Management personnel (managers and supervisors) are the laboatory's first line of defense against allegations of fraud and abuse. They have a responsibility to protect the company from illegal and unethical actions by employees. Management personnel can be sanctioned for the actions of employees who report to them and they can be sanctioned for failure to detect violations.

Management personnel have these responsibilities:

• Ensure that lines of communication remain open with employees.
• Ensure that employees understand their responsibility to report problems.
• Respond with appropriate seriousness when a problem is reported.
• Always follow-up on employees' questions and reports.
• Ensure proper documentation is kept concerning reported problems and report them to the next level of authority when appropriate.