GOVERNANCE / PRODUCT SAFETY & QUALITY [CRI Callout Box]: Whirlpool Corporation’s product safety process has been recognized as an industry-leading best practice, and benchmarked by other companies to improve their own programs. Employee Training on Product Safety Whirlpool Corporation’s product safety process has been recognized as an industry-leading best practice and has been benchmarked by other companies to improve their own programs. We have a robust safety training and competency program for our Engineering population—sustained by training sessions, hands-on experience and risk assessment expertise development. In fact, Whirlpool Corporation invites other companies to attend our Global Product Safety Training sessions. Product Safety competency are established early in the year for employees and tracked throughout the year with metrics that have visibility to the senior leaders of the company. Even with this strong track record, Whirlpool Corporation is in constant pursuit of improving our products, systems and processes to maintain a world-class program. Product Testing to Ensure Product Safety Whirlpool Corporation’s testing program includes multiple comprehensive rounds of physical and simulated testing. This includes testing required by regulatory bodies and our own unique testing requirements. The testing is intentionally designed to encompass expected use, foreseeable use and misuse across the entire life cycle of the product. Whirlpool Corporation’s Forced Failure testing protocols are critical to mitigating product safety risk. The goal of Forced Failure testing is to induce a failure for the purpose of assessing the consequence. Conformance to the defined acceptance criteria is intended to validate design robustness which safeguards the consumer. Forced Failure testing provides clear evidence that our products are designed to meet these expectations. Although our own testing practices are robust, Whirlpool Corporation’s written policy requires third-party safety testing and certification before market launch of the product, according to established national and international testing standards. Whirlpool Corporation’s product safety process has been recognized as an industry-leading best practice and has been benchmarked by other companies to improve their own programs. Whirlpool Corporation / 2021 SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 91