Functions of Law

LAW/421

January 7, 2014

Functions of Law The functions and roles of law in society and business are important for many reasons; Society and business need laws to properly perform and run efficiently. Laws help businesses and society work together to create a fair and equal place to live and work. Without laws in businesses and society people would have free rein. Can you imagine what a person or business could do with no laws to follow it would be chaos and many people would be taken advantage of or hurt. Law has a role in everyone’s life daily,. For example; we deal with driving laws each time we enter a vehicle. If there were no laws people would have no consequences to worry about and many people could end up hurt. Law is defined as “a binding custom or practice of a community: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority” (Law - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d.). During my life I have had experience many career fields, the food industry, retail sales, mechanic, and military. Some part-time and two being full-time, military and now I am a hydraulic mechanic. My primary experience of ten years was being in the United States Air Force. Being in the Air Force was the most significant and life-changing career choices I had, there were many rules and regulations that act as laws when you are in the military. “The backbone of the military legal system is the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), which applies to all branches” (Military Law Overview | Military.com, n.d.). In the military I had to follow all laws including all the military regulations and codes. It was a dramatic change from civilian life for a high school kid; the rules and guidelines have made me a more responsible and creditable adult. As an Aircrew Flight Equipment Craftsman I dealt with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mostly. Many of the laws we dealt with in my field were with chemical storage and environmental issues therefore revolving around the EPA the most. For example, we use chemlights for nighttime flights so pilots could see their panels, and because they are not environmentally friendly each chem-light had to be accounted for and tracked individually. If the chemlight storage containers did not add up the squadron could be fined. In the military as a supervisor of Airman I had to deal with labor laws even though the military is not civilian we still could not overwork our airman and had to abide by the labor laws. A couple years ago I was medically discharged from the military and forced to find a new career field. In my current career field I am a hydraulic mechanic and salesman, I still deal with the environmental issues and EPA. My job does still have some common grounds like the disposal of oil and chemicals. I still deal with the same safety and disposal procedures laws. All my employers have to deal with all the legal responsibilities of labor laws and maintain proper pay for working overtime. I had to know all safety procedures in both fields even though they are different fields the