TapRooTŪ Friends & Experts e-Newsletter
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International Edition
August 3, 2010
 Thanks for being one of our 42,739 subscribers!
In This Issue
Investigations and Accidents/Lessons Learned
Win an iPad!
Career Development
Certified TapRooTŪ Instructors: Maintain Your Certification
Wisdom Quote
2010 Summit News
Special 2-Day Courses! Summit Discounts! Wow!
TapRooTŪ Around the World
Register for a TapRooTŪ Course
J.O.K.E. of the Week
Editor's Note: Don't Get Stuck at the Back of the Line!
Connect With Us ...
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TapRooTŪ Root Cause Analysis Users and Friend Group (On LinkedIn)

Join Our Mailing List!
President's Question
Dear Readers,
mark1
Below is a PowerPoint presentation about an accident that occurred near Townsville, Australia. Christopher Cochran sent it to me because he thought people could learn from the fatality at another facility. I pass it along on this blog with the same thought in mind.

In his e-mail to me, Chris pointed out that the presentation highlights:
  • The required Task Risk Assessment/Job Safety Analysis was not carried out.
  • The mandatory job start meeting was not completed.
  • There was a failure to adequately manage change i.e., failure to "stop the task" when changes occurred to re-assess the risks.
  • There was a lack of field operators that caused a Manager/Supervisor to undertake the work.
  • Fellow employees failed to challenge/question a senior colleague as to their work practices and "stop the task."
  • There was a lack of appropriate equipment to safely complete the task.
  • Shortcuts were taken to get the task done.

Chris also provided these questions for people to think about:

  • Do you actively encourage people to raise safety issues with you, including issues relating to your own behavior?
  • How do you (and will you) verify that people are complying? How do you know if people are complying with company policy/procedures or not complying?

His closing thoughts were:

  • We must ask questions when unsure about the task, about how the crew will control hazards, and about how we will comply with all policies and procedures
  • We need to be mindful and aware at all times of potential hazards. We must never get complacent and think, "... it can't happen to me."
President's Question (Continued)

Here is the presentation and a Safety First work statement that Chris sent with his e-mail ...



John Holland fatality.ppt




I have one more thing to ask about ...

Toward the end of the PowerPoint presentation, the presenter asked this "unanswered question":

Why did a highly experienced, trained person who was heavily involved in the planning of the job and with all the authority to make decisions regarding the job, make a conscious decision not to comply with well established rules and procedures to undertake this job safely?


All right, TapRooTŪ Users, what do you think? How would you tackle this question in a TapRooTŪ investigation???

Please leave your answer here as a comment:

http://www.taproot.com/wordpress/2010/08/02/monday-accident-lessons-learned-construction-fatality-in-australia/


Best regards,

Mark

Mark Paradies
President
System Improvements, Inc.

http://www.taproot.com

Investigations and Accidents/Lessons Learned
United States Steel Coke Oven Explosion Injures 20 Workers:  The Associated Press reported that an explosion of a coke oven at a plant in Pittsburg injured 20 people, at least six critically (Read more).

A Press Release from the Deepwater Horizon Joint Investigation: 
Witness lists of fact-finding joint investigation available for July 19-23, 2010 (Read more).

More About the Well Integrity Test:
  (Read story.)

Anadarko Withholds Payment of BP Spill Bill:
  The Houston Chronicle reports that Anadarko Petroleum is withholding payment on a bill sent by BP to help pay for the spill (Read more).

BP/Transocean Deepwater Horizon Explosion & Spill:  We've been posting lots of information about this accident since it happened. It's now been over two months and the question I would like to ask is ...
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED? (Join Discussion.)

Wall Street Journal Takes Up Qualifications of the President's Independent Commission to Investigate the BP Deepwater Horizon Accident:  We published a blog article about the qualifications of the President's Independent Commission and many of the readers here commented on the qualifications.  The overall response was that they didn't seem particularly well qualified to find the root causes of the well blowout, explosion, and spill (Read more).

Wall Street Journal reports: "Oil Industry To Form Accident Group Following BP Spill":  (View article.)

Finally Success: Oil Flow Stopped!  The worry now is that pressure will build and rupture the well casing (Read more.)


thumbsupYour opinion counts! Leave your comments to the articles above on our weblog, and when you find that one is particularly helpful, press the "thumbs up" icon so we have a better idea of what information is relevant to you for future e-Newsletters.  Questions?  Contact the Editor at editor@taproot.com.
 
Win an iPad!
Enter the TapRooTŪ Best Practice Contest!  Submit your TapRooTŪ Success Stories to editor@taproot.com (please type "Best Practice Submission" in the subject line) for a chance to win an iPad.

iPad

The contest will run six months (deadline:  January 27, 2011, 6:00 p.m.).  All entries will be shared on the Root Cause Analysis blog as they are received along with the name of the submitter.  Readers can vote for the Best Practices Success Stories that are most useful to them by simply clicking the "Like" button.  In the event of a tie at deadline, the in house instructors at System Improvements will select the winner by vote.

Please submit your Best Practice in a Challenge/Actions/Results format.  Here are some examples:

Ciba Vision

Canyon Fuel Company

Rohm & Hass

Intel

Enter as many Best Practice Success Stories as you like. 

Don't forget -- the upcoming TapRooTŪ Summit is all about best practices, so be sure to enter the ideas you learn and implement at your facility!
Career Development
Employment Opportunities for Candidates with Root Cause Analysis Training

San Francisco, CA - Catholic Healthcare West - Director of Quality - Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills (View opening).

UK - Research In Motion - Root Cause Analyst (View opening).

Juno Beach, FL - FPL Group - Reliability Engineer (Wind) - Need Root Cause Analysis Skills (View opening).

Raleigh-Durham, NC - Biogen Idec - Associate I, Quality Control, Microbiology - Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills (View opening).

Alvin, TX - Ascend Materials, Inc. - PSM Specialist - Needs Root Cause Analysis Skills (View opening).

P.S. Thinking about registering for a course to add to your personal resume?  Our worldwide calendar of public courses can be found at:  http://www.taproot.com/courses.php
Certified TapRooTŪ Instructors: Maintain Your Certification
What does it take to maintain your TapRooTŪ Instructor certification? Every two years you must attend the TapRooTŪ Summit and one of the pre-Summit Courses.

Why?

Because instructors need to understand the latest improvements in TapRooTŪ and not let their improvement skills rust away. TapRooTŪ Instructors are training the leaders of performance improvement in their companies. They need to continually sharpen their skills. After all, Capt. William Rodriguez said:

If you're not peddling, you're going downhill.

(Read more.)
Wisdom Quote

Please be good enough to put your conclusions and recommendations on one sheet of paper in the very beginning of your report, so I can even consider reading it.

~ Winston Churchill

2010 TapRooTŪ Summit News
Tie StringDates to Remember

TapRooTŪ Summit:  October 27-29, 2010
Special 2-Day PreSummit Courses:  October 25-26, 2010
Live Music/Costume Party:  October 27, 2010
TapRooTŪ 7th Annual Scramble Charity Golf Tournament:  October 29, 2010

The Summit Hotel and Host City are:
The Westin Riverwalk, San Antonio, Texas
Learn more:  http://www.taproot.com/summit.php

Summit

The Summit is just three months away!  Don't miss the important weekly updates in this e-Newsletter.  Check out the following "2010 Summit News" articles in our recently archived e-Newsletters to catch up:

Why We Chose San Antonio as Host City

Which Track is Right for You

Planning your Schedule:  Special Topics NEW This Year!

Special 2-Day Courses!  Summit Discounts!  Wow!
Many of these exclusive courses are only offered once this year!

October 25 and 26, 2010 mark the dates for our special 2-Day Courses!  This year these exclusive courses taught by our global instructors will be held in San Antonio, Texas.  Schedule for the TapRooTŪ Summit immediately following a special 2-day course, and save $200 on your registration (Multi-attendee discounts:  3 or more people who register for a special 2-Day Course together save $100 each.  3 or more people who register for the Summit and Special 2-Day Course together save $400 each)!

Choose from this list of Special 2-day Pre-Summit Courses:

A Police Enquiry into a Death in the Work Place - Corporate Responsibility

Improving Your Organization's Safety Culture

2-Day TapRooTŪ Incident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Course

(Spanish) 2-Day TapRooTŪ Incident Investigation & Root Cause Analysis Course 

Special 2-Day Equifactor Equipment Troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis Course

Advanced Trending Techniques

Advanced TapRooTŪ Techniques

How to Interview & Gather Evidence

Stopping Human Error

Risk Analysis and Management Best Practices

Hazard Recognition Best Practices

Getting the Most from Your TapRooTŪ Software

LEARN MORE on our course page:  http://www.taproot.com/courses.php

Limited space is available! 

REGISTER TODAY!
TapRooTŪ Around the World
Johannesburg50
5-Day Advanced Root Cause Analysis Course in Johannesburg, South Africa

South Africa
 Hard at Work on Root Causes at an Onsite Course in South Africa
(View more photos)
Don't Wait!  Register for a TapRooTŪ Course
Don't wait! TapRooTŪ Courses fill up and have waiting lists - a sign that the economy is picking up.  What courses have filled up lately?  (Read more.)

Course

PUBLIC 2-DAY TAPROOTŪ INCIDENT INVESTIGATION
AND ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS COURSE SCHEDULE (Outside of North America)


AUSTRALIA, Brisbane:  September 22-23

AUSTRALIA, Karratha:  October 4-5

AUSTRALIA, Mackay:  August 16-17

AUSTRALIA, Melbourne:  September 20-21

AUSTRALIA, Perth: August 9-10 and September 6-7 and September 9-10 and October 7-8

AUSTRALIA, Singleton:  July 28-29 and October 7-8

AUSTRALIA, Sydney:  August 5-6 and September 20-21

ENGLAND, Birmingham:  October 13-14

INDONESIA, Balikpapan:  October 13-14

INDONESIA, Batam: September 2-3

MALAYSIA, Kuala Lumpur:  August 9-10 and September 29-30

NEW ZEALAND, Christchurch:  August 19-20

SINGAPORE, Singapore:  August 12-13


PUBLIC 5-DAY TAPROOTŪ ADVANCED ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS TEAM LEADER TRAINING SCHEDULE (Outside of North America)


SOUTH AFRICA, Johannesburg:  August 23-27

AUSTRALIA,
Brisbane:  August 16-20 and October 18-22

AUSTRALIA, Perth:  August 23-27

AUSTRALIA, Singleton:  August 23-27

CHINA, Hong Kong:  September 6-10

MEXICO, Monterrey:  September 27-October 1

NEW ZEALAND, New Plymouth:  July 29-August 2

SCOTLAND, Aberdeen:  September 20-24


View our worldwide calendar of courses at:

http://www.taproot.com/courses.php



J.O.K.E. of the Week
laugh
Editor's Note:  Don't Get Stuck at the Back of the Line!
line1Dear Readers,

If you read the course list article above, you know that courses in many locations are filling up fast.  Don't get caught on the waitlist!  Check to see what courses will be in your area this last half of 2010 and register today.  Contact info@taproot.com for more info about courses.

Best regards,

Barb Phillips
Editor & HR Rep
System Improvements, Inc.
editor@taproot.com
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The opinions and information contained in this newsletter are provided in the spirit of cooperation
and continued learning. They do not represent any corporation's views. Use the information to help you form your opinions but all risk based on your use of this information is assumed by you and your company.Please feel free to pass this e-Newsletter along to other individuals interested in TapRooTŪ by clicking on the "Forward email" link at the end of this newsletter.
email: info@taproot.com
phone: 865-539-2139
web: http://www.taproot.com