"People with the Gold Medallion Homes aren't going to like the pads by their barbecues."
Forester uncoiled a leg. "Draw up a memorandum on it, will you, Eddie?" He stood up. "That thing sure got me today. There's just entirely too many of these accidents. A ladder breaking. I don't know."
Eddie tried to find something intelligent to say. Finally he said, "It was a rough one, all right."
After Forester left, Eddie picked up, listlessly from the top of the stack one of the preliminary reports submitted for his approval.
The report dealt with three thousand capacitors purchased last year from an Eastern firm, now bankrupt. The capacitors were beginning to leak. Eddie called the electrical laboratory to see what progress was being made on the problem.
The supervisor refreshed his memory from the records. He reported: "I don't have any adhesive man to work on it. Purchasing has half a dozen suppliers lined up—but none have any test data. I don't know when we'll get the time. We're on a priority program checking out these new, low-cost terminations."
"Can't we certify the adhesive to some AIEE spec or something?" Eddie asked.
"I don't know of any for sealing capacitors, Eddie. Not on the maintenance end, at least."
"Maybe Purchasing can get a guarantee from one of the suppliers?"