Liability problems

Delivery decisions are more than decisions about conformance to specification. They are about conformance to contract and those responsible for the production processes may not be able to determine whether contractual conditions have been met. Much more may hang on the resolution of a problem than mere conformance to specification. The decision in some circumstances may be taken by the CEO. There may have been a safety problem or a product liability problem so your system needs to recognize these fine distinctions. Those making the delivery decisions need possession of all the information required to protect the company as well as meet customer needs. 

This observation is however not restricted to supposedly conservative factory owners, who at best fear liability problems or financial risks. It applies to workers and technicians alike, to purchasing department and management, to associations and scientific branch institutes as well as to sub-contractors of machinery, components and anxiliary eqnipment, in which the chemicals are nsed. This conservative stance applies not only with regard to enviromnent and health-related iimovation, bnt also to innovation in general and it is amplified (and also repeatedly npset) by the stress of globalisation and social uncertainty. 

Most importantly, the system virtually eliminated liability problems. Said Mr. Kowalski, "the biggest advantage is that we ll be free from the enormous liability that companies face every time they ship something out of the plant for offsite disposal."... 

To prevent inferior or unsafe foreign products from entering the domestic market, especially those that are potentially environmentally hazardous or could cause product liability problems. 

Moreover, many companies are now required either by law or by industry consensus standards to write thorough, up-to-date operating procedures. Typically, these regulations and standards do not provide much detailed guidance on how procedures should be written but they do put managers feet to the fire—they have to get procedures written and their technicians trained in order to stay in compliance with the rules (and also to minimize potential liability problems). 

It is important to prepare a list of who receives the draft and final reports. A wide circulation will allow many people to understand what the audit found and to take corrective actions in their particular areas. But an audit report can create legal liability problems so the distribution list should also be screened by the company s legal department. Also, it needs to be recognized that the report could be embarrassing for some of the managers, so their concerns should be recognized. 

Carbonated soft drinks owe their fizz to the presence of carbonic acid. We think nothing of drinking this acid. Even so, one of the authors of this book was confronted with the statement our lawyers won t let us have acids in a shopping maU due to liability problems when he proposed to do some chemical demonstrations involving carbonic acid as part of an observance of National Chemistry Week activities. There s that association with danger again. 

In this scenario, the Road Safety Auditor may describe a road safety problem, but the recommendation is ignored and there is no Exception Report. The person responding to the Road Safety Audit now has a potential liability problem. 

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