Root Cause Analysis Blog

In my second and last testimonial for the week, here is ConocoPhillips’ own Mike Rodriguez talking about how he enjoys the summit and what he gets out of it:

So until next week, enjoy the videos!

Hello again everybody! Today I’m bringing you some Summit Testimonials. The first up is Mark Cade, an industry consultant on what he liked best about the summit:

Associate Manager EH&S (three positions available)

Location: Thousand Oaks , CA / Cambridge , MA

Job ID: amge-00021913 ( Thousand Oaks ), amge-00021810 ( Thousand Oaks), or amge-00020919 ( Cambridge )

The Associate Manager EH&S works with the Corporate EH&S team and Amgen senior and mid-level management to provide independent, objective EH&S assurance and consulting services designed to add value and improve the operations of the Company. Assists to effectively plan, coordinate, and conduct periodic EH&S audits of in accordance with approved annual audit plans. Will act in the role of an EH&S audit team member, team leader and perform environmental, health and safety audits independently. Will be required to manage EH&S audit contractors.

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San Antonio offers the world to its visitors . . . and TapRooT® Training in October is a perfect excuse to be one!

If you appreciate culture and history, San Antonio’s Market Square is an ideal representation of preserving the City’s Spanish and Mexican culture for present and future generations. And who can think of San Antonio without thinking of The Alamo? A visit to The Alamo’s Shrine and Long Barrack Museum will also introduce you to the rich heritage of the City.

Just around the corner from The Alamo is the Rivercenter Mall (located on San Antonio’s famous River Walk). The Mall offers 125 stores, dining and entertainment. Register for a free membership in the Concierge Club and receive a free gift plus special values. (Visit The Shops at LaCantera and North Star Mall for other upscale shopping experiences!) While you are at the Rivercenter Mall, you can purchase tickets for a boat tour (provided by Rio San Antonio Cruises) or you may choose to enjoy the natural beauty of the “Paseo del Rio” (Walk of the River) by foot.

You may also want to visit The King William Historic District which covers a 25 square block area and is Texas’ first Historic Neighborhood District. In the King William area you’ll find the Blue Star Arts Complex, a unique group of contemporary and non-traditional art studios and galleries.

You will be delighted at your choices of restaurants. Chuys, Biga on the Banks, EZ’s Brick Oven and Grill and, for Texas-sized portions, Lulu’s Bakery & Cafe are just a few recommended to me by a friend and local resident.

Arrive in San Antonio a day or two early, and you’ll have time to spend at your choice of several popular tourist attractions including:

SeaWorld San Antonio,

Six Flags Fiesta Texas, and the

San Antonio Zoo

And don’t leave the Alamo City without a final spectacular view from the 750-foot high deck of The Tower of the Americas.

Stay tuned . . .the 2007 TapRooT® Summit will also be held in San Antonio, and I’ve got some wonderful travel ideas to share with you about this exciting event in my upcoming posts.

A link to video and pictures: http://www.chill3d.f2s.com/

Another site with good pictures: http://www.buncefield-oil-fire-hemel-hempstead.wingedfeet.co.uk/

CCTV footage:

http://buncefield.chill.net/yabbfiles/Attachments/cam09_20051211055927.mpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/portal/main.jhtml?xml=/portal/2005/12/17/nfire17.xml

Do you remember the press coverage of an explosion and fire in England just before Christmas of 2005? Smoke could be seen from space.

The UK Government is performing the official investigation of the explosion and fire at the Buncefield petroleum terminal. Below are some links of interest to the official investigation web site:

A safety alert of interest to those who have tank farms with flammable liquids:

http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/alerts/sa0106.htm

The latest investigation update:

http://www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk/press/b06004.htm

All the press releases about the investigation:

http://www.buncefieldinvestigation.gov.uk/press/index.htm

Here is the Buncefield Explosion forum:

http://www.buncefield.com/

Now what are the lessons learned?

Read the investigation update and see what you think. Make a comment here.

What a beautiful car!

To see the rest of the story, click below.

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Thought that this might interest some…

Ergonomics Program Lead

The Environment, Health & Safety (EH&S) Division of LBNL has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Ergonomics Program Lead. This position offers the challenge and opportunity to: 1) Build and maintain an effective ergonomics intervention program that focuses prevention efforts on ergonomic hazards and controls within various LBNL environments, 2) Provide technical leadership for program staff in addition to other ergonomics professionals, technicians, volunteers, and safety committee members. The Ergonomics Program Lead will work under consultative direction of the Occupational Safety Group Leader and is responsible for program development, field services, data management, program evaluation, awareness and communication, training, and reporting activities. Learn more about the EH&S Division and its work at http://www.lbl.gov/ehs/ .

http://jobs.lbl.gov/LBNLCareers/details.asp?jid=19211&p=1

Hope to hear from you!

Best,

Amy Pagsolingan

Hello everyone, welcome back to Tech Support Thursday! This week we’re tackling a question that’s been asked quite a bit over the past week:

Can you install TapRooT System Software Enterprise Edition on an SQL Server without installing the client program?

The answer lies within!

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More people give bad advice on root cause analysis than give good advice.

Performance improvement - the same story.

Do you need examples? Try this. Look up root cause analysis on Wikipedia (here’s a link).

On the day I looked at Wikipedia’s section on root cause analysis (Wikipedia changes constantly) the root cause tools mentioned included 5-Whys, Fish-Bone Diagrams, and Fault Tree Analysis. Just click on the links to see why I know these are poor root cause analysis tools.

This is the type of BAD root cause analysis and performance improvement advice I see all the time.

Even Six Sigma Black Belts think that 5-Why’s, Brainstorming, and Fish-Bone Diagrams are good root cause analysis tools.

Sometimes I get tired of explaining why these techniques have been used for so many years with such mediocre results.

But what else can I do?

I need to enlist the help of every reader.

Get out there and explain why these basic tools fail to produce good root cause analysis. Then explain what people need to do to find the real root causes of human performance problems and equipment failures.

If you don’t know the right answer, it’s time you attended a 5-Day TapRooT® Advanced Root Cause Analysis Course and found out how to use effective root cause analysis tools both reactively and proactively.

Help me spread the word - people are being injured, jobs are being lost, and customers are getting poor quality products because people don’t know how to find root causes and improve performance.

Three job openings in Tennessee for people with a safety background are listed below. Click on the continue link…

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Have a look at this site:

http://www.topix.net/us/osha

CNN recently published the Bureau of Labor Statistics data on fatalities in the workplace. What was the worst industry to work in? See this link:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/16/pf/2005_most_dangerous_jobs/index.htm

To see the BLS stats go to:

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf

and

http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0205.pdf

What are the lessons learned? There is definitely more chance of fatalities in some industries than others. What are the odds in your industry?

No matter the odds in your industry … even ONE fatality at your site is too many.

What are you doing to prevent fatalities?

Do you analyze the root causes of incidents and near-misses to remove hazards and improve safety at your site?

Do you have a proactive improvement program to stop accidents before they happen?

The following message is from the United States Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board, Washington D.C.

Chemical Safety Board Commends the Kentucky Office of Housing, Buildings, and Construction, Says New Combustible Dust Inspection Program ‘Exceeds Recommended Action’ from Investigation of Fatal 2003 Explosion

Washington, DC, August 16, 2006 - The U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) today formally commended the Kentucky Office of Housing, Buildings, and Construction (HBC) for exceeding the recommended action from the Board’s investigation of the fatal 2003 dust explosion at CTA Acoustics in Corbin, Kentucky.

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If your a pilot, you know it’s a bad day when…

Click on pictures to enlarge …

Click below for more …

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WHO IS USING TapRooT®???

It’s been a long time since I posted a list of companies that have either:

a) Licensed the TapRooT® System, or

b) Had on-site TapRooT® Training, or

c) Sent numerous people to our public TapRooT® Courses.

So I’d thought I’d put a partial list here. Click on the continue link below to see the list…

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I’ve been away for a few weeks, visiting our Aussie neighbors. Capability Resources, one of our new partners in Australia, sponsored a 3-Day Equifactor® course in Singleton, NSW, just a few hours north of Sydney. The course was a great success, and I had the opportunity to meet equipment operators from several different segments of the mining and drilling industries.

Amazingly enough, the southern hemisphere has many of the same attributes we see here in the north. Highly safety-oriented, hard-working people, with great attidudes (and cool regional accents!). Unfortunately, they also have many of the same problems: equipment operated beyond its intended design, people making honest mistakes while trying to do the “right” thing, poorly analyzed “root causes” of equipment failures, and “break and fix” repair strategies.

Equifactor® and TapRooT® are an excellent complement to the Australian mining industry. Their high-volume and high-tech mining operations demand highly reliable equipment operation, and Equifactor® is an obvious choice for their troubleshooting toolboxes.

Thanks to Greg, Peter, and Ross for a truly enjoyable trip. I look forward to working with them again in Singapore in November!

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Why is Manufacturing



Leaving the US?



And What Can Be Done To Stop the Trend

Many say the end of manufacturing in the US is the natural and inevitable result of a global economy. They say manufacturing, which is heavily labor dependent, will seek the cheapest labor.

But this is NOT the whole story. Most manufacturing is as capital dependent as it is labor dependent. And with more automation every day, labor costs are less of a factor than they once were. Instead, I propose that 3 other factors are just as important:

• The Cost of Expensive Regulations

• Too Little Investment in Improvement

• Equipment Unreliability

First, the US regulatory burden, especially unnecessarily expensive environmental regulations, are almost non-existent in third world countries.

Second, US manufacturers, in an attempt to cut costs, have failed to invest in problem solving technology like advanced root cause analysis. Thus problems that could have been solved to cut costs happen over & over again while manufacturers implement ineffective, wasteful fixes.

Third, the cost of unreliable equipment at facilities is an unrecognized source of expense that magnifies labor costs. If manufacturers had more reliable equipment, productivity would improve (people wouldn’t waste time waiting around for frequent repairs).

The solution for two of these problems isn’t difficult or expensive. The second and third problems can be solved by using TapRooT® and Equifactor®. Call Ken Reed at SI (865-539-2139) or e-mail him by using this web site.

I don’t have any inside information. I don’t know any more than is available in press reports 1), 2), and 3).

What do I know???

I know there is a lesson that all senior executives should learn.

And I know the pipeline leak is costing BP much more than they ever imagined.

Let’s look at some estimates of the cost…

The most obvious is the lost production. The hit to BP’s bottom line. If they loose 200,000 barrels of production (1/2 the field) for 20 days, that equals 4,000,000 barrels of oil that will not be sold. At a price of $70 per barrel, that is $280,000,000. That’s a sizable hit in a quarters earnings. But that is just the tip of the iceberg of costs.

Perhaps the biggest loss to BP is that this spill could provide the bad publicity that keeps drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from happening. If it is assumed that BP would lead that effort, an estimate of the loss is 1,000,000 barrels per day of production over a decade or more. A quick calculation …

1,000,000 barrels per day X 365 days per year X 10 years X $40 per barrel = $146 Billion.

But there is even a bigger loss to the US and world economy. The loss of the ANWR oil supply impacts the economy. Oil prices went up 3% on the news of a loss of production of 400,000 barrels per day. If the loss of 1,000,000 per day is figured into the price of oil, that’s a 7.5% increase in the price of oil over a 10 year period. I’m not an economist, but I can make an attempt estimating the impact on the average family…

If I assume $3 per gallon gas and the price is passed through to consumers, that’s a 22.5¢/gallon price increase over 10 years. If families in the US fill up twice a week at 15 gallons per fill up, that’s over $300 per year per family. That might sound small. But would BP reimburse all of us? All they would have to do is make a car payment once a year for every family in the US. Or maybe they should buy a new car for 10% of the families every year. I think that would make BP a bigger auto supplier than GM or Toyota. Got the idea … big impact!

Of course there is also a more personal side to this story. Within BP a big impact like this won’t go unnoticed. Somebody’s career - or maybe several careers - will be ruined.

And what about BP’s corporate reputation for protecting the environment? Didn’t they pay for a bunch of commercials about how environmentally friendly BP is? Kiss that PR champaign goodbye. I’ve already seen pictures of workers cleaning up oil from the pristine tundra. This probably won’t be as bad - PR wise - as Exxon’s Valdez oil spill (the North Slope is more remote and there aren’t very many cute animals), but it will be a big black eye.

So what should senior management (CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s, …) be learning?



Give me your opinions as comments by clicking on the comment link below…

What does a mine is Australia think about their TapRooT Training?

See this link to their Newsletter for more information (page 2 of the newsletter).

In California car parking is often tight. So the fully submersible mini-van was invented for those with a pool but no parking space.

Evan Erwin Receives Excellence Award for Web Site Contributions

You are able to read this blog because of Evan Erwin. It was his idea. I was doubtful at first, and he convinced me to give it a try. (And by the way, he was the new IT guy and I’m the company President.)

Ever since taking over IT responsibilities at System Improvements, Evan has pushed for:

• a better web site,

• a more useful web site,

• more content on the web site, and

• a more user friendly web site.

Evans ideas have improved the web site and helped many more people find out about the TapRooT® System.

I guess you could say that Evan is the ROOT CAUSE of this web site and the Root Cause Analysis Blog!

Today Evan was awarded System Improvements’ Excellence Award for his efforts and ideas.

Congratulations EVAN!

Hello everybody, welcome back to another week of Tech Support Thursday.

This week I’m going to be sharing with you some Top Secret Information: What Version 5 is looking like, our current progress, and an example screen where you would enter data.

To learn more, just keep reading.

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Ed Skompski has been promoted to Vice President of Software Development at System Improvements.

The promotion recognizes Ed’s continuing achievement making the TapRooT® Software the world’s leading root cause analysis, incident investigation, and proactive improvement software.

Ed will continue his duties managing a growing staff of developers and software support personnel that are starting the Beta testing of the TapRooT® Enterprise Software and continuing the development of a new SnapCharT® Software, Version 5 of the TapRooT® Workgroups and Individual User Software, and web site enhancement projects at System Improvements.

Ed joined System Improvements in 1996 as a Senior Associate teaching System Improvements’ TapRooT® Courses and helping develop System Improvements’ courses. In 2000, Ed became a Partner at System Improvements and took responsibility for project management of the TapRooT® Software Version 4.0. Later, Ed took over management esponsibility for System Improvements’ IT functions and web site.

To contact Ed to congratulate him, call 865-539-2139 or use the web site’s contact feature.

(old pipeline photo - click to enlarge)

Here are some more interesting links about the BP Pipeline Corrosion Story…

BP statement:

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7020594

Another BP press release:

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?categoryId=2012968&contentId=7019988

US News questions pipeline industry practices:

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/O/OIL_FIELD_SHUTDOWN?SITE=DCUSN&SECTION=BUSINESS&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

AP story - old story on previous pipeline leaks:

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=111&sid=864072

More leak news and clearer understanding of how past leaks may have led to complete shutdown now:

http://business.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=1142752006

Here is a nutty conspiracy theory story on timing of shutdown. Some people will find corporate evil even when their facts make no sense (stop selling 400,000 barrels per day when the price of oil is at record heights to make MORE money on oil?). Obviously this guy didn’t read stories about the previous leaks and understand the pressure BP is under not to have more leaks. Does he have a personal axe to grind or does sensationalism just make his site more readable? Maybe that’s why his bio page says he’s a persona non grata in the US with the US media. Here’s the link to the fringe conspiracy theory:

http://www.gregpalast.com/british-petroleums-smart-pig#more-1474

Click on this link for more info on BP’s pipeline closure.

BP shuts down a pipeline that feeds 400,000 barrels per day of crude oil to the Trans-Alaska pipeline and crude prices shoot up 3%. This could translate to a 5¢ to 10¢ per gallon increase at the pump.

We all know that the price of oil effects the economy, but who would have guessed that equipment reliability (system integrity) on a 20 mile long pipe would impact the whole US (and thereby the global) economy?

As production capacity and the world economy get more closely linked, the ability to keep everything functioning smoothly (reliably) becomes more and more important. That’s why tools like Equifactor® and TapRooT® are used by industry leaders to troubleshoot and understand the root causes of equipment problems and improve equipment reliability.

To learn more about equipment troubleshooting and root cause analysis, attend a TapRooT®/Equifactor® Course. For more information see:

3-Day TapRooT®/Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting & Root Cause Failure Analysis

San Antonio, TX October 11-13,2006

Edmonton, Alberta November 20-22

Dubai, UAE November 28-30

Charleston, SC December 6-8

Don’t wait until reliability problems at your plant impact the global economy. Attend a course and learn how the combination of TapRooT® and Equifactor® can help you use advanced equipment troubleshooting and root cause analysis to improve equipment reliability.

The July TapRooT® Friends & Expert e-Newsletter has been posted at:

http://www.rootcause.net/

This month’s topics are:

- DID YOU UPDATE TO TapRooT® SOFTWARE VERSION 4.0.6?



- DO YOU CARE IF I KEEP WRITING???

- ACTIONS WITHOUT THOUGHT … WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE???



- SCHEDULE YOUR 2006 ON-SITE TapRooT® COURSES NOW!!!

- JUNE/JULY ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS BLOG TOPICS



- 5-DAY PUBLIC TapRooT® COURSE IN MEXICO IN SEPTEMBER

- COMMENT ON “HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO INVESTIGATE AN INCIDENT?”



- SKF SPONSORS 2-DAY PUBLIC EQUIFACTOR® COURSE IN EUROPE IN SEPTEMBER AND A 3-DAY PUBLIC EQUIFACTOR® COURSE IN DUBAI IN NOVEMBER

- WOODLAND GRANGE SPONSORS 2-DAY PUBLIC TapRooT® COURSE IN NOVEMBER IN UK



- 2006 PUBLIC TapRooT® COURSES IN AUSTRALIA

- 5-DAY PUBLIC TapRooT® COURSE IN SINGAPORE IN NOVEMBER 2006



- WHAT’S HAPPENING AT THE SAFETY & RISK MANAGEMENT TRACK AT THE 2007 TapRooT® SUMMIT???



- MORE NICE THINGS



- WHO IS USING TapRooT® TO INVESTIGATE PROBLEMS???

- SECRET COST OF FATIGUE by Bill Sirois, Circadian Technologies

- LET GO OF THE TOXIC TIE by George Burk

- CANADIANS & AMERICANS … GET A PASSPORT!

- WHERE IS THE BEST ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS TRAINING???

- J.O.K.E OF THE MONTH

Click here to register to receive this e-Newsletter by e-mail.

Photo from the

Naval Safety Center web site

http://www.safetycenter.navy.mil/photo/archive/archive_101-150/photo143.htm

At a recent course one of the students brought an example for an exercise that reminded me of this picture. There were only three differences:

1. The employee used the scissor lift to tighten a bolt. (The bolt was beyond his reach so he climbed up on the railing.)

2. He was wearing fall protection but he didn’t hook up. (The job would just take a second.)

3. He slipped, fell, and was killed.

Getting people to work safely at heights requires managers’ and supervisors’ attention.

Yes, people should be careful.

Yes, people should follow the rules.

Yes, people are responsible for their own safety.

But we know that people take shortcuts to save time and effort.

We know that people react to real and perceived pressure to “Get ‘er done!”

We know that if management and supervision don’t show their concern by consistent enforcement (both positive and negative enforcement) of the rules, people will start to ignore them.

Thus management must insist that the rules are followed and develop a program to make sure that they are followed.

If your company has people working at heights, ask yourself:

HOW DO YOU ENSURE THAT

PEOPLE ARE FOLLOWING THE RULES

ABOUT WORKING AT HEIGHTS?

Good, proactive enforcement of the rules can prevent accidents. You won’t have to analyze the root causes of a fatality if you prevent it by enforcing the rules!

If you get upset by reading jokes … don’t read jokes. If you get upset when you read this joke, REMEMBER …

ALL readers of this blog are ABOVE AVERAGE … so this joke doesn’t apply to you!

Michele Lindsay, a TapRooT(R) Instructor in Canada, sent the following joke:

The average woman would rather have beauty than brains,

because the average man can see better than he can think.

This made me think…

What does management really want when they ask for a root cause analysis?

They really want the problems to stop and the costs to be minimal. If no real change is required, that would be great.

It is our job to educate them that you can’t get something for nothing. Meaningful change requires work.

The question is … can we demonstrate the return on investment from root cause analysis that makes the whole process worthwhile?

I think we can. See http://www.taproot.com/about.php for Success Stories from TapRooT® Users. I think they demonstrate what is possible.

Once management understands that an investment is required, then the only question left is the ROI - which we NEED to demonstrate to prove that the effort is worthwhile.

Thus even for the joke - we need to demonstrate that the value is there - whether it is “men” or “management” - “beauty”, “brains”, or “return on investment”.

Prove your worth.

Hello everyone. We’re very busy plugging away on getting the Version 5 beta test up and running, so meanwhile I’ll give you some video to check out.

Enjoy, I’ll see you next week!

SKF is sponsoring two more Equifactor® Courses in 2006.

2-Day Equifactor® - UTRECHT, The Netherlands - September 14-15, 2006

The first is a 2-Day Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis Course that will be held at SKF’s facilities in Utrecht, The Netherlands. This is a special version of the Equifactor® Course that concentrates on Equipment Troubleshooting, understanding what happened using SnapCharT®, and using the Root Cause Tree® to identify the root causes of human errors and equipment failures. This course includes an Individual User version of the TapRooT® Software for each attendee (a $1495 value without the class). This software includes computerized versions of Heinz Bloch’s equipment troubleshooting tables. Course attendees also get a copy of Heinz Bloch’s book, Machinery Troubleshooting and Failure Analysis (a $115 value) and a copy of the TapRooT® Book (a $195 dollar value). The course cost is $1690 US Dollars (or $1190 US Dollars for people attending from a company that has a TapRooT® Software License). E-mail info@taproot.com to register for this special course.

3-Day Equifactor® - DUBAI, UAE - November 27-29, 2006



The 3-Day Equifactor® Equipment Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis Course that will be held at SKF’s facilities in Dubai, UAE. This 3-Day version of the Equifactor® Course includes everything in the regular 2-Day TapRooT® Course plus a day that concentrates on Equipment Troubleshooting. This course includes an Individual User version of the TapRooT® Software for each attendee (a $1495 value without the class). This software includes computerized versions of Heinz Bloch’s equipment troubleshooting tables. Course attendees also get a copy of Heinz Bloch’s book, Machinery Troubleshooting and Failure Analysis (a $115 value) and a copy of the TapRooT® Book (a $195 dollar value). The course cost is $1890 US Dollars (or $1390 US Dollars for people attending from a company that has a TapRooT® Software License). E-mail info@taproot.com to register for this special course.

There is an on-line encyclopedia called Wikipedia. It is written by everyday folks.

There are two article that really need help and I thought that readers of this blog might jump in and provide some content.

See the “Root Cause” page at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_cause

Se the “Root Cause Analysis” page at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_cause_analysis

Wikipedia has lots of rules so be sure to start out slow or you will make the gate keepers angry. For example, don’t add more than one link in a day, sign your edits, and try to exhibit a “neutral” point of view.

Thanks

Mark

The Secret Cost of Fatigue

by Bill Sirois, Circadian Technologies



On the surface of things, fatigue seems fairly straightforward. We all get tired, do what we need to do to get through it, and then catch up on our sleep when we can. We still harbor a cultural mentality of mind over matter, and of human failing if one allows themselves to get tired to the point of being unfit for duty. After all “if our people spent more time in bed getting their proper rest (and less time watching TV, sitting in a bar, or allowing themselves to be compromised by family life and personal activities), then they wouldn’t be tired on the job.” In other words, from a management perspective, fatigue is often perceived to be a behavioral problem, caused more by personal irresponsibility than by other factors (and certainly not by our operating policies and procedures). Well, those of us who have lived and worked shiftwork know better. Just try sleeping in the daytime and see how much “proper rest” YOU can get!

Similarly, we have this notion that, like our machinery, employee work capacity is a lineal function. In other words, one can work as many days in a row as they (or we) would like without any significant problem, and we’re happy to let them do it. Overtime saves having to hire more people and paying all their costly benefits, and it sure makes a supervisor’s job a whole lot easier to fill absences, vacations, and other benefit days off by dishing out the overtime to those who want it. Plus, we rationalize, people are happy to have the extra money. I used to think this way too, when I worked and managed shifts, but after several close calls, I realized that I was kidding myself and putting myself and others at risk.

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