Taproot

We are pleased to announce that Carl Dixon has confirmed to speak at the 2014 Global TapRooT® Summit, April 7 – 11 in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

Carl Dixon is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. More than that, he is an entertainer who has performed for audiences around the world for many years. A presence on stage, screen, radio and print (and now the internet), which he’s maintained for over three decades has created a following of people who care about the man and his music.

The career of the good-natured native of Northern Ontario includes his beginnings as lead singer/songwriter of Coney Hatch, lead singer of the Guess Who for eight years, and member of April Wine for four years. A run of album releases with all the above-named bands and his solo work, along with concert appearances around the globe, has made Carl internationally known.

Musically these days Carl either performs a solo acoustic show or tours with his Carl Dixon Band. Speaking appearances are his latest passion, a chance to share his thoughts and experiences in a direct connection to an audience.

In April 2008 Carl’s career path was disrupted by a catastrophic car accident in Australia. This left him in coma with terrible injuries and a poor prognosis from the trauma doctors. To general amazement Carl pushed himself toward recovery with a “No weakness, no fear” motto. He overcame the adversity and eventually made a full return to performance and life. This experience and the lessons gained through it form a large component of Carl’s speaking presentation.

His book Strange Way to Live is being published, an account of Carl’s experiences and impressions of his life and musical adventures to date.  The book details the path which led Carl to here and the factors which helped him overcome the accidents’ effects.

Residing in the forests and hills of Haliburton, Ontario, “Lucky Dog” Carl has a charmed life with his wife and two daughters.

And to those who enjoyed his performance at the Summit reception in Gatlinburg in 2013 — he has agreed to play an acoustic set for us again in 2014!

Learn more about the Summit: http://www.taproot.com/products-services/summit

We are pleased to announce that Rocky Bleier has confirmed to speak at the 2014 Global TapRooT® Summit, April 7 – 11 in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

Rocky Bleier’s life story–a gripping tale of courage on both the football fields of America and the battlefields of Vietnam–has held audiences in rapt attention for years. Yet, the motivational message behind it, detailing how ordinary people can become extraordinary achievers, defines success in the new American century.

With the same optimism, sense of humor and steadfast determination that were his trademarks as a Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Rocky Bleier takes audiences from his early years through his professional career and talks about the lessons he learned along the way…lessons that we all can benefit from.

Not falling within the ideal of what a running back should look like, Bleier had to run harder and play smarter to be able to stand out. Despite his drive and ability to make the big play, the Pittsburgh Steelers only considered him a late round pick. But before the season ended that first year, he was drafted again–this time by the United States Army. At the height of the Vietnam War, Bleier was thrust into combat early and was seriously wounded when his platoon ran into an ambush. Receiving wounds from both rifle fire and grenade fragments in his legs, he was barely able to walk and his professional football career seemed to have ended before it began.

For more than two years, he drove himself. Little by little he overcame obstacles and fought his way back. He not only made the Pittsburgh Steelers, but also eventually became a starting running back on a team that won four Super Bowls and became the greatest football team of the 20th century.

The hard lessons Rocky Bleier learned early in his life that helped him overcome adversity and reach his goals, have paid off after football. Some of those lessons are seen between the lines in the popular book on his life, Fighting Back , and an ABC-TV movie of the week by the same name.

Rocky is active in the Veteran’s Administration–Abraxas, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the United Way, the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded Children; he serves as honorary chairman of the Special Olympics and supports the Civic Light Opera. As a board member of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Rocky helped make possible the erection of a monument in Washington, D.C. to the servicemen and women who died in Vietnam.

Rocky’s special qualities have been recognized by colleagues as well as others who have honored him with awards too numerous to list in detail. Among them are the Whizzer White Humanitarian Award, the Vince Lombardi Award and the Most Courageous Athlete of the Decade Award. He has also received awards from the USO and been named one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men in America by the U.S. Jaycees.

Today, Rocky Bleier shares his expertise and insight as the sports anchorman at the NBC affiliate in Pittsburgh, WPXI-TV. He is in demand as a speaker, motivating audiences in a wide variety of organizations, corporations and universities. And several companies, such as Uniroyal Tires, Sports Illustrated, Soloflex, Bradford-White, Swanson Dinners and First Federal Savings of Pittsburgh have benefited from his televised endorsements of their services and products.

Learn more about the Summit: http://www.taproot.com/products-services/summit

We are pleased to announce that Christine Holton Cashen has confirmed to speak at the 2014 Global TapRooT® Summit, April 7 – 11 in Horseshoe Bay, Texas.

Christine Cashen delivers a fast–paced, hilarious program with useful content that makes her a sought after speaker worldwide.  For more than 10 years, she has jazzed an amazing variety of audiences throughout the United States, Canada, South Africa and Australia. Christine is an authority on sparking innovative ideas to handle conflict, reduce stress and energize employees.

Before hitting the speaking scene, CC was a university admissions officer, corporate trainer and broadcaster. Hey—she even votes.   Christine holds a Bachelors Degree in Communication and a Masters Degree in Adult Education. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP).  CSP is an earned designation awarded by the National Speakers Association and the International Federation for Professional Speakers to recognize demonstrated commitment to the speaking profession through proven speaking experience.  Fewer than 10% of the speakers on the planet hold this designation.

Christine has been featured as a creativity expert in HOW Designs at Work magazine and is a co-author of the book Mission Possible, Volume Eight. She has also developed the A Dynamic Speaker series of learning resources:  Get What You Want With What You’ve Got DVD, Why Can’t Everybody Just Get Along CD and Got Humor Video. Christine resides in Dallas with her husband and their two children.

She will present

Why Brainstorm When You Can Brain El Niño?

Have you run out of ideas? Is your team having a brain drizzle rather than a brainstorm? Discover the tools to weather creative blocks, solve problems and get great ideas in half the time!  Learn specific strategies to put the “storm” back into brainstorming.  Increase effectiveness and productivity, boost group morale and relieve workplace tension with this program. Get ready to have a brain El Niño!

Learn more about the Summit: http://www.taproot.com/products-services/summit

Welcome to our weekly series of Root Cause Analysis Tips from our 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit. This week and the next few weeks following, we’ll be talking about Serious Injuries & Fatalities. At the Summit this year, Mark Paradies gave a great talk about Serious Injuries & Fatalities and how you can prevent them.

This week, Mark discusses using safeguards analysis proactively. He says, “If you’ve got a single safeguard that’s [based on] human performance, that should be a danger bell going off in your mind.”

Watch the full 7-minute video now:

Interested in attending our 2014 Global TapRooT® Summit?

Visit our Summit page here: http://taproot.com/summit

Watch Part 1 here: http://www.taproot.com/archives/37877

Heinz Bloch explained how Best-of-Class companies use MQA on critically important compressors, drivers, and essential process pumps at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit. The MQA effort consists of structured and well-defined reviews of vendor experience, drawings, calculations, and other documentation. For highest possible value, MQA is often carried out before purchase orders are issued. Mr. Bloch described three distinct phases of successful MQA tasks.

Heinz Bloch is a graduate of New Jersey Institute of Technology (BSME, MSME, Cum Laude). After his retirement from Exxon Chemical Central Engineering (in Baytown, Texas), he worked as a consulting engineer and author of 17 books. He is the equipment/reliability editor of Houston-based Hydrocarbon Processing and has published over 460 papers and articles on reliability improvement subjects. For several decades, he has advised industry on maintenance cost reduction and reliability improvement issues and has taught over 500 equipment uptime improvement courses on all six continents.

Click on the icon below to view the presentation and learn the three phases of successful MQA tasks:

I promised people at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit that I would post links to last year’s talk about Admiral Rickover and process safety and a link to his testimony to Congress about nuclear safety and the Nuclear Navy. Here they are…

Nuclear Navy & Process Safety

Rickover’s Testimony to Congress about Nuclear Safety

And here are the slides from the Nuclear Navy and Process Safety talk mentioned above…

http://www.taproot.com/archives/16963

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 8 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Friday, March 21
8:00 – 8:50 a.m.

Trending Using the TapRooT® Software (Chris Vallee and Dan Verlinde) (View in Google Docs)

How Can TapRooT® Be Used in Reliability Centered Maintenance (Mark Olson) (View in Google Docs)

Slips, Trips and Falls: The Science Behind Walking HSL (Robert Shaw)

The Role of Management in Ensuring Effective Root Cause Analysis (Kevin McManus/Kevin Palardy) (View in Google Docs)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 7 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Thursday, March 21
2:40 – 3:50 p.m.

Testing and Qualifying Your Investigators (Dr. Salman T. Al-Mishari and Ralph Brickey)

Troubleshooting Equipment & Software Problems:

Using RCA to Ensure Network Reliability (Tim Fandrich) (View presentation in Google Docs)
Assessing Risk: the Pinnacle of Accident Prevention (Steve Swarthout)

Fatigue Accident Analysis (Bill Sirois) (View presentation in Google Documents)

Joplin Disaster – Lessons Learned (Ed Skompski)

Operational Excellence in TapRooT® (Kevin McManus) (View presentation in Google Documents)

Risk Assessment:

1. Effective Risk Assessments in JSAs, JHAs, JRAs and Investigations (Jim Whiting) (View in Google Docs)
2. Assessing Risk: The Pinnacle of Accident Prevention (Patrick Karol) (View in Google Docs)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 6 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Thursday, March 21
1:00 – 2:20 p.m.

Proactive Root Cause Analysis: Why You Need It and How You Do It (Mark Paradies and Scott Waddle)

Night at the Improv: A Template for Industrial Disaster (Applying Lessons from Catastrophic Equipment Failures) (Ken Bloch) (View presentation documents here and here).

Changing Behavior By Praising the 49 Character Traits (Dr. Beverly Chiodo)

Fatigue Sentinel Event Investigation (Bill Sirois) (View in Google Docs)

Implementing TapRooT® through Operational Ownership (Mike Hayes, Mitch Miller, David Smith, Gabe DeGabriele) (View in Google Docs)

Inspecting Incident Root Cause Analysis: Experiences of a European Regulator (Frank Verschueren) (View in Google Docs)

Family Wellness: Using Root Cause Analysis for Families (Akivah L. Dixon Northern)

Feedback for Future TapRooT® Software Development (Dan Verlinde and Matt Irving)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 5 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Thursday, March 21
10:50 a.m. – Noon

Optimizing Investigations (Ken Reed) (View in Google Docs)

Auto Safety: A Real Life Lesson Learned (Lori Reineke-Avant) (View in Google Docs)

Proactive Quality Improvement Using Mistake Proofing (Chris Vallee) (View in Google Docs)

Best Practices for Software Implementation (Dan Verlinde)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 4 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Thursday, March 21
9:10 – 10:30 p.m.

TapRooT® Certified Instructor Recertification Workshop (Linda Unger, Ken Reed and Michelle Wishoun)

Secrets of Influence (Ken Futch)

Character Driven Success (Dr. Beverly Chiodo)

Building Reports from the TapRooT® Software (Dan Verlinde)

Serious Injuries and Fatalities: Common Factors and Lessons Learned (Mark Paradies) (View in Google Docs)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 3 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Wednesday, March 20
2:40 – 3:50 p.m.

Deepwater Horizon and Texas City: What Should We Learn About Accident Investigation & Process Safety? (Mark Paradies) (View in Google Docs)

Training Reliability Engineers to Add Long-Term Value (Heinz Bloch) (View in Google Docs)

Understanding Human Behaviors:

Understanding Non-Verbal Communication (Barb Phillips) (View in Google Docs)
Human Performance Improvement (Charles Taylor) (View in Google Docs)

Comparison of Risk and Reliability in the Healthcare and Nuclear Industries (Ed Skompski and Kay Wilde Gallogly)

Health, Wellness & Ergonomics

How Health & Wellness Programs Contribute to Safety (Michelle Fry)
Using TapRooT® to Solve Ergonomics Issues (Dennis Osmer) (View in Google Docs)

My TapRooT® Software Implementation – Scott Gunderson (View Scott’s Presentation in Google Docs) and David Smith (View David’s Presentation in Google Docs)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 2 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Wednesday, March 20
1:00 – 2:20 p.m.

What’s New in the TapRooT® Software (Dan Verlinde)

Detailed Up-Front Machinery Quality Assessments (MQA) — a Key Prerequisite to Reliable Major Machinery (Heinz Bloch) (View in Google Docs)

Behavior Based Safety and TapRooT® (Ralph Brickey) (View in Google Docs)

Best Practices for CAPA:

Creating and Sustaining a Business Wide CAPA (Amy Bratkovic) (View in Google Docs)
Best Practices from Industry (Barry Cross) (View in Google Docs)

HSEQ Management & Management Systems

Role of Incident Investigation in HSEQ Management (Mike Rodriguez) (View in Google Docs)
Management Systems and Continuous Improvement (Dave Janney) (View in Google Docs)

Here are the best practice handouts provided by our presenters for Session 1 at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, Gatlinburg, Tennessee:

Wednesday, March 20
10:30 a.m. to noon

TapRooT® Users Share Root Cause Best Practices (Linda Unger & Ken Reed)
Significant Reductions in Chronic Equipment Reliability Issues (Buddy Lee)

Human Performance Improvement:

The Impact of Head Injuries (David Halstead)
Rasmussen’s Model & Knowledge Based Errors (Ralph Brickey) (View in Google Docs)

Joplin Disaster: Lessons Learned (Ed Skompski)

TapRooT® Examples

Analyzing a Project Management Incident (Jonathan Kennedy) (View in Google Docs)
Analyzing a Quality Incident (Barry Cross) (View in Google Docs)

Proactive Accident Prevention

Hey! There Is No Circle on Your SnapCharT®! (Dave Janney) (View in Google Docs)
Using SnapCharT®s Proactively for Management of Change (Jesus Alonso) (View in Google Docs)

What’s left in the patient by accident? See this link …

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/Interactives/forgotten_surgical_items.htm

Studies indicate that non-verbal behaviors comprise a large portion of all interpersonal communication, so paying attention to someone’s body language during an investigative interview or a job interview will give you a wealth of information that they aren’t saying verbally.

When you are judging someone’s non-verbal behavior, where do you look?  Most people look for the truth of the story in someone’s face, but did you know that is the main place that people hide their true feelings?  Think about it — growing up how many times did your parents say, “Get that scowl off of your face?” or “Put on a good face for Aunt Linda?” How many times do we tell our own children and grandchildren that?

The best way to judge someone’s true feelings is to look at their feet! People tend to have “happy feet” when things are going well, and perfectly still or nervously shifting or bouncing legs and feet when the are not. Some people have restless leg syndrome so a bouncing leg isn’t always a clue that something is awry, but if you know a person typically bounces his or her leg, and suddenly they are kicking their legs and feet out during an interview or not moving them at all, that could be a clue that something is not right. Look for sudden changes in the movement of the legs and feet and think about what was being discussed just prior to the change.  If the person is seated at a table and you can’t see their feet, look for vibrations in their shirt, jacket or shoulders that give the movement of their feet and legs away.

See me at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit for more tips about decoding non-verbal behavior, or attend my session on the Human Performance & Behavior Change Track (Understanding Human Behaviors: Body Language – Things to Look for in an Interview), Wednesday, March 20 at 2:40 p.m.

Register now for 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit week,  March 18 – 22, 2013 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

I just wanted to share a quick, fun Global TapRooT® Summit slideshow.  Don’t forget to register for 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit Week, March 18 – 22, 2013 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee!

As you prepare for the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, enjoy this session from last year’s Summit in Las Vegas.

Ed Skompski, Sue Sinclair, Dennis Manley, and Tommy Garnett share the heart-wrenching experience of a natural disaster and what they learned in responding to the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri in 2011.

This 20-minute video is Part 3 of 3.
View Part 1 here. Part 2 here.

(Can’t see the video? Refresh your page.)

Are you interested in attending our 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit?

Click here for more information.

As you prepare for the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, enjoy this session from last year’s Summit in Las Vegas.

Ed Skompski, Sue Sinclair, Dennis Manley, and Tommy Garnett share the heart-wrenching experience of a natural disaster and what they learned in responding to the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri in 2011.

This 20-minute video is Part 2 of 3.
View Part 1 here.

(Can’t see the video? Refresh your page.)

Are you interested in attending our 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit?

Click here for more information.

As you prepare for the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, enjoy this session from last year’s Summit in Las Vegas.

Ed Skompski, Sue Sinclair, Dennis Manley, and Tommy Garnett share the heart-wrenching experience of a natural disaster and what they learned in responding to the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri in 2011.

This 26-minute video is Part 1 of 3.

(Can’t see the video? Refresh your page.)

Are you interested in attending our 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit?

Click here for more information.

Dr. Beverly Chiodo has confirmed to return as a presenter at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit, March 18 – 23, 2013 in Gatlinburg, Tennessee to inspire us all to Character Driven Success.

Learn how to:

* Motivate people to respond nobly to life’s challenges.
* Express specific ways others have benefited your life and the life of your organization.
* Discover the secret of “going the second mile.”
* Create an environment which builds rapport and team spirit.

The purpose of Dr. Chiodo’s presentation is to enlarge your understanding of what makes communication powerful and effective.  She will challenge you with a new perspective on how to motivate others to excellence.

Dr. Chiodo will also be sharing how to Change Behavior by Praising the 49 Character Traits during her best practice session on the Human Performance & Behavior Change track.  Be sure to register your seat for this popular session because it is always a sell-out.

Dr. Chiodo is a professor in the Department of Management at Texas State University.  She is known by her students as the “Doctor of Encouragement.”

Dr. Jerry Supple, former President of Texas State, said she has won every teaching award the university offers, and she’s been recognized for her teaching effectiveness at the state and national levels as well.

In 1996, she was featured as “Hero of the Day” by CBS national TV program — This Morning. In 1997, Beverly was named “The Best Business Professor in the Nation” by the National Business Education Association.

She earned her BBA degree from Baylor University, her MBA from Texas Tech, and her Ph.D. from Texas A&M.

Dr. Chiodo says that her teaching philosophy can be summed up in the proverb which says, “A wise teacher makes learning a joy.”  As you participate, laugh, and refine your ability to speak and write, you will learn to influence and motivate others.  Your life will be changed as Dr. Chiodo teaches you how to empower others.

Join us at the premier conference for advanced root cause analysis, the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit.

We are pleased to announce that Carl Dixon has confirmed as a keynote speaker for the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, March 18-22, 2013.

Carl Dixon is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter. More than that, he is an entertainer who has performed for audiences around the world for many years. A presence on stage, screen, radio and print (and now the internet), which he’s maintained for over three decades has created a following of people who care about the man and his music.

The career of the good-natured native of Northern Ontario includes his beginnings as lead singer/songwriter of Coney Hatch, lead singer of the Guess Who for eight years, and member of April Wine for four years. A run of album releases with all the above-named bands and his solo work, along with concert appearances around the globe, has made Carl internationally known. Musically these days Carl either performs a solo acoustic show or tours with his Carl Dixon Band. Speaking appearances are his latest passion, a chance to share his thoughts and experiences in a direct connection to an audience.

In April 2008 Carl’s career path was disrupted by a catastrophic car accident in Australia. This left him in coma with terrible injuries and a poor prognosis from the trauma doctors. To general amazement Carl pushed himself toward recovery with a “No weakness, no fear” motto. He overcame the adversity and eventually made a full return to performance and life. This experience and the lessons gained through it form a large component of Carl’s speaking presentation.

In 2012 his book Strange Way to Live is being published, an account of Carl’s experiences and impressions of his life and musical adventures to date.  The book details the path which led Carl to here and the factors which helped him overcome the accidents’ effects.

Residing in the forests and hills of Haliburton, Ontario, “Lucky Dog” Carl has a charmed life with his wife and two daughters.

Carl will be our keynote speaker on Wednesday, March 20, and will be joining us at the Summit reception at the end of the day to talk with us and play some select music.

Mark your calendar for Global TapRooT® Summit week, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, March 18-22, 2013.

Related post: Bill Rancic Confirms as Keynote Speaker at the 2013 Global TapRooT® Summit. (Read post)

Global TapRooT® Summit week is planned for March 18-22, 2013 in foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, Gatlinburg, Tennessee.

We are pleased to announce that Bill Rancic has confirmed as our keynote speaker, and is scheduled to speak on Friday, March 22, 2013.

Bill Rancic is an American entrepreneur who was the first candidate hired by The Trump Organization at the conclusion of the first season of Donald Trump’s reality television show, “The Apprentice.”  He continues his commitment to entrepreneurship throughout the country. Today, he is building businesses, seizing opportunities and sharing his views on how to succeed.

Bill is the author of the New York Times best-selling book, “You’re Hired: How to Succeed in Business and Life,” and is a host on “America Now.”

Mark your calendar for the Global TapRooT® Summit March 18-22, 2013.

This week is our third and final installment of Mark Paradies’ Summit talk on process safety in the Nuclear Navy.

In this 35-minute clip, you’ll learn how Admiral Rickover’s process safety standards compare to OSHA and CCPS standards, and what that means for your safety program.

Click here for Part 1.

Click here for Part 2.

Note: We are trying a new video hosting service. Please let us know in the comments if you have trouble viewing this.

Next week, we’ll begin our 13-week series sharing best practices from users like you at our 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit.
You won’t want to miss these innovative tips!

Last week, we shared Part 1 of Mark Paradies’ Summit talk on Process Safety.

Click here for Part 1.

He shared some of his experience in the Nuclear Navy and discussed the fact that large accidents like Deepwater Horizon could be prevented by following important process safety regulations.

This week, in Part 2, Mark discusses Admiral Rickover’s process safety principles and why they matter to your process safety improvement.

Come back next week for the third and final part of this series!

Update: Click here for Part 3.