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With the myriad risks, hazards and
increasing regulations present in business
today, it may be prudent for someone
possessing this title to consider going
back to school for degrees in engineer-
ing, law and biochemistry. However, the
reality is that most compliance officers
have never even considered the career
path on which they are now embarking.
With limited experience in the field and
backgrounds from other business seg-
ments, today’s compliance officers are
generally thrust into the role with little
or no training and even less direction.
In this new and emerging business
segment, funds are limited and return on
investment is difficult to prove unless a
business undergoes an investigation by
regulators or has to defend itself in a law-
suit. The newly appointed compliance
officer must quickly get up to speed in
federal and state product safety laws, test-
ing methods, social and environmental
best practices, and the emerging risks of
technological product hazards. Who
would have thought that knowing what
types of batteries are used in electronics
would be a prerequisite for employment
in the promotional products industry?
But, with today’s focus on corporate
responsibility, businesses are expected to
PRODUCT SAFETY
TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A
COMPLIANCE OFFICER
FEELING MY WAY THROUGH A DIZZYING NEW PROFESSION
BY PEGGIE JEWELL
JUNE 2015 •
PPB
• 75
THINK
HAT IS A COMPLIANCE OFFICER?
I
thought I knew the answer when this job
was thrown in my lap roughly three years
ago. Since then, I’ve learned not to quickly tag anyone with that
title, although, with time, one can comfortably use the term
“compliance officer-in-training.”
W