A chemical manufacturing company produces an industrial solvent using highly volatile and hazardous materials. During its transportation, a crack in one of the containers caused a chemical leak, and a logistics contractor’s worker who handled the container suffered chemical burns. The worker has filed a suit against the chemical manufacturer under strict liability. Can the manufacturer be held legally responsible?
No, the manufacturer is not liable if the contractor’s worker had operational control over the handling of the container.
Yes, the manufacturer can be held responsible if the production and transportation of volatile chemicals are recognized as activities with inherent risks.
No, the manufacturer is not liable if it implemented demonstrable procedures to secure the solvent during transportation.
Yes, manufacturers handling hazardous chemicals have duties to prevent exposing workers to foreseeable risks.
Strict liability applies to activities recognized as possessing inherent risks so dangerous that the party engaging in them is liable for resulting harm, even when exercising care. Manufacturing and transporting volatile chemicals carry such risks, and when harm occurs directly from those risks, liability is imposed. The correct answer reflects this principle. The incorrect options fail because strict liability does not require proof of care or fault, nor does the involvement of a third party (like the contractor's worker) absolve the manufacturer of responsibility for the harm caused by its dangerous activity. Additionally, duties to prevent harm are integral to strict liability but must be applied to the inherently hazardous nature of the activity itself, not just relational or procedural elements.
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