This picture has caused quite the debate in the SAFTENG circle! Many comments in the SAFTENG LI and FB groups point towards the worker(s), which indicates the belief that this is an "Active Failure" of the worker(s) involved. Many of you would NOT believe the tales I could tell about what I have encountered in my travels in 20+ years of consulting. In the vast majority of these situations, where the failure is hard to believe, it is a Latent Organizational Failure that sets the stage for such silliness.
The debate we should be having is…
Scenario: The sign moves or falls off and exposes the START button, and I come along and push the button, killing/maiming the workers.
Am I a killer?
Who is “responsible” for this failure?
Who is “accountable” for this failure?
If this set-up was discovered before or after an accident, what questions would you ask in the investigation and causal analysis?
Does the facility have the ability to recognize this failure?
