Pallet lawsuits on the rise
By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 7/1/1998
In recent months there has been a sharp upturn in pallet related lawsuits, with damage claims amounting to millions of dollars for each court action, according to the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA)."People using improperly designed or repaired pallets are potentially setting themselves up for lawsuits," says John Healy, NWPCA executive vice president. "There are several very simple steps people can take. If they don't, someone could be injured or even killed."
The cheapest "insurance" users can have, according to Healy, is the knowledge that their pallet suppliers are using the NWPCA's Pallet Design System (PDS) software. Judgments in court have been in favor of PDS designed pallets. Pallet suppliers can provide PDS analysis to their customers to ensure their pallets are properly designed to carry the weight of the specific unit load.
Pallet users should request that the pallets coming to them are marked Specified Pallets, Engineered for Quality (SPEQ), to be sure they get the pallets they ordered and didn't get shortchanged. SPEQ refers to an NWPCA sponsored quality assurance program.
Most importantly, pallet users shouldn't build or repair pallets themselves. Saving a few dollars now could eventually result in a multi-million dollar lawsuit, Healy suggests.
The NWPCA's Uniform Standard for Wooden Pallets is one of the available tools to help protect pallet suppliers and users. The standard can be ordered on the internet at www.nwpca.com, or call the NWPCA at 703-527-7667. Your pallet supplier can also provide the standard to you at no charge.
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