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32 Days and Counting Until the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit Being Held at the center of the Las Vegas Strip

January 27th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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That’s a picture of the front of the hotel above and a map from Google Maps below (Hotel is marked with an A).

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It’s a great place to hold the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit and we have great hotel rates ($109 per night).

Here’s what Mark and Barb have to say about the location …

Get more info at:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=travel

Summit Attendance Passes Old Record

January 27th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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With a month to go, sign-ups for the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit have passed the old record of 259.

What does that mean?

Great networking with some of the industries smartest safety, quality, and performance improvement professionals.

If you haven’r registered for the Summit, There’s still time. See:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

201201271057

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Rocket Barge Hits Bridge in Kentucky

January 27th, 2012 by Ken Reed

The Delta Mariner struck the Eggner Ferry Bridge in southwest Kentucky, knocking down 2 spans of the bridge.  Motorists almost didn’t notice the missing spans as they came up to it in the dark.
     Link

The barge is designed to carry Delta 4 and Atlas V rocket stages from the assembly plant in Decatur, Alabama.  No word if there were any rocket components on board.

A later report indicates that the barge took the wrong channel.  It apparently attempted to use the recreational channel (for small private boats), instead of using the main navigational channel. 
     Link

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Friday Joke by Steve Jobs

January 27th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Steve Jobs quoting Gil Amelio when Gil was in charge of Apple …

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Countdown Continues – 33 Days Until the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit – What Will Be Your Favorite Session?

January 26th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Often people participating in the TapRooT® Summit THINK they know what will be their favorite session, but are surprised when one of the sessions they attend BLOWS THEIR SOCKS OFF.

For example, all of the Keynote Speakers (CLICK HERE to review them) have the potential to be the best talk at the Summit.

But there are some Best Practice Session presenters who also have the potential to be your favorite session. Here are just a few of the ones that I’m looking forward to …

Lori Reineke-Avant and Eric Cropp   Images Lori-Headshot-1   Images Ericcropp-1

They will discuss their personal experience being prosecuted for an accident.

Linda Unger and Michele Lindsay          P1000243 3 2-1   Images 7206Michelepic-1

One of the most highly praised sessions at past Summits has been the “TapRooT® Users Share Root Cause Best Practices” session facilitated by Linda and Michele.

Richard Mesker                                                           Images 3112Meskerpic-1

Richard gives interesting, interactive talks. What I’ve heard about his “Risk Management and Safety: Safety Third” session leads me to believe it will surprise you.

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Dave Munro, Jade Washmon, Jim Thatcher and Pat Fortune (not pictured) will discuss what it takes to develop and maintain great investigators.

William Sirois from Circadian Technologies                   Images 3764Bill-Sirois-1

I always like Bill’s talks about fatigue and he has two at the Summit that you should consider attending. The first is about a new federal requirement for airlines – developing a fatigue risk management plan. These plans really should be implemented everywhere that fatigue could be an issue.

Second, is “Using FACT to Measure & Analyze Fatigue (Both Reactive and Proactive)”. If you’ve ever wondered how you can prove that fatigue was an issue in an accident, Bill has the answer and will share it at the Summit.

- – -

Well, I said I’d share a few … so I better stop now. And I haven’t even mentioned the talks I’ll be presenting!

Make sure you attend the Summit so that you can learn all the valuable information that will help you take performance at your facility to the next level.

See all the Summit sessions at:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=schedule

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TapRooT® Summit Trivia

January 26th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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The previous Summit with the most participants was held in Las Vegas.

What year was it held there?

How many people participated?

Leave you answers as a comment here.

The 2012 Global TapRoot® Summit is coming up shortly – February 27 – March 2.

Register now to help us beat the previous record attendance. See:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

Time for Equifactor®? Maybe Past Time!

January 25th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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Here the text that came with the picture ,,, don’t know if it is true …

Here are some photos of what happens when bearings overheat
in the transmissions of these monster windmills.

To date no gear oil  has been invented to withstand the pressures produced within these transmissions.

Most recently, the government gave Dow-Corning a big  grant to work on it.

Previously, many others had tried and failed.

As they age there will be many  more bearing failures.

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Hard to believe that every wind turbine will fail due to inadequate gear lubrication.

I had heard that many wind turbines are not getting proper maintenance.

Wonder what Equifactor® has to say about this?

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Interesting Article: “Tipping Point: Cruise Ships Set Sail Close to the Edge”

January 25th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Are we building a fleet of “Titanics”?

Here’s an article in Risk and Insurance to read if you are interested…

http://www.riskandinsurance.com/story.jsp?storyId=533344672

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Just 34 Days Until the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit. What kind of people will be there?

January 25th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

With just 34 days until the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit, some people already planning on participating may be wondering …

What kind of people will I be networking with?

I like Wayne’s quote from the following video:

“… the most highly skilled safety professionals in industry.”

Summit08 Networking-1
(.wmv format – click to play)

We aren’t quite ready to send out the attendance list (you will get it the first day of the Summit), but we do know the types of people that participated in previous Summits …

Sample list of companies:

  • Alaska Airlines
  • Alcoa
  • Ameren
  • Ashland
  • Barrick
  • Bayer
  • Bell South
  • Boart Longyear
  • BUMED
  • Cameco
  • Champion Technologies
  • Chevron
  • Christus Health
  • Ciba Vison
  • CNSC
  • Cogentrix
  • ConocoPhillips
  • Continental Airlines
  • EnCana
  • ENSCO
  • EPA
  • Exelon
  • ExxonMobil
  • FAA
  • First Energy
  • Flint Hills Refining
  • Fluor
  • GE
  • General Dynamics
  • Genetech
  • Good Samaritan Hospital
  • Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority
  • Halliburton
  • Hess
  • Hydro One
  • Integris Health
  • Intel
  • Irving Oil
  • Jackson County Memorial Hospital
  • KBR
  • Marathon Oil
  • MI-SWACO
  • Military Healthcare System
  • Monsanto
  • MSHA
  • Norsk Hydro
  • Novartis
  • NRC
  • NTSB
  • ORNL
  • OSHA
  • OXY
  • PCS
  • Petro-Canada
  • Petrobras
  • Pfizer
  • Potash
  • Pracxair
  • Pratt & Whitney
  • Qantus
  • Rhom & Haas
  • Rio Tinto
  • Rust-Oleum
  • Sandia National Labs
  • Sasol
  • Savanah River
  • Southern California Edison
  • Southwest Airlines
  • Saudi Aramco
  • Shell
  • SKF
  • Total
  • TN OSHA
  • TVA
  • United Technologies
  • Wakenhut
  • Westar
  • Willbros

What countries did they come from? Here’s a sample …

  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Columbia
  • Denmark
  • France
  • Germany
  • Indonesia
  • Kenya
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Nigeria
  • Norway
  • Qatar
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Singapore
  • South Africa
  • South Korea
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • The Netherlands
  • Trinidad
  • UK
  • USA

What type of job titles? Here’s a sample …

  • Aviation Maintenance Manager
  • Aviation Safety Manager
  • Captain (maritime)
  • COO
  • Construction Safety Manager
  • Corporate Counsel
  • Director of HSE
  • Director of Nuclear Safety and Licensing
  • Doctor (MD)
  • EHS Specialist
  • Healthcare Quality Specialist
  • Human Performance Specialist
  • Industrial Health & Safety Manager
  • Investigator
  • Maintenance Manager
  • Maintenance Technician
  • Manager of Engineering
  • Manager of Safety
  • Mine Safety Manager
  • Network Reliability Engineer
  • Network Security Engineer
  • Nuclear Safety Engineer
  • Operations Manager
  • Operator
  • Patient Safety Manager
  • Patient Safety Representative
  • Process Safety Engineer
  • Process Safety Manager
  • QC Engineer
  • Quality Auditor
  • Quality Director
  • Quality Engineer
  • Refinery Safety Manager
  • Reliability Engineer
  • Risk Manager
  • Safety Committee Representative
  • Safety Manager
  • Security Manager
  • Tool Pusher
  • Trending Technician
  • Vice President, QSHE
  • Vice President, Risk Management and Patient Safety
  • Vice President, Safety, Health and Environment

This mixture of participants makes for great networking within industries/disciplines and across industries/disciplines.

Don’t miss this great chance to learn by networking with improvement professionals from around the world. If you have not registered already, register by going to:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

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Great Human Factors: Prescription Windscreens for Cars?

January 25th, 2012 by Chris Vallee

Is the Human Factors Design at it’s best or worst?

However often would you need to change the windshield?

What if you wanted someone else to drive the car?

Should passengers be able to see out the windshield too?

Job Opening: Saint Helens, OR – Kelly (Contract) – Mechanical Engineer – Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills

January 25th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.logjobs.com/job.aspx?File_Name=60615

Job Opening: Canada – Brigus Gold – Maintenance Manager/Superintendent – Will Participate in Incident Investigations and Root Cause Analysis

January 25th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.miscojobs.com/jobs/job_536441.htm

Root Cause Analysis Tips – It all starts with a good SnapCharT®

January 25th, 2012 by Dave Janney

It is almost here – the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit.

As you have probably heard, on the two days before the summit we have special pre-summit courses we only teach publicly at the summit (we can do any of them onsite).  The course I teach is called the Advanced TapRooT® techniques course.  In this course we cover best practices for each of the steps of our seven step process.  A big focus of the course is identifying causal factors, and I will give you some insight into some of that in the root cause tips on February 15.  Today I wanted to talk about something from the course that is extremely important.  Take a look at this analogy:   

Have you ever wondered why sometimes you do an investigation, things get better, but there are still some of the same problems present – maybe they are not as frequent or serious, but they still occur.  Why is that?  A great deal of the time, I would say because you found some of the causal factors and their root causes, but you may have missed one.  In order to make sure problems do not reoccur, you have to find ALL of the causal factors, and therefore, all of the root causes.  And it all starts with a good SnapCharT®.  You see, it is much easier to find the causal factors if your chart is very clear, is not missing important details, and is well worded.  Most of the time you spend in your investigation should be on this front end of the process – the investment in collecting good information and assembling it on your chart will make finding the causal factors easier, and taking them through the Root Cause Tree® faster.

Hopefully this discussion helps.  If you want to hear more, consider joining us in Las Vegas for the course.  And stay for the summit.

Thanks for visiting the blog and happy investigating.

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2012 Global TapRooT® Summit: Shows at the Flamingo Hotel

January 25th, 2012 by Megan Craig

Don’t have time to go out at night and see a fun Vegas show during our 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit? Don’t worry; we’re staying at the Flamingo Hotel, which offers you fun, music, and a whole lot of laughs without having to leave the building! Take a look at these shows and their descriptions, all located at the Flamingo Las Vegas!

DIRK ARTHUR

O’Sheas Theatre

Price $22.95, $33.95

7:30 PM

Dirk Arthur’s high-energy Wild Magic show combines comedy, dance, magic, and large uncaged exotic cats at 10-40 feet away.

DONNY & MARIE IN LAS VEGAS AT THE FLAMINGO

The Flamingo Showroom

Price $260; $125; $109; $95 (plus taxes and fees)

7:30 PM

Donny and Marie Osmond rock this 90-minute show with their greatest hits and a multimedia production.

GEORGE WALLACE LIVE AT THE FLAMINGO LAS VEGAS

The Flamingo Showroom

Price $49.95 plus tax & fees

10:00 PM

Wallace is the winner out of 150 competitors of the stand-up comedy TV special “The Big Laugh-Off,” reading audiences like a book and cracking them up with his humor drawn from everyday life.

NATHAN BURTON

The Flamingo Showroom

Price $34.00 General Admission, $44.00 VIP + taxes/fees

4:00 PM

Relax after the Summit on Friday afternoon with Burton’s fast-paced comedy and magic show.

VINNIE FAVORITO

Bugsy’s Cabaret

Price $54.95 + tax/fees; VIP seating: $64.95 + tax/fees

8:00 PM

Vinnie Favorito is an infamous “roaster”with no pre-planned skits or notes. He wins audiences over with his off-the-cuff quips and hilarious digs on his audience members.

“…your jaw aches from laughter…your side hurts…devastatingly funny!” Jerry Fink, Las Vegas Sun

“Rickles with venom” Milton Berle Best Comedian in Las Vegas – Guest Pick, Las Vegas Review Journal

Photos courtesy of Flamingo Las Vegas.

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PowerPoint of Pictures of the Costa Concordia

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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Click on the .ppt file below to download.

COSTA_CONCORDIA.ppt

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35 Days Until the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit! Here’s Info About the Reception…

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

The Wednesday Night Summit Reception will be on the second and third floors of Margaretaville at the Flamingo.

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(2nd Floor)

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(3rd Floor overlooking the strip)

Judy, one of the planners of this event, gives her recommendation in this You Tube video…

Get more Summit info at:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

It will start just after the last Keynote speaker on Wednesday. If you would like, you can bring your spouse or significant other.

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Job Opening: Western Australia – Barrick – Underground Fitter – Will Perform Equipment Troubleshooting and TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.miscojobs.com/jobs/job_536138.htm

How Far Away is Death?

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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Job Opening: High Point, NC – Valspar – Health, Safety, and Environmental Manager – Needs TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Skills

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://tbe.taleo.net/NA4/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=VALSPAR&cws=1&rid=279

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Investigation of Fatal Elavator Accident in New York Continues – Maintenance Work May Be the “Cause”

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

The New York Times reported that Robert LiMandri, the Commissioner of the Buildings Department in New York City, said:

We know that there was work being done right before the unfortunate event, and we do believe that is a contributing cause, or the cause.

He also said:

We know for sure that those events directly before this unfortunate accident clearly are part of our investigation.

Suzanne Hart was killed while when the elevator suddenly shot upwards as she boarded.

The story also says that the about 60,000 elevators in New York produced 53 accident in the previous year.

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Did Costa Management Fail to Learn from a Previous Collision?

January 24th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

The Sun reported that damage to the Costa Fortuna, previously blamed  on a collision with a whale, may have been caused by the vessel hitting rocks (running aground) in May of 2005 near Sorrento, Italy.

See the article here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4081095/Costa-Concordia-bosses-blamed-previous-accident-of-Costa-Fortuna-in-2005-on-crash-with-whale.html

I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a major accident with fatalities that didn’t have a previous incident that could have been investigated, learned from, and thereby prevent the follow on accident IF they had applied advanced root cause analysis and implemented SMARTER corrective actions.

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Weekly Wisdom for Accident Investigation

January 24th, 2012 by Barb

Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others. – Jonathan Winters

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Monday Motivation: No Excuse Motivation

January 23rd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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Job Opening: Hunter Valley, Australia – Anglo American – Reliability Engineer – Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills

January 23rd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.miscojobs.com/jobs/job_535736.htm

Monday Accident & Lessons Learned: Mistakes at TVA Reactors Results in Safety Stand Down

January 23rd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Ah, the ever popular safety stand down. If people make mistakes, it must be time to have one.

See the story in the Atlanta Business Journal at this link:

http://www.ajc.com/business/mistakes-idle-workers-at-1310276.html

The article says:

A TVA spokeswoman told the Chattanooga Times Free Press that the construction ‘stand down’ ordered to start at noon Wednesday was to continue ‘until the errors discovered are clearly communicated to all personnel.’”

Will communicating the “errors” really improve performance?

A TVA spokesperson said:

TVA had not yet determined if the mistakes were due to carelessness but a ‘root cause analysis’ was being conducted.

Carelessness as a potential “cause”?

TVA’s top executive, Tom Kilgore, said:

When workers return to the site on Monday, they will join foremen and supervisors to review an error that occurred in December that had the potential for fatal consequences and that was identified earlier this week at Watts Bar Unit 2. Also to be reviewed is a second incident that occurred this week which could have resulted in a severe injury or worse if it had happened under slightly different circumstances.

That tool box safety meeting shouldn’t take too long. From the report, they don’t know the root causes yet. All they seem to know is that two mistakes were made. I guess “foremen and supervisors” will just tell employees to “be more careful” and not to make errors. Then everything will be OK.

After that, employees will be willing to cooperate in an open and revealing root cause analysis. Especially when they know that management is looking for those who may have been careless.

We all know that the best way to keep people from being careless is to fire those who are found to be careless. If you fire careless people frequently, everyone will be happy and careful!

Another quote from the article:

Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region 2 spokesman Roger Hannah said Friday that such work stoppages at nuclear plants are ‘not uncommon’ and probably occur every two or three years. Hannah said they are ‘not exclusive to the nuclear industry.’

Wonder why they need a stand down every two or three years if they have an effective performance improvement program? I guess people need to be reminded to be more careful every two or three years.

Maybe we should just schedule these stand downs in advance? We could call it  human performance preventive maintenance. Every two years we would give people a day off to think about being more careful and “Presto!” … no more human errors.

Or even better! Rate people on their potential for carelessness on a scale from 1 to 10. Then every year fire the worst 10%-20% of the careless employees! 

Do these actions sound like the Deming Red Bead Experiment to anyone? If you don’t know what the Red Bead Experiment is, see the following videos…

Now read these quotes:

NRC’s “…Hannah declined to speculate about any possible penalty for TVA. He said TVA would assess both nuclear safety and workplace safety issues.

And …

The problems were discovered in routine TVA inspections and follow heightened NRC scrutiny on other TVA nuclear plants.

Ahhh… now we are getting to the “root cause” of the stand downs.

It will look like management is doing something.

Management would hate to look like they are doing nothing.

A stand down makes them look like they are doing something. 

The more people stand down, the more dramatic the effect.

Thus, a stand down may keep the NRC from descending upon a nuclear utility.

If NRC management starts to believe that TVA has multiple troubled plants with multiple reasons for concern about human performance and human reliability, that could result in a special inspection. A special inspection is bad. When multiple regulators descend upon a nuclear utility, they always find things that need to be improved. If too many areas need improvement, the NRC could order reactors shut down until the “culture” is changed.

An NRC ordered shut down is bad news for the utility. “Changing the culture” can take years, cost millions of dollars, and result in many managers being fired. That’s much worse than the impact of a simple stand down for a few days. Thus, a stand down is a cost-effective way to keep the NRC happy – at least for a while – even if the stand down has no lasting impact on human performance.

Is there a better approach?

How about honest recognition of mistakes big and small? Once the mistake is recognized,  management could require a thorough, effective, advanced root cause analysis of any problem that could result in significant impact on plant safety, personnel safety, radiation exposure, environmental performance, or plant performance. Management could then insist upon the development and implementation of effective (SMARTER) corrective actions. Part of those corrective action could include effective communications about what happened and why it happened (the real root causes) to all employees that are impacted by the issue or the corrective actions.

What if you really want to stop having stand downs (and the incidents that cause management to call for stand downs)?

Management needs stop being REACTIVE by being PROACTIVE.

Management needs to shift from reactive root cause analysis to advanced PROACTIVE root cause analysis and stop problems before incidents happen. (We teach how to do this in our 5-Day TapRooT® Course.)

I’d recommend that TVA stop blaming workers (calling them careless) and start finding and fixes the real root causes of problems. Rather than a show stand down for the NRC, use effective advanced root cause analysis – both reactively and proactively – to improve performance and avoid issues that require stand downs every few years.

Show stand downs haven’t resulted in improved performance in the Nuclear Navy or the nuclear power industry (as evidence by the fact that they are repeated over and over again) and they should not be accepted by the NRC as effective management action. Rather, knee-jerk use of a stand down should be seen as a sign of weak management. Management that does not know how to improve human performance.

Avoid this scenario at your facility. Make sure that your management understands how to use advanced root cause analysis both reactively and proactively. Get your advanced root cause analysis program effectively implemented and then continue to improve it every year. And this advice is not just for nuclear utilities. Rather, it applies to every industry where mistakes may cause major accidents – oil, refining, chemical plants, aviation, railroads, shipping, pipelines, pharmaceutical manufacturers, mining, hospitals, …

Where can you learn best practices to continuously improve root cause analysis and human performance? Start at the 2012 Global TapRoot® Summit in Las Vegas on February 29 – March 2. See the schedule for all nine Summit Tracks at:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=schedule

Don’t wait to register. The Summit is only a month away. Get registered today.

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Just 36 Days Until the only GUARANTEED Conference – The 2012 GLOBAL TapRooT® SUMMIT

January 23rd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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If you haven’t attended the GUARANTEED TapRooT® Summit, maybe 2012 is the year to give it a try?

For information and registration, see:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

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Job Opening: Various Locations, USA – Rio Tinto – Asset Management/Reliability Engineers, Maintenance/Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance Mgt, Planner/Schedulers – Need TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Skills

January 22nd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.miscojobs.com/jobs/job_535638.htm

Job Opening: Ann Arbor, MI – Coal Power Plant – Technical Manager – Significant Root Cause Analysis Experience Required

January 22nd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://jobview.local-jobs.monster.com/Technical-Manager-Coal-Power-Plant-Root-Cause-Analysis-Reduced-Emissions-Job-Ann-Arbor-MI-US-105863097.aspx?ch=carbondale

Job Openings for People with TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Skills

January 22nd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Process Safety Management (PSM) Specialist – Denver, CO – Chemical Industry

I&E Reliability Engineer – Ames, IA – Flint Hills Resources, LP

Fixed Equipment Reliability Engineer – Ames, IA – Flint Hills Resources, LP

Eric Crop to Speak About Criminal Prosecution of an Error at the 2012 TapRooT® Summit

January 22nd, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Anybody can make a mistake. Few of us (so far) go to jail for making one.

Eric Cropp made a mistake when reviewing a technician’s work. He didn’t catch the technician’s mistake. He was convicted of breaking a state law and went to jail for that mistake.

See the links below and then attend the TapRooT® Summit to hear Eric Cropp talk about his experience.

Eric Cropp Sentenced

Pharmacist Gets Six Months in Prison for Fatal Prescription Error

CNN Reports on Eric Cropp in Jail

Interesting Blog Post About Eric Cropp’s Mistake and Criminal Punishment

Monday Accident & Lessons Learned: Interesting Blog Post About the Eric Cropp’s Prison Time for a Medical Mistake

Job Opening: South Africa – Rio Tinto – Smelting Plants Engineer – Needs TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis Skills

January 21st, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.miscojobs.com/jobs/job_535487.htm

What is Your Favorite Post on the Root Cause Analysis Blog?

January 20th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

Copy the web address and leave it here as a comment…

On-Site TapRooT® / Equifactor® Root Cause Analysis Course in Bogotá, Colombia

January 20th, 2012 by Ken Reed

ARP Colpatria hosted a 3-Day TapRooT® and Equifactor® Root Cause Analysis and Equipment Troubleshooting course this week.  They had a great class with lots of learning, with some fun thrown in for good measure.

Here’s some creative solutions during the Marble Drop game:

Looks like a full class!

Job Opening: Gulf of Mexico, USA – Parker Drilling – Safety and Training Supervisor – Needs TapRooT® Training

January 20th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://tbe.taleo.net/NA8/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=PDC&cws=8&rid=1094

Career Development: How to “Play” Attention

January 20th, 2012 by Barb

At a recent training, I was curious as to why there were a dozen colorful “fidget” toys strewn around the tables.  To me, they seemed like a distraction.  Later I learned that people focus better and absorb information faster if they have something to do with their hands.

If you are having a hard time focusing on a task at work, fidgeting with a desk toy may provide stimulation your mind is craving, calming your brain and helping you get the task finished.

Stress balls may also ease office stress.  The simple process of acute muscle tension and relaxation as you squeeze and release the ball flushes out muscle tension and, thus, helps you feel calmer.

According to Stressfocus.com:

There is stimulation of nerves in the hands. These nerves carry the signal to different areas in brain especially the limbic area which is linked with emotions. This mechanism is similar to the popular Chinese method of ‘Acu pressure’ for treating health problems. Moreover stimulation of brain also results in the production of endorphins which act as natural pain relievers and as sedatives.

Fidget toys may also be used to help when creative solutions are needed.  Office brainstorming sessions are typically very “left-brained” and creative solutions require using the whole brain and the whole person … so fidgeting with desk toys can invite the creative right brain into the solution.

You may notice you tap your finger, shuffle paperwork or doodle when you are talking on the phone at work or are in a meeting.  A fidget toy provides the same relief and may be less distracting to others.

Not all fidget toys work the same for all people.  People who enjoy tactile input will prefer a bumpy fidget, while others will prefer a smooth stress ball they can squeeze.   If you decide to try it, you may need to try various types to see which helps you play attention the best.

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Friday Joke: Would an Idiot Do That?

January 20th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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39 Days Until the 2012 GLOBAL TapRooT® Summit! Register for the Charity Golf Tournament…

January 20th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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Today’s Summit topic is GOLF.

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Have you registered for the 2012 TapRooT® Summit Charity Golf Tournament?

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Need to know more about it? Go to this link for more info and to register:

http://www.taproot.com/summit.php?t=golf

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2012 Global TapRooT® Summit is Just 40 DAYS AWAY!

January 19th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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For more info, CLICK HERE!

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Job Opening: Lorain, OH – Placement Service – Maintenance Process Engineer – Needs to Perform Root Cause Analysis

January 19th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.logjobs.com/job.aspx?File_Name=59797

Job Opening: Perth, Australia – Randstad, Business Support, Hobart – Reliability Lead Consultant – Needs Root Cause Analysis Experience

January 19th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

See:

http://www.randstad.com.au/jobseekers/job-details?t=reliability+lead+consultant&jl=perth&l2=28269&j=4488205&ct2=13&portalid=80&WT.rss_f=Randstad+Job+feed&WT.rss_a=Reliability+Lead+Consultant+-+Perth&WT.rss_ev=a

Great Human Factors: Wrong Tools, Bad Access by Design, Per “Ingenuity” or All of the Above?

January 19th, 2012 by Chris Vallee

 

As an ex-aircraft mechanic and a “sometimes gotta work on my own car” mechanic, I have in the past borrowed or made some of the tools pictured below. The questions remain:

Wrong Tool?

Bad Access by Design?

Mechanic’s Ingenuity?

Or a little bit of them all?

Finally, ever have one of your modified tools bite you back?  Share your stories in the comment section.

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TapRooT® Summit Trivia

January 19th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

The TapRooT® Summit has been held in these cities multiple times:

  • Gatlinburg – 4 (1994, 2000, 2002, 2006)
  • San Antonio – 3 (1997, 2005, 2007)
  • Dallas – 2 (1998, 2003)
  • Nashville – 2 (1996, 2009)

What three cities have only hosted the Summit once (not counting 2012)?

  • 1995 -
  • 2001 -
  • 2008 -

Here are some hints…

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To register for the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit being held in Las Vegas. CLICK HERE!

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Bad Day for the Captain on the Bridge

January 18th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

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Remind you of anything?

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Root Cause Tip: Sources of Root Cause Analysis Failure – A Paper By Mark Paradies

January 18th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

I wrote this paper for the for the BARQA Journal and they are nice enough to let me republish it here. Click on the pdf below to see the whole article.

Mark Paradies Article Quasar 118-3

The article is written for people interested in root cause analysis to improve pharmaceutical quality, but the problems discussed are common to all industries and apply to those looking to improve safety, operation, maintenance, process safety, and quality.

Sources of Root Cause Analysis Failures by Mark Paradies is published by:

Quasar (Members Magazine of BARQA, British Association of Research Quality Assurance) No. 118 Pages 7 – 10, Jan 2012.

Used by Permission.

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41 Days Until the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit – Will You be There?

January 18th, 2012 by Mark Paradies

41 days is enough time to get approval, register, and make travel plans to attend the 2012 Global TapRooT® Summit (February 29 – March 2 in Las Vegas).

But you have to get started NOW!

Visit the Summit Web Site to get registered.

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