MEET DR. ROBINSON

 

Dr. Patricia A. Robinson brings over 25 years experience to consulting and training in product safety, particularly in the area of warnings and instructions.  She is the author of Writing and Designing Manuals and Warnings-4th edition, as well as other books and articles.  Dr. Robinson has helped more than one hundred national and international companies improve their warnings and instructions, addressing safety issues in products as diverse as infant car seats, industrial gravel separators, and food-industry patty-forming machines.    SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE Dr. Robinson brings a unique blend of skills and experience to her consulting: 

§         Teaching and Training

 

Dr. Robinson served on the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering for thirteen years, receiving the Polygon Award for Excellence in Teaching.   In addition to developing curriculum and teaching technical communication courses, Dr. Robinson helped develop and served as the first Director of the Technical Communication Certificate program.  In addition, she served as Manager of Campus Courses for the Department of Engineering Professional Development and as a Program Director for continuing education courses in technical communication, including Writing and Designing Manuals, Managing Technical Publications, and others.  She continues to teach regularly at products liability seminars. Dr. Robinson is at home in both academic and hands-on settings.  She spent four years as a full-time state-certified police trainer, instructing both pre-service and in-service officers in report writing, firearms, defensive tactics, and other subjects.  As Law Enforcement Education Director for the state of Wisconsin, Dr. Robinson was the principal architect of an innovative curriculum redesign for basic law enforcement training now in place throughout the state. 

 

§         Writing and Speaking

 

Dr. Robinson is the author of three books, including the standard reference, Writing and Designing Manuals and Warnings-4th edition, and a number of articles in professional journals.  Recent articles include “Product Liability Law:  What Engineering Experts Need to Know” (with Richard Moll and Henry Hobscheid) in Handbook of Human Factors in Litigation, Taylor and Francis, 2004, and “Integrated Product Safety” in Hazard Communication Systems, Inc. newsletter, fall, 2004.   Dr. Robinson presents regularly at professional conferences and often conducts on-site seminars for clients. 

§         Expert Testimony

 

Dr. Robinson has provided expert testimony by deposition and at trial in products liability cases involving allegations of failure to warn or failure to provide adequate instructions.   

PUBLICATIONS Dr. Robinson is author or co-author of three books and several articles. Books:  Writing and Designing Manuals and Warnings-4th edition, CRC Press, Boca Raton (sole author) Effective Writing Strategies for Engineers and Scientists 1989 Lewis Publishers (co-author)Fundamentals of Technical Writing 1985 Houghton Mifflin, Boston Recent Articles: “Product Liability Law:  What Engineering Experts Need to Know” (co-author) in Handbook of Human Factors in Litigation, Y. Ian Noy and Waldemar Karwowski, eds. 2004 CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida. “Warnings That Work-Four Keys to Effective Warnings” in Product Safety and Liability Prevention Forum newsletter, fall, 2004, American Society for Quality. “Integrated Product Safety” in Hazard Communication Systems, Inc. newsletter, fall, 2004.  PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS Dr. Robinson is a Full Member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society and a member of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z535.6 Subcommittee for Product Safety Information in Collateral Materials. EDUCATION Dr. Robinson earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Oberlin College, and her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.