Response to case study scenario 1

I would have many issues with being told to ignore the problem, not only on a personal level but on moral and ethical grounds. I would hope that my colleagues, especially my superiors, would be responsible enough to avoid putting me in to a situation like this. As a part of the safety testing group, it is one of my duties to make sure that the products that are sold are safe for the consumer. If I were to ignore this problem, not only would the company be liable but I would be liable myself. On a personal level, if someone were to die from an event related to the problem, for example if the USB flash memory drive caught on fire while they were sleeping, I would have problems coping with the guilt knowing that I could have prevented this from happening.

From my previous experiences while working at Tesco, I have had the responsibility of carrying out Emergency Product Withdrawals, and know how important it is to act upon them as soon as they are received. They have ranged from packaging mistakes, where the product that is in the box is different to what is labelled on the packaging, to foods that have become contaminated. A good example of this is when pieces of black rubber were found in packets of Walkers Crisps. These examples are not directly related to the safety test that would be carried out on the USB flash memory drives, however I feel that the experience and knowledge that this have given me is of a high level. Recently Sky has recalled 90,000 Sky+ HD set top boxes due to a fault, even though there was not a safety risk.

There are legal implications that could come from ignoring the problem. If a situation were to arise from not recalling the product then the company would be liable under Tort of negligence for any damages that may be caused. My employer and supervisor would be vicariously liable for my actions, and because of my negligence I could be sued by my employer for the losses, or even lose my job.

Both options have their financial implications and could potentially make a significant loss for the company. Recalling a whole batch of USB flash memory drives would have a loss which can be calculated on a per unit basis. After the batch has been recalled and disposed of there should not be any more financial losses. If this problem were to be ignored, resulting in the batch not being recalled, the legal costs and any compensation that may need to be paid out because of damages, injury or even death, could be higher. The company’s reputation for high quality products could also be put in jeopardy; this could be made worse if the company were revealed to have ignored the issue.

I would not ignore the problem even if I were to be instructed to by my supervising manager. To resolve the situation I would confront my supervising manager, explaining the reasons that I have already expressed in this paper over my concerns of the sale of the faulty products. I would aim to change my supervising manager’s decision by doing this. If this did not resolve the issue I would speak to the company’s managing director, explaining to him why I feel that my supervising manager’s decision is incorrect and make a recommendation that the product be recalled. Hopefully by now a recall will have been implemented. If this was not the case I would speak to a Union representative asking what I should do, as they may be able to advise me on what steps I should take next.