Montreal Maine and Atlantic Railway, the company responsible for the Quebec railway explosion on July 6th that killed 47 people, has found itself in an even deeper hole after investigators realized that the explosive fuel causing the disaster was not properly labeled. One can only imagine the liabilities MMAR is facing. Not only is the company bankrupt from the disaster, it must repay millions to creditors and victims, reach court approvals for lawyers and loans, and handle the repercussions of a deadly mistake that could abolish their reputation.
So how does CEO Ed Burkhardt handle a situation like this? It would be easy for him to admit that, in all truth, management isn’t directly responsible and the rail engineers made the mistakes that caused the tragedy. But with public relations, it is crucial that management step up to the plate and accept full responsibility for their company’s actions. It’s advised that Ed Burkhardt publicly admits MMAR failed to follow rail guidelines and identify a weak employee in their system. After public apologies, MMAR should seek financial support from VIA Rail Canada and find approval to sell out the company so that all stakeholders involved in the disaster will be compensated.
Source: http://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1359989!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_960/image.jpg
Source: http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCABRE98A0MP20130911?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0