By Andrew P. McCoy and Fred Sargent
Published On May 15, 2023
In a $10 million lawsuit alleging safety-related negligence, an electrician sued his employer, a large electrical contractor, for failing to provide training and equipment that could have prevented the serious injuries he suffered in a job site accident.
It might have been avoided with the kind of alert that appears on every milk carton in the United States, which requires retelling a quick bit of retailing history.
Starting in the early 20th century, product packaging in American grocery stores began to include a code indicating where and when the item had been manufactured. In essence, it anticipated a “sell-by” date. Store employees could decipher the code, but their customers could not. By the 1970s, customers were demanding readable date-coding on supermarket products. Out of that movement came “best if used by,” or just “use by.”
A container of milk with a “use by” mark makes things understandable for everyone and takes away any guesswork.
That brings us to our topic about avoiding a common safety-related risk. Knowing that he had a lot to share, we dropped in for coffee with Pat Stewart, executive chairman of TMX Compliance, Wexford, Pa., which produces software that tracks individual employees’ training, certifications and licenses—and whether they are up-to-date or expired.
Failing to note the expiration dates for licenses, certifications and other prequalifications today can lead to even bigger problems.