By Bert Zethof

Two major business catastrophes in Toronto this month highlight yet again the responsibility companies have to protect public and worker safety. First, Sunrise Propane Industrial Gases suffers a major explosion resulting in at least one death and then a Maple Leaf Foods Inc. plant in Toronto was confirmed as involved in an outbreak of a food-borne bacterial illness. As many as twelve deaths in Canada have now been linked to an outbreak of listeriosis, according to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (National Post).

The exact causes of these incidents are not yet clear. However, they are a deadly reminder of the importance for business leaders to make an unwavering commitment to rigorous safety and quality control systems and procedures. This is no place for a business to cut corners and lower costs. This responsibility cannot be taken lightly because these types of catastrophes can spell the end of a company, let alone the lives of innocent bystanders and consumers. When a company takes this responsibility seriously, it is rewarded with customer loyalty.

Some might argue that government regulators have let the public down but ultimately, the responsibility is the company’s. The world has become too complex for government workers to be able to monitor all business activities. Ultimately, all of us, including CEOs and corporate directors, have a societal, if not legal, obligation to do the right thing in our realm of influence.

Discussions raised by participants in our Business Innovator Labs on the challenges, best practices and solutions for safety, quality and customer value are testaments to the fact that businesses can easily stumble in these areas if not keeping the issue of establishing effective systems in the forefront of their operations.

There are a number of support programs available to help business owners and managers to establish and improve their “mission critical” systems. In Canada, an excellent place to start is the National Quality Institute http://www.nqi.ca/. When innovating a system, go see it in action. Learn about the details of how it operates from your employees and other people who work in it. They know more than you might think.