Boiler Refresher

R.J. Hill just completed a boiler refresher webinar class presented by Clever Brooks .  The presentation was focused on maintenance, while discussing specific tasks that should be done on  daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly time intervals.  Interest in this type of presentation is not for the sake of performing maintenance as much it is on what has to be done to prevent catastrophic failures.  For example maintaining a daily log of recorded temperatures, pressures, and flows is can be indicative of the boiler’s operating condition.  On the other hand, removal of the tube bundle each year and inspecting the tubes, helps determine when tubes and seals have to be replaced.  A boiler that is not properly maintained can become a potentially huge liability for the insurance carrier as well as the owner.  Catastrophic boiler failures can result in expenditures reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars if not millions.    

GM Appeal Over Ignition Switch Cases – DENIED

The Associated Press is reporting this morning that the appeal filed by General Motors has been denied by the Supreme Court. General Motors was seeking to halt several lawsuits filed in response to the faulty ignition switch cases that were installed in certain vehicles .  The Supreme Court effectively said that the company could not hide between its 2009 bankruptcy by leaving in place a lower court ruling that said that the company was still liable.  The liability means that GM could be exposed to billions in additional claims.   A federal appeals court ruled in 2016 that the company was liable because it knew of the faulty switches for several years before filing bankruptcy and did not disclose the information to the bankruptcy court.  To date, GM has paid more than $875 million to settle death and injury claims.  This amount includes $600 million paid from a victim’s fund as well as $275 million to settle claims from 1385 separate cases.  General Motors has also paid $300 million to settle shareholder lawsuits.