TapRooT? | System Improvements, Inc.

?? Why do shortcuts seem so attractive to workers? ?? Your team has taken many steps to ensure protocol compliance: ? There's been training and retraining of #safety procedures. ? Stronger human engineering has been adopted. ? Leadership is more strictly enforcing the procedures. Even after all these corrective actions, workers still want to take "the easy route." Why? It's not a matter of weeding out bad apples on the team but understanding the #psychology behind decision-making: ?? The Illusion of Safety in Familiarity ? Repetitive tasks feel safe because they’ve been done hundreds of times without an issue. ? Employees may underestimate risks because they’ve never personally experienced an accident. ?? Social and Time Pressures ? When everyone else is working fast, employees don't want to slow everyone else down. ? A workplace or industry culture that highly values toughness or productivity may undermine the importance of safety. ? Strict quotas will have operators and supervisors rushing through tasks and not fully evaluating risks. ?? Cognitive Biases ? Optimism bias is the assumption that something bad won't happen. ? Normalcy bias is the belief that because something hasn’t happened before, it won’t happen in the future. With these factors in mind, we can consider more effective corrective actions: ?? Simulation training is a safe, low-stakes way to remind workers of the risks behind shortcuts. ?? Reconstructing work culture is a long process that starts with dedication and involvement from the #leadership team. ?? Communicating our natural biases may help workers catch themselves making unsafe decisions. ?? Spread awareness about protocol compliance with this #meme, and ?? Tell us the worst shortcut you've seen someone attempt!

What would you do if 36 employees failed to report a major issue? ??? Write them all up? Sounds like a lot of paperwork. Maybe we can do better... If dozens of employees make the same mistake, there's not an issue with individual competency but #WorkplaceCulture. Disciplinary action doesn't solve an issue this deep-rooted. You can't make an example out of everyone! ?? Think critically about corrective actions with your newest TapRooT? #Podcast episode, The Essentials of #RootCauseAnalysis, on YouTube: https://hubs.li/Q03c8XJ00 ?? What are some better corrective actions for this situation?

So many skills that used to be critical in a professional setting are now obsolete. Public speaking is not one of them. From courses to conferences, I’ve given and witnessed more presentations than I could possibly count. I can say from experience that a strong lecture can build everlasting connections, that is, if you play your cards right. I wanted to address a few mistakes I often see from those behind the podium: ? You don't know your audience. One of the first steps of creating a presentation should be asking yourself: ? What is the purpose of your presentation? ? Who will be there? The information you give and the terminology you use must be adapted for the listeners. Unfamiliar terminology is distracting and can even come across as condescending. Never include promotional material unless given permission beforehand. ? Your slideshow is just a little too long. If you’re given 60 minutes to give a slideshow, you’re given 60 minutes, which includes your time for questions. Never, ever go over. The second you’ve used up your allocated time, the clock now has the audience’s attention. People will check their watches, pack their bags, and leave the room when it’s time to go. Remember that you’re sharing time with the audience, hosts, and fellow speakers. You’re probably not going to make friends with a presenter whose time you’ve stolen. ? You’re relying on your slides to do the work. Most presenters know not to pack too much information into each slide, but some misinterpret that as splitting heavy content into a million little slides. Your slides shouldn’t drive the conversation. You should. Regularly ask questions, get a show of hands, and get the audience involved. Interactivity is key to a strong presentation. ? Your slideshow ends with just a “thank you”. The discussion shouldn’t end on the last slide. A “thank you” doesn’t prompt your audience to act. You need to provide resources to get the ball rolling. You should plan on asking for and answering questions until you’ve filled your allotted time. The more you interact with the audience, the more lasting your message will be. Give your audience some way to remember and reach you or your company. A business card is the most traditional option, but novelties and QR codes work, too. What are some other mistakes have you seen in public speaking? ?? #Leadership #Networking #PublicSpeaking

?? Which industry leaders can you expect to hear from at the 2025 TapRooT? Summit? ?? ?? Alex Weber Alex Weber is an international keynote speaker on #leadership and peak performance, a competitor of American Ninja Warrior, and an award-winning entertainer for NBC. He's an advocate of seeing failure as a learning opportunity. ???? Kim "KC" Campbell Kim “KC” Campbell is a retired US Air Force Colonel who served for over 24 years as a fighter pilot and senior military leader. In 2003, she was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for Heroism after successfully recovering her battle-damaged airplane after an intense close air support mission. ?? Vincent Phipps Vincent Phipps is one of our most highly recommended #Keynote Speakers from past Summits. Get the most out of your Summit experience by learning Vincent's effective techniques to share and learn best practices from others. ?? Barb Carr Barb Carr is an experienced TapRooT? Instructor and a Psychology of Improvement Track Leader. She will show you how #RootCauseAnalysis can help your organization achieve a higher standard of excellence. ? Gard Clark, PMP Gard Clark will share thought-provoking examples from over 40 years of experience as a naval officer, submarine captain, commercial plant manager, business executive, and current Deputy Director of the World Submarine Organization. Are you looking forward to seeing these speakers? Then mark your calendars! The Global TapRooT? Summit will be in Knoxville, TN, from September 29 to October 3, 2025. ?? Let us know who you're most excited to learn from, and ?? Learn more about the Summit and register here: https://hubs.li/Q03bK10d0

The TapRooT? Team is excited for the #OTC2025! ?? If you're attending the Offshore Technology #Conference in May, come say hello to Alexander Paradies, Justin Clark, and Michelle Wishoun at booth 3519! ?? Let us know if we'll see you there!

If human error isn't a root cause, what is it? ?? #HumanError isn't the end of an incident #investigation. It's only the beginning! Humans make mistakes. We don't need to conduct an investigation to know that. A robust #RootCauseAnalysis can reveal what systematic changes can be made. What mistakes are being made over and over again? How can we circumvent those altogether? In other words, human error is not a root problem but a symptom of a larger issue! If you're interested in investigating human error more critically, scan or screenshot the QR Code to see Alex's mini webinar: Why Human Error is NOT a Root Cause!

Some companies boast a "0 Accidents" #safety standard, but we say this slogan is counterproductive for many reasons: ?? Dishonest Reporting If an accident does occur, workers may feel discouraged from reporting it. They might not want to ruin the company's reputation or fear repercussions from the high standards. ?? Near Misses Near misses and other precursor incidents are technically not accidents, but that doesn't make them any less important. Potential serious injuries or fatalities (PSIFs) indicate several failing or absent safeguards. ??? Pressured Workers A “zero accidents” goal may pressure workers and supervisors to achieve perfection, which is unrealistic in complex work environments. This pressure can lead to stress and burnout. ?? Share this #meme if you agree, or ?? Comment your thoughts on a "0 #Accident" culture!

?? Let's fight #fear in #workculture! ?? Fear cultures are common in skill-based labor. The intensity of fear depends on the severity of punishment for making a mistake. Fear doesn't stop operators from making mistakes, however. It discourages workers from honestly reporting accidents. To combat fear, we can implement the following practices: Stop Punishments ?? As long as there’s a punishment for making mistakes or accidents, there’s a barrier to honest reporting. Full cooperation with investigators should be rewarded with impunity. The ultimate goal, after all, is to establish better systematic improvements. Investigate Objectively ?? We need a clear timeline of all the events and details that led up to the incident. Don’t focus on the “who” or “why” before you have a complete understanding of the “what”! A robust #RootCauseAnalysis tool helps investigators filter relevant information and eliminate bias. In the TapRooT? RCA Process, we use the SnapCharT? Diagram. Celebrate Mistakes ?? An identified mistake is a stepping stone towards a successful investigation. Mistakes are inevitable. Instead of fearing them, brainstorm how a stronger system can catch them! ?? Read the full article here: https://hubs.li/Q039-6hb0 ?? Spread awareness about fear cultures!

The C.Y.A. (Cover Your Actions) Equipment Model is something I’ve seen plague even the most capable, advanced teams. ?? Why do we fall back onto this mentality? Self Preservation ??? For starters, no one wants to take the blame — or even the possibility of blame — for breaking something. Aside from the embarrassment of destroying what we’re supposed to fix, employees face lots of unknowns for admitting fault, let alone involvement. A broken pump can cost large companies millions of dollars a day in unplanned downtime. Who in their right mind would willingly take responsibility for that if they can avoid it? Need for Speed ? With those same millions of dollars on the line, #management doesn’t have the time to think critically. Just fix or replace the pump, and do it yesterday. When that pump breaks over and over again, however, some teams struggle to take a step back and look at common factors and underlying issues. If executive teams are too focused on maintaining the status quo, they fail to look forward. Did replacing the pump for the umpteenth time really fix the root problem? Lack of Structure ?? Teams struggle to reliably handle #equipment failure without clear directions. Even the smartest nuclear engineers will make assumptions if they’re not given clear guidance. A consistent set of procedures helps teams document the facts before worrying about blame or taking corrective actions. Interested in building a robust equipment troubleshooting program? Let’s chat: https://hubs.li/Q039-kZm0 ?? Have you ever used the C.Y.A. model before?

?? Today marks the 14th anniversary of the Fukushima Daiichi #NuclearMeltdown. ?? Although the causative tsunami was unprecedented, the meltdown was avoidable. What Happened at the Fukushima Daiichi Plant ?? On March 11, 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck just off the east coast of Japan. It triggered an enormous tsunami that wiped out thousands of civilians. About a hundred kilometers away from the earthquake was the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The 15-foot-high tsunami waves easily breached the seawalls, flooding the facility. This damaged several of the reactors and emergency generators. The uranium fuel then overheated, melting the cores, sparking chemical explosions, and contaminating the area with radiation. What Resulted From the Meltdown ??? About half a million civilians were forced to evacuate their homes due to the onslaught of disasters. More than one hundred thousand residents near the plant had to be permanently relocated from the exclusion zone. There has only been one death confirmed by the Japanese government, which was a worker who died from Leukemia due to radiation exposure. While the government has reopened nearby towns in recent years, the repopulation of these areas has been slow. Former residents are weary of radiation exposure and are unlikely to return. How the #Fukushima Daiichi Meltdown Was Avoidable ?? While the magnitude of the earthquake was record-breaking for its time, it was not completely unpredictable. A 2008 simulation conducted by the plant’s company, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), suggested that a #tsunami that would breach the seawalls erupts approximately once every one thousand years. However, it was not reported to the national regulator, the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA), until March 7, 2011. The facility was also not designed with adequate safety measures. The seawater pumps, backup generators, and safety systems were not waterproofed. They were also built at relatively low elevations. Because of these oversights, they were immediately destroyed in the flood. This caused the power supplies and, critically, the reactors to overheat and fail. Why Root Cause Analysis is Important ? Evaluating the core issues behind an accident allows us to put measures in place to avoid a reoccurrence. Since the meltdown, the International Atomic Energy Agency has implemented stricter safety protocols, such as more independently operating backup systems and more robust equipment. TapRooT? #RootCauseAnalysis was created to understand and prevent accidents. Learn more at https://hubs.li/Q03b9HHn0