the Z535.3, Z535.4 and Z535.6 subcommittees and my areas of expertise are manuals, ANSI Z535.6 and how to actually apply this standard correctly in your operating, repair, maintenance and other manuals and collateral materials.

Here you find

intercultural competency

  • born, raised and lived in Europe (Germany) for 29 years
  • since 1984 residing in the United States

interdisciplinary competency

  • Law
    • Law degree (J.D.) and practicing law in Los Angeles since 1991
  • Technology
    • German engineering degree (Diplom-Ingenieur FH) equivalent to a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering
  • Language
    • Ph.D. in Creative Writing
    • Written and published two books and numerous articles

and a common sense approach to everything that has to do with manuals, safety messages, usability and comprehensibility of manuals.

The focus of my consulting practice is on operating, maintenance, repair and other manuals for machinery, production equipment and all kinds of other products from electronic controls to retractable dog leashes.

If it is sold in the United States, it has to have a manual with proper safety messages.

The requirements for manuals are often not really known (until a law suit is filed), frequently not obvious, and most importantly, constantly changing and getting more stringent all the time.

It is absolutely necessary that a manufacturer knows how to write these manuals so that they will do their job correctly, which is to help the reader use the product and avoid accidents, injuries and law suits.

A lot of care is necessary to

  • select a correct structure
  • employ enough detailed information including appropriate illustrations like photos or drawings
  • consider the product liability implications
  • use correct US-English with consistent terminology
  • design effective and easy to understand safety messages and warnings by correctly applying the ANSI Z535.6 standard

I fly to Germany a few times a year to teach 2-day-seminars on this subject (in German) and am currently designing a seminar in English to be held here in the United States.

If you are interested, please CONTACT me.