Job Opening: UK - Aerospace/Avionics - Quality Engineer - Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills
Monday, February 4th, 2008For complete job posting, see:
http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Jobs/97884/Quality+Engineer+-+Defence++Aerospace.htm
Archive for February 4th, 2008
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FDA Cites Bad Root Cause Analysis & Corrective Action in Warning Letter
Monday, February 4th, 2008FDA News Reports: Stryker Recalls Hip Implants After WarningFor more information see:http://fdanews.com/newsletter/article?issueId=11268&articleId=103627
Job Opening: Hampshire, UK - Precision Engineering Quality Manager - Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills
Monday, February 4th, 2008Interesting Maritime Accident Blog
Monday, February 4th, 2008Those interested in maritime accidents might enjoy these links:
http://maritimeaccident.wordpress.com/
Machinist Dies in Dry Dock Accident
Monday, February 4th, 2008Few details on an accident at BAE Systems in San Diego. For preliminary info, see:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080202-1302-bn02dock.html
Job Opening: Southern California Edison - Rosemead, CA - Internal Employee Investigator - Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills
Monday, February 4th, 2008THIS POSTING HAS EXPIRED.
Southern California Edison
Internal Employee Investigator (Job Ref# JP31116-TF)
Location: Rosemead, CA
Job Requirements:
Candidates for the Internal Employee Investigator position will be experienced in planning and conducting investigations of problem situations, incidents, allegations of violations of policy, regulations and/or law. A Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources, Psychology, Business, Engineering, Public Administration, Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement or Police Science; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience is also required. Candidates must have a minimum of ten years experience in areas which include: planning and conducting investigations of problem situations or incidents (e.g., performing HR investigations, conducting root cause analyses, conducting internal employee investigations, conducting investigative audits, or investigating violations); obtaining factual information through interviews and reviews of documentary material; analyzing developed information to determine issue, violation, cause, and corrective action; and preparing oral and written investigative reports. Expert knowledge of general investigative techniques and methodologies is required. Demonstrated proficiency in developing information through computer databases. Demonstrated experience at managing multiple cases or projects to timely resolution. Demonstrated experience at working collaboratively and effectively in a team environment. Must be able to maintain the confidentiality of information and identities.
Typical Responsibilities:
The Internal Employee Investigator will report to the Manager of Investigations and Helpline within the Ethics and Compliance Office, carrying out the following responsibilities: leading or individually conducting highly sensitive, critical, confidential, and time sensitive investigations of alleged or potential violations of the Ethics and Compliance Code; providing accurate and timely oral and written reports of investigative activity to senior management and executive leadership; providing subject matter expertise and consulting in investigative process and matters, as requested; reviewing proposed case closures and corrective actions submitted as a result of Ethics and Compliance Office investigations, and making appropriate closure recommendations; analyzing information developed from single and multiple investigations to identify trends, patterns, or common causes, and formulating effective corrective action recommendations; participating in teams or projects designed to promote the goals and objectives of the Ethics and Compliance Program.
If you are interested in this position, please submit your resume in confidence by visiting http://www.edisonjobs.com.
Edison International is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Monday Accident & Lessons Learned: UPS Driver Dies in Truck/Train Crash in Cook. MN - Why Traffic Accidents are Hard to Investigate
Monday, February 4th, 2008
According to the StarTribune, a UPS delivery truck driver was killed when he ran into a moving freight train.
Imagine that you were assigned to investigate the accident. What problems do you face?
One issue you would need to look into is how the driver could miss seeing a freight train?
A more subtle issue is: How many Safeguards were there to keep traffic from hitting the train? Are they sufficiently strong enough?
After the accident it will be easy to ascertain facts like:
- Was there a guard (gate) at the crossing. Did the gate work?
- Were there flashing lights and a bell signal at the crossing? Did they work?
Some things will be harder to find out:
- Was the windshield clean?
- Was the driver on a cell phone or distracted by some other activity?
Some things are impossible to find out:
- What was the driver thinking?
Frequently, traffic accidents have very few Safeguards to prevent a crash. Many times, the goodness and alertness of the driver is the only Safeguard.
Also, investigating a fatality is difficult because you can’t interview the person who died.
One way to make these types of investigation more productive is to require data collection devices (let’s call them black boxes) to help an investigator “see” what happened. Imagine if the UPS truck had been equipped with three simple “web cams” that save visual data. One facing forward, one facing the driver, and recording the traffic behind the truck. How much more would the investigator know?
Have you thought about where you need video and audio recordings to help with your next major accident investigation?
Finally, the other issue to consider is the post-accident factors that could make an accident survivable. This brings into question the crash-worthiness of the vehicle, the use of seat belts, the deployment of airbags, etc.
Also, the accident response (emergency response) may play a factor.
Any deficiencies will need o be corrected. But many corrective actions in this type of accident may beyond the investigators ability to change.
For example, if the investigator was a UPS representative, he might decide that the railroad crossing needs a better warning system. However, he can’t make the railroad implement this corrective action. Even if he decided that the UPS truck should be built stronger and have airbags, implementing this corrective action might be difficult.
Why? Certainly changing the whole UPS fleet would be expensive. And making a truck more crash-worthy might ad weight. This added weight would cause the truck to burn more fuel. This might constribute to global warming. Thus a corrective action might have unintended, negative consequences. (Just as requiring higher gas mileage in cars to avoid global warming might lead to lighter, less crash-worthy cars that cause the death toll on the highway to increase.)
One last note. Many see a vehicle incident as a simple investigation. You simply find out who was a fault (usually one of the drivers) and you issue the appropriate ticket. TapRooT® Users know that they need to look at much more than who is at fault. They need to look at root causes and the adequacy of Safeguards if they are going to develop effective corrective actions.
