The Associated Press reported that Ron Sveden was worried about cancer when he had increased coughing and an x-ray showed a dark spot in his lungs. Then things got strange. The tests came back negative on the cancer. What was in his lung causing problems?
The doctors decided they had to go in for a look. What was the root cause of his problem? A ROOT! (Well … actually a sprout.)
They removed a mass and sent it to pathology. The report was that he had a vegetable – a pea – sprouting in his lungs!
If you’re drowning at this location, your survival depends on who reads this sign. If it’s someone who talks in Internet slang … the outlook may not be good if they follow these directions.
Sixty years ago this was state-of-the-art safety training…
Are you still relying on 60 year old root cause analysis technology? (5-Whys or Fishbone diagrams) Or perhaps even more ancient technology like cause-and-effect (invented by Socrates).
Perhaps it’s time you tried the state-of-the-art in root cause analysis – TapRooT®. See:
Maybe they think the BIG BOLD LETTERS help communicate. This reminds me of when someone is talking to another who speaks a different language, and the person talking thinks that by talking very loudly and slowly, the other person will suddenly understand his/her language.
“A vacation is a sunburn at premium prices.” ~ Morris Fishbein
“If some people didn’t tell you, you’d never know they’d been away on a vacation.” ~ Kin Hubbard
“The alternative to a vacation is to stay home and tip every third person you see.” ~ Anonymous
“A vacation should be just long enough that you’re boss misses you, and not long enough for him to discover how well he can get along without you.” ~ Anonymous
“The rainy days a man saves for usually seem to arrive during his vacation.” ~ Anonymous
“Babies don’t need a vacation but I still see them at the beach. I’ll go over to them and say, ‘What are you doing here, you’ve never worked a day in your life!’” ~ Stephen Wright
And if a vacation is just not in the budget this year:
Not really! But “I got swallowed in traffic” tops “I got stuck in traffic.”
The truth is this python swallowed a pregnant ewe in the village of Kampung Jabor, about 124 miles east of Kuala Lumpur.
The six-metre reptile weighed 198.5 lbs and was too heavy to move, making it easy for firemen to capture it, said a local daily newspaper. (Picture taken September 5, 2006. MALAYSIA.)
This picture comes from Bits & Pieces US. Visit their web site for some funny comments about this sticky situation.
It seems this golfer lost his balance and fell over backwards into a cactus. The web site says it took the paramedics 3 hours to remove enough of the cactus to get him into the ambulance so they could take him to the hospital.
In our courses we teach the final “R” in SMARTER to review for unintended consequences BEFORE you implement your Corrective Action. Whether you do a pilot study or review the action with the employees who will have to use it, do not let unintended consequences be your next Incident’s Causal Factor.
So we all know that Steve Martin WAS NOT on the flight. But Jeffery Skiles, co-pilot that day, was. And he’ll be at the TapRooT® Summit speaking about his experience on Friday. So, make plans to attend the Summit and hear his talk!
Ed Skompski (VP hear at SI) had this story sent to him. Perhaps it’s even true…
During a private “fly-in” fishing excursion in the Alaskan wilderness, the chartered pilot and fishermen left a cooler and bait in the plane. And a bear smelled it. This is what he did to the plane…
The pilot used his radio and had another pilot bring him 2 new tires, 3 cases of duct tape, and a supply of sheet plastic. He patched the plane together and FLEW IT HOME!
A TapRooT® user sent me these photos and said that the driver was “lucky.”
I really can’t tell what is holding that truck up there … Maybe that’s why they think the driver is “lucky.” But I can’t help but think if they really were “lucky”, they wouldn’t have had the wreck in the first place! I guess it is all in your perspective…
The patient who was getting an MRI had a knife strapped to his leg (guess he wanted to be ready for anything during the MRI). The story then says…
“The knife got sucked out of its sheath and cut the patient in the abdomen, requiring stitches. Before he was taken to the MRI, the patient was screened for objects that would be attracted to the magnet. He reportedly ’stated that his pockets were empty.‘”
So I looked into my bathroom at the hotel, and I think, hey, a little small, but OK…
Then I looked a little closer, and noticed something doesn’t look quite right…
Hmm, THIS could be interesting!
I’ve seen accident investigations (not using TapRooT®, of course!) that point to the worker as needing to be more careful. “Inattention to detail” is the root cause. “Worker did not keep eyes on path.” It’s easy to come up with these poor “root causes.” What we really need to do is find out why the worker was “clumsy.” There’s a good chance that there was a poorly-designed piece of equipment, walkway, or room arrangement that made it very difficult to do a job correctly. I’ll try to avoid hurting myself in this room. I’ll “be more careful.”
Ah … the Snuggie … the solution for anyone who wants to be “wrapped in warmth” this winter (and dressed like a medieval monk). A trend that has transcended advertising to become part of pop culture.
BUT WAIT … THERE IS MORE
THE JAPANESE SNUGGIE!
Apparently, there’s an interview with the inventor of the Japanese Snuggie (on the ad page) that reveals his reasoning behind creating the product:
1. You can’t get the things you need without leaving your sleeping bag.
2. You can’t stand up and run away in a sleeping bag when attacked by a bear.
3. You can’t turn around in your sleep, or bend the wall of the sleeping bag, and it is constrictive.
Hmmm … I’ll wait for the YouTube video showing someone trying to outrun a bear in one of those.
These workers are working hard to install iron poles around the front of a bar to keep patrons from parking right next to the bar. How long until they realize …
their work truck is parked inside of the freshly installed poles?
Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits. - Anonymous
Never tell your resolution beforehand, or it’s twice as onerous a duty. – John Selden
Now there are more overweight people in America than average-weight people. So overweight people are now average… which means, you have met your New Year’s resolution. – Jay Leno
New Year’s Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual. – Mark Twain
A dog’s New Year’s Resolution: I will not chase that stick unless I actually see it leave his hand! – Anonymous
May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions! – Joey Adams
A family had twin boys whose only resemblance to each other was their looks. If one felt it was too hot, the other thought it was too cold. If one said the TV was too loud, the other claimed the volume needed to be turned up. Opposite in every way, one was an eternal optimist, the other a doom and gloom pessimist.
Just to see what would happen, at Christmas time their father loaded the pessimist’s room with every imaginable toy and game. The optimist’s room he loaded with horse manure.
That night the father passed by the pessimist’s room and found him sitting amid his new gifts crying bitterly.
“Why are you crying?” the father asked.
“Because my friends will be jealous, I’ll have to read all these instructions before I can do anything with this stuff, I’ll constantly need batteries, and my toys will eventually get broken.” answered the pessimist twin.
Passing the optimist twin’s room, the father found him dancing for joy in the pile of manure. “What are you so happy about?” he asked.
To which his optimist twin replied, “There’s got to be a pony in here somewhere!”
Today’s global challenges require the North Pole to continue to look for better, more competitive steps. Effective immediately, the following economy measures are to take place in the “Twelve Days of Christmas” subsidiary:
The partridge will be retained, but the pear tree never turned out to be the cash crop forecasted. It will be replaced by a plastic hanging plant, providing considerable savings in maintenance.
The two turtle doves represent a redundancy that is simply not cost effective. In addition, their romance during working hours could not be condoned. The positions are therefore eliminated.
The three French hens will remain intact. After all, everyone loves the French.
The four calling birds were replaced by an automated voice mail system, with a call waiting option. An analysis is underway to determine who the birds have been calling, how often and how long they talked.
The five golden rings have been put on hold by the Board of Directors. Maintaining a portfolio based on one commodity could have negative implications for institutional investors. Diversification into other precious metals as well as a mix of T-Bills and high technology stocks appear to be in order.
The six geese-a-layingconstitutes a luxury which can no longer be afforded. It has long been felt that the production rate of one egg per goose per day is an example of the decline in productivity. Three geese will be let go, and an upgrading in the selection procedure by personnel will assure management that from now on every goose it gets will be a good one.
The seven swans-a-swimming is obviously a number chosen in better times. Their function is primarily decorative. Mechanical swans are on order. The current swans will be retrained to learn some new strokes and therefore enhance their outplacement.
As you know, the eight maids-a-milking concept has been under heavy scrutiny by the EEOC. A male/female balance in the workforce is being sought. The more militant maids consider this a dead-end job with no upward mobility. Automation of the process may permit the maids to try a-mending, a-mentoring or a-mulching.
Nine ladies dancing has always been an odd number. This function will be phased out as these individuals grow older and can no longer do the steps.
Ten Lords-a-leaping is overkill. The high cost of Lords plus the expense of international air travel prompted the Compensation Committee to suggest replacing this group with ten out-of-work congressmen. While leaping ability may be somewhat sacrificed, the savings are significant because we expect an oversupply of unemployed congressmen this year.
Eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming is a simple case of the band getting too big. A substitution with a string quartet, a cut back on new music and no uniforms will produce savings which will drop right down to the bottom line.
We can expect a substantial reduction in assorted people, fowl, animals and other expenses. Though incomplete, studies indicate that stretching deliveries over twelve days is inefficient. If we can drop ship in one day, service levels will be improved.
Regarding the lawsuit filed by the attorney’s association seeking expansion to include the legal profession (“thirteen lawyers-a-suing”), action is pending.
Lastly, it is not beyond consideration that deeper cuts may be necessary in the future to stay competitive. Should that happen, the Board will request management to scrutinize the Snow White Division to see if seven dwarfs is the right number.
Hmmm … I’ll wait for the YouTube video showing someone trying to outrun a bear in one of those.
