Become a Better HSEQ Leader! Do you want to become a better HSEQ leader? Now is the time to learn, engage, and take new knowledge back to your workplace and make a difference in 2025. Whether you want to: each idea below will help you get there. Read on to find out more. The Global TapRooT® Summit Here is the first idea. Attend the 2025 Global TapRooT® Summit. Where is it being held? Knoxville, Tennessee. When is it being held? …
We have fun doing winter holiday decorating — watch out for the hazard of fires. It’s critical that you proactively ensure that your holiday decorations don’t pose risks for home fires? As you deck the halls this season, be fire smart. Follow up on these tips to prevent holiday fires from FEMA by following through on the suggested actions. You’ll mitigate the risks and enjoy the season more with peace of mind that your surroundings are safe. The top three …
Just Be Careful When someone claims that people “not being careful” is a major source of accidents, then I’m almost certain that they aren’t looking for the real, correctable causes of problems. Here is a Story to Illustrate the Point A safety manager at a refinery once challenged me. He claimed that the only way to get people to do the right thing regarding safety was to be like a cop and give them a ticket when they violated the …
High-Reliability Organization Misconceptions People write about their research on high-reliability organizations. This often makes me chuckle because I’ve worked in one, and what the researchers “learn” isn’t always what is really going on. First, let me say that my high-reliability organization experience was in Admiral Rickover’s Nuclear Navy. Seven years and two ships – the USS Arkansas and the USS Long Beach – both nuclear-powered cruisers. I had close friends on submarines and nuclear-powered carriers. Learn more about the Nuke …
What Can We Learn NOW? On June 14, 2010, I published this article and this question: How Long Must We Wait To Learn? I asked: “Do we need to wait for the completion of the Presidential Commission’s investigation to learn from the BP Deepwater Horizon Accident?” OK … I know that asking that question before the formal investigations were complete made some people mad, but … Here’s the answer nonetheless. NO – WE DON’T NEED TO WAIT TO LEARN. …
The Psychology Behind Warnings Warnings are a common feature of risk management and safety protocols, appearing everywhere from product labels to road signs. But are they truly effective in preventing accidents or promoting safer behavior? The answer is not as straightforward as one might think. Understanding the effectiveness of warnings requires delving into human psychology, how we process information, and the environments in which these warnings are presented. At their core, warnings inform people about potential dangers and guide their …
Distracted driving has long been a point of concern, with numerous studies and regulations aimed at mitigating the associated risks. However, not all distractions are created equal. When we examine distracted driving through the lens of Root Cause Analysis (RCA), it becomes clear that visual distractions pose a far greater threat than cognitive ones like talking on a cell phone. So why do regulations often focus on behaviors like cell phone conversations while overlooking other, potentially more dangerous distractions? Myth: …
September is Suicide Prevention Month, a time dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health and the critical need to prevent suicide. This month serves as a reminder that we all support those struggling and that open conversations, education, and compassion can save lives. Having witnessed the devastating impact of multiple suicide attempts at my workplace—a gun range—I know firsthand how critical it is to take action. Your support can make a difference, whether by offering a compassionate …
How often while you are working do you “refresh” your assessment of risk factors? Consciously or (mostly) subconsciously, we are constantly assessing and addressing risk factors as we go through our days. Being aware of risk factors that can affect our perceptions of risk and addressing them in real time can go a long way toward preventing undesired results. Risk recognition, assessment, and avoidance A recent injury accident provides important reminders about common contributors to unintended results.A bicyclist riding their …
Every week, we’re informed of a heightened alert about cyber attacks and to watch for any accounts being compromised. The TapRooT® Software team is all over this. If you’ve ever been the target of cyber attacks, you feel vulnerable and perhaps angry, all the while reporting what happened so the invasion of your privacy will stop. There’s much more you can do. What can you do to outsmart the hackers and cyber attacks, to stay safe online? 1. Do NOT …