The FRA report is a shining example of how a CEO can impact the culture within an organization. CEO Joe Hinrich has made a huge impact at CSX in all aspects, but what he’s done for safety sets him apart. For the FRA to call his work out in their Cultural Assessment is unique across…...
CSX Transportation Safety Culture Assessment Report Read More »
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Safety Thought of the Week… Read More »
The accidents described in this chapter are not due to a fifth type of error. They are due to the failure of senior managers to realize that they could do more to prevent accidents. They are thus mainly due to lack of training, but some may be due to lack of ability and a few…...
Safety Thought of the Week… Trevor Kletz on “Organizational Failures” Read More »
A point has been reached in the development of technology where the greatest dangers stem not so much from the breakdown of a major component or from isolated operator errors, as from the insidious accumulation of delayed-action human failures occurring primarily within the organizational and managerial sectors. These residual problems do not belong exclusively to…...
Human factors, as we know it today, got its inspiration from these basic ideas about human error. It then showed something different: an alternative way of looking at human error. As a result, there are basically two ways of looking at human error today. We can see human error as a cause of failure, or…...
Safety Thought of the Week… Old View vs New View in Human Factors Read More »
If I had a nickel for every time I have heard this phrase over the past 20 years of consulting… “industry standard/practice,” I would have retired after 5 years. What is an “industry standard”? It is far from being a Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering Practice (RAGAGEP), that’s for sure. However, companies with an…...
What is an “industry standard/practice”? Read More »
MORT was first developed in the USA to analyze the root causes and causal factors for incidents in the nuclear power and aviation industries, but it has now been applied in many industries. However, it seems to be a “lost art” these days! MORT is a pre-populated tree based on a model of an organization’s…...
Management Oversight and Risk Tree (MORT) Read More »
Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 225 requires railroad carriers to report all employee injuries that fall under the regulations to ensure FRA is provided with accurate information concerning the hazards and risks that exist on the Nation’s railroads. Part 225 also requires all railroads to abide by their Internal Control Plans, including…...
FRA’s position on injury incentive programs mirrors OSHA’s Read More »
Since we are in a snow apocalypse here in the Midwest, I thought I would lose my mind hearing all the “weather professionals” declaring that with wind chills below zero, the roads will freeze as the salt won’t work below 15F. And I thought these were “science-based” professionals. TIP: Wind chill is how the temperature…...
Safety Thought of the Week… Wind Chill Read More »
The risk assessment process must identify what could cause harm in the workplace, who and how it could harm, and consider what control measures are required to reduce the risk to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP)and tolerable. Control measures that have been identified must be implemented, clearly communicated to personnel, maintained, and used properly…....
Risk Assessment Fundamentals (UK’s HSE) Read More »
The environment, organization, economics, capabilities, technology, and regulatory context all change over time. This backdrop of continuous systemic change ensures that hazards and how they are managed are constantly changing. Progress on safety concerns anticipating how these kinds of changes will create new vulnerabilities and paths to failure even as they provide benefits on other…...
Safety Thought of the Week – Systems exist in a changing world Read More »
Now, I’m 100% certain that Mr. Gogh did not have the safety profession in mind when he said the following, but it could not be more true in the context of our profession. Few professions need passion like that of the safety profession. Find me a world-class safety pro, and we will have one who…...
Safety Thought of the Week… from Vincent van Gogh Read More »
