Last week I wrote about a visit with my mother in Florida and how risk management practices became a focus during my stay.
One day at lunch my mother's friend ordered hot tea. The water was served in a glass carafe with a plastic neck and no pour spout. After only a few seconds, her friend discovered the container was too hot to hold and it had to be put down. Remembering the famous spilled-cup-of-hot-coffee at McDonald's, we recognized the potential for disaster.
A few days later after returning home, my mother called. She had been back to the restaurant—again her friend had ordered hot tea and again it was served in the potentially dangerous carafe. When they mentioned their concerns to the waitress, she shrugged, saying that while she realized the container was a hazard, that her hands were tied because management would not listen to her. The waitress then asked my mother to send an e-mail to the chain's home office, hoping that might have an impact.
Mom obliged. In the e-mail she described the container and its potential for injury. She also said she hoped the e-mail would be forwarded to both their management and risk management departments. She later received a nice e-mail from the company saying the message would be forwarded to both departments.
End of story? Not at all. It sounds like this restaurant chain has a lot going for it.
I received an e-mail from my mother recently with this message:
"We visited [the restaurant] yesterday. I told the manager when she stopped to see us about my communication with the home office and how they had replied very caringly. [The manager] said, 'Guess what? The carafes are being replaced nationwide. They are making molds for new ones and will replace these as soon as possible.' I replied, 'So I did make a difference!'"
This turn of events demonstrates that even though mistakes are made, many times they are inadvertent. In this case, the company was able to take an honest look at the situation and admit the potential for danger—and what's more, do something about it! My hat is off to this company.
And sometimes one person can make all the difference. Here, it may keep someone from being injured and possibly prevent a lawsuit.
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