Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

A worker accidentally tripping a shut-off switch at a major Ontario plastics plant will cost Nova Chemicals Corp. $11 million in lost profit, the company said on Wednesday, because it won’t be able to fulfill some contracts because of the blunder. […]

“The switch is a safety thing so if anyone sees something going wrong they have the opportunity to shut down the plant,” said Nova spokesman Greg Wilkinson. “But that’s not what happened here. It was not a safety issue. It was simply inadvertent.”

Because of the unexpected shutdown, Nova declared force majeure on shipments of propylene and some other products. Force majeure is a legal term that means a company can’t fulfill contracts because of circumstances beyond its control. It will be lifted when the plant returns to normal operating rates and inventory levels.

Force majeure! The old “Act of God” defense. I love it!!!

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