Regulator Self-Service, Service Kits, and Liability
Within the scuba industry, regulator self-service, access to service kits, and end-user equipment education are frequently portrayed as creating increased legal liability for manufacturers, instructors, or retailers. These claims are often repeated as settled truth, despite rarely being examined through the lens of actual product-liability law or modern safety science.
In practice, these assumptions do not align with U.S. legal principles, nor with how other high-risk, life-critical industries manage risk, responsibility, and education.
This document separates legal reality from persistent industry myth and clarifies where liability actually attaches — and where it does not.