Managing Product Stewardship

Management of Product Stewardship at Linde rests with the vice president of safety, health, environment and quality. The vice president reports to a member of the Executive Leadership Team.

Linde business, engineering, operations and safety professionals examine the potential environmental, health and safety risks of every new product. The entire life cycle of the product is reviewed — from raw material procurement through manufacturing, distribution, use and disposal.

The following management systems are used to foster product stewardship:

• Risk Review: Identify the potential risks associated with the product and the design features and management systems that control those risks.
• Product Design Safety: Consider how a product may be used or misused and identify design features that could mitigate potential hazards.
• Procurement Specification & Control: Verify compliance with purchased material requirements and specifications.
• Manufacturing Control: Establish procedures and train personnel to ensure consistent product quality within product specifications.
• Distribution & Installation Control: Establish procedures and train personnel to ensure safe product deliveries, storage and customer application.
• Hazard Communication: Communicate information on the safe use and handling of each product in a timely manner through appropriate use of Safety Data Sheets (SDS), product labeling, product use instructions and customer support.
• Product Disposal: Establish procedures to identify products that are no longer suitable for customer use and refurbish, replace, or dispose of them in an environmentally safe manner.
• Incident Reporting & Investigation: Report, investigate and analyze incidents involving our products, misuse, and disposal to learn more about product risks and take corrective action.