WHEN DETAILS MATTER, THE COST CAN BE HUGE

Jul 1, 2005 12:00 PM, LARRY ANDERSON, EDITOR

Sometimes attention to detail makes all the difference, and cutting corners can be very costly.

It's a lesson that came to our attention anew recently when we heard about how a certain toothpick cost one company $17.5 million.

A jury in Waco, Texas, awarded that tidy sum in punitive and compensatory damages to the family of a 23-year-old U.S. Army lieutenant who was killed in a traffic accident.

The lieutenant had just graduated from officer's training school and was driving to his first assignment at Ft. Hood, Texas, when his car slammed into the rear of a tractor-trailer owned by a trucking company. The truck had been traveling in the high-speed lane when it came to an abrupt stop. The lieutenant was unable to avoid a collision and was killed when his car slid under the 18-wheeler.

Testimony in the trial showed that, prior to the accident, the truck driver — with the trucking company's knowledge — had repaired a hole in a high-pressure brake hose with a toothpick before resuming his trip. Two hours later, that repair failed, causing the truck's immediate stop and bringing on the fatal accident.

The liability nightmare of such a bad decision on behalf of the trucking company is oh-so-easy to see in hindsight, but how can a company prevent such a calamity before it happens?

It may not be possible in every instance to do so — that's why we have insurance — but thinking through the consequences of proposed actions before they are set into motion is one positive step. Assessing risks (and sometimes thinking about worst-case scenarios) falls clearly in the purview of most of our readers' job descriptions. Among the things we as security professionals are tasked with thinking about are what can go wrong, what the ramifications might be and what corporate liability might result.

Unfortunately, it's difficult to be any more specific than that about what those possible risks might be or where the possible dangers might lie. Suffice it to say that if a toothpick can cost a company $17.5 million, then the possibilities are endless, the consequences almost unfathomable.

Let this cautionary tale remind us to be attentive to details, think our actions through, and speak up — loud and clear — if a risk comes to light.

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