Recently, a client had two (2) heat-related incidents within one (1) week. This after, we forced a download of the OSHA/NIOSH Heat App to all company phones. I have used this technique to ensure front-line supervisors and managers have a TOOL to help them manage the Heat Prevention Plan requirements. I have used this forced download several times, and the results vary wildly. From some supervisors/managers deleting the app from their company phones the following day to some supervisors/managers using the app daily.
These latest two (2) incidents were just sad. One supervisor, who deleted the app from his phone the day after it was forced downloaded, lost his job after 27 years with the company. His manager was suspended for one (1) week without pay and placed on probation for one (1) year. The supervisor was fired for lying and downloading the app the night of the accident and then lying to the investigation team, saying that he had been using the app daily for months. The IT department had the goods on him, and he was fired for lying in the investigation. The worker suffered a heat stroke event.
In the other event, the supervisor also failed to use the app on the day of his worker’s event. He was suspended without pay for a period of time, but he was honest in the investigation.
In our discussions about these incidents, both teams wanted to lay the blame for the illnesses at the feet of the workers—the workers who do NOT control the work, the work area, the work pace, the number of breaks, the hydration options, etc. These failures are clearly Latent Organizational Failures, and here is why.