A Dangerous Company Analysis

Frontline: A Dangerous Company Reaction The Frontline Documentary A Dangerous Company details the extreme negligence of McWane Incorporated in regards to work place safety and environmental violations. McWane Incorporated is one of the largest manufacturers of iron pipes in North America, and has over twenty foundries in the United States alone. The documentary investigated some of the worst offending foundries of the company, including the Tyler, Texas foundry, and a factory in Birmingham, Alabama. The investigation relied heavily on first hand interviews with both former and current employees of the factories, as well as extensive files collected by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. The documentary, along with an article by The New York Times, is credited with bringing the violations to the attention of the Justice department. The involvement of the Justice Department has led to criminal prosecutions that have helped to reform the company’s notorious “McWane Way” philosophy of sacrificing safety and environmental concerns for production. I found the documentary incredible

It is surreal that after all the laws and reforms put into place in the last fifty years, that a company was able to operate like it existed during the beginning of the industrial revolution. It is especially hard to comprehend how a company so large was able to succeed for so long with its lawless attitude, and blatant disregard for workers safety and its environmental responsibility. Had the company been one factory operating a smaller operation I could understand how this could happen, but with revenues of two billion, it is unfathomable. Hopefully this film will serve as a cautionary tale about the importance of common sense regulations, and the dangers of allowing companies to operate with only profit as a