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OTHER LIABILITIES
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2017
OTHER LIABILITIES  
OTHER LIABILITIES

 

NOTE K. OTHER LIABILITIES

 

($ in millions)

 

At December 31:

 

2017

 

2016

 

Income tax reserves

 

$

4,193

 

$

2,621

 

Excess 401(k) Plus Plan

 

1,583

 

1,494

 

Disability benefits

 

504

 

538

 

Derivative liabilities

 

38

 

61

 

Workforce reductions

 

804

 

782

 

Deferred taxes

 

545

 

424

 

Other taxes payable

 

948

 

90

 

Environmental accruals

 

262

 

262

 

Warranty accruals

 

56

 

68

 

Asset retirement obligations

 

115

 

142

 

Acquisition related

 

88

 

111

 

Divestiture related*

 

253

 

270

 

Other

 

577

 

613

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

 

$

9,965

 

$

7,477

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Primarily related to the divestiture of the Microelectronics business.

 

In response to changing business needs, the company periodically takes workforce reduction actions to improve productivity, cost competitiveness and to rebalance skills. The noncurrent contractually obligated future payments associated with these activities are reflected in the workforce reductions caption in the previous table. This also includes certain special restructuring-related actions prior to 2006. The noncurrent liabilities are workforce accruals related to terminated employees who are no longer working for the company who were granted annual payments to supplement their incomes in certain countries. Depending on the individual country’s legal requirements, these required payments will continue until the former employee begins receiving pension benefits or passes away. Current liabilities are included in other accrued expenses and liabilities in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position and were immaterial at December 31, 2017.

 

The company employs extensive internal environmental protection programs that primarily are preventive in nature. The company also participates in environmental assessments and cleanups at a number of locations, including operating facilities, previously owned facilities and Superfund sites. The company’s maximum exposure for all environmental liabilities cannot be estimated and no amounts have been recorded for non-ARO environmental liabilities that are not probable or estimable. The total amounts accrued for non-ARO environmental liabilities, including amounts classified as current in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position, that do not reflect actual or anticipated insurance recoveries, were $267 million and $272 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively. Estimated environmental costs are not expected to materially affect the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of the company’s operations in future periods. However, estimates of future costs are subject to change due to protracted cleanup periods and changing environmental remediation regulations.

 

As of December 31, 2017, the company was unable to estimate the range of settlement dates and the related probabilities for certain asbestos remediation AROs. These conditional AROs are primarily related to the encapsulated structural fireproofing that is not subject to abatement unless the buildings are demolished and non-encapsulated asbestos that the company would remediate only if it performed major renovations of certain existing buildings. Because these conditional obligations have indeterminate settlement dates, the company could not develop a reasonable estimate of their fair values. The company will continue to assess its ability to estimate fair values at each future reporting date. The related liability will be recognized once sufficient additional information becomes available. The total amounts accrued for ARO liabilities, including amounts classified as current in the Consolidated Statement of Financial Position were $152 million and $173 million at December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.