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Subject:RE: Professionalism and pay From:<richard -dot- melanson -at- us -dot- tel -dot- com> To:<pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com> Date:Thu, 31 May 2007 14:41:09 -0400
I wrote a PM Manual for a company that was then sued. The end of our machine had a solid lexan door that was damn heavy. The door was raised and lowered via two sets of cables and pulleys. The design was flawed and the cables could ride off the pulleys allowing the door to slam down on someone or a piece of someone who was under it. This happened to someone who broke an arm and injured their back. We were then sued. Engineering was in big heat because of the design flaw. BUT I pointed out that I had added a section in the weekly PM of the machine to visually inspect the cables and pulleys to avoid this slamming from happening. When the PM Manual I wrote hit the courtroom, we were release of all responsibilities because the user or our equipment could not prove they had been doing the weekly inspections. I never got so much as a thank you from my company. And I like to believe I had dug them out of a big hole.
Rick
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- melanson=us -dot- tel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+richard -dot- melanson=us -dot- tel -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Pro TechWriter
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2007 1:57 PM
Cc: TECHWR-L
Subject: Re: Professionalism and pay
Just to update my conversation (abridged version), since I replied to
someone who replied to me off list:
I wanted to clear something up:
>> The technician does NOT use the instructions for the kidney dialysis
machine; the *patient* uses them. That's why the instruction manual is
written at a 5th grade level. I am sure that they get some instruction
before using the home machine, but if they don't use the machine within a
short time of training, they will be relying on the instructions that come
with the machine that a technical writer (like me) has written.
...When it comes to juries, they don't look at it that way (direct and
indirect risk). They look for someone to take the blame, and to pay the
money. And they award BIG settlements for negligence... ...they might not
come after the technical writer for the cash, but how long do you think the
tech writer would be employed after a multi-million dollar judgement against
[the employer]? ...about five minutes. And how easy would that be to explain
at a job interview? "I was let go because the instructions caused a patient
to die?" Whoa.
The risk is there. I take it seriously enough not to blow it off, is all I
meant. The company I worked for lost millions of dollars for an issue
similar to the one I proposed, except the instructions were for ... making
the ... solution in the manufacturing facility that was used in the
machines. The instructions for cleaning the ...machines were faulty, and the
solutions were tainted. Hundreds of people died.
In most cases, ...arguments are completely logical, especially about levels
of risk, but they don't apply to every situation. Anyone who works in
healthcare, or aviation, or any other industry where a person's life could
be affected will tell you, we have to at least think about this stuff.
And I have been doing this for 25 years, with about half of that in health
care. It is much less stressful to work on applications that don't have life
and death consequences, trust me. But on the other hand, the health care
does so much good for people, I always was willing to accept the risk.
Kind Regards,
PT
--
PT
pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com
I'm a Technical Technical Writer!
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printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007
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