The product liability crisis has become one of the single most important issues facing gin machinery manufacture(TM) today and, if the present trend continues, it may become the single most important problem in managing cotton gin facilities. Product liability and other forms of general liability have indeed become a nightmare which must be better understood by businessmen in every industry, including the cotton industry. Cotton gin machinery manufacturers and cotton gin owners could easily be put out of business because of the high cost of legal defense and many run-away jury awards. Cotton farmers won't be able to grow cotton if they do not have a gin plant to process the seed cotton. Gin plants won't be able to purchase repair parts, service or new machinery if there are no companies to service and supply them with the products they need.

In recent years, most discussions and papers written on this subject have primarily concentrated on ways to reduce insurance costs, with some but not enough emphasis on safe working conditions for our employees. These same discussions and papers referred to the fact that the insurance crisis was forcing companies to raise prices and reminding all of us that we as consume(TM) of products and services must eventually pay the bill for this increased cost of insurance. Whereas that may have been a fact ten years ago, it is not the most important issue today.