Solving safety problems centers around two key strategies: Correcting surface-cause conditions and behaviors, and improving root-cause safety management system weaknesses.
1. To most effectively eliminate or reduce surface causes, you must correct root-cause safety management system _____.
a. common sense management flawsIt's important that management take action to correct Safety Management System (SMS) problems to reduce the risk of injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
Most accidents, by far, are caused by inappropriate or unsafe employee thoughts/behaviors. Problems with the physical work environment can also cause injury or illness. Unsafe behaviors indicate that the nature of the problem may reflect employee/manager personal behaviors and performance that increases the probability of injury or illness.
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Tools to identify, analyze, and understand surface-cause behaviors and conditions
Root cause problems include corporate behavior and performance that lead to increased probability of injury or illness. Unsafe corporate behavior and performance is reflected in poor management vision, attitude, decision-making, and policy direction regarding workplace safety and health. Tools to help identify and understand the root-cause problems associated with surface causes include:
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Tools to identify, analyze, and understand root-cause system weaknesses
2. Which of the following tools would be best at uncovering the root causes of workplace hazards and unsafe behaviors?
a. Fishbone DiagramTo better understand the problem you are trying to solve, you need to answer some very basic questions.
3. Which of the following will help you determine if there really is a safety problem?
a. Conduct environmental analysisOne technique used in conducting root cause analysis when hazards are identified or when incidents/accidents occur is called Cause-Effect Analysis. For every effect there is a cause. Starting with the accident, we analyze each event leading up to the accident to identify "effects." Then we attempt to uncover the cause for each event.
Every "effect" is the result of a "cause". It's important to understand that each effect is, at the same time, the cause for another effect. A single effect by itself can generate a completely new cause-effect branch. Click on the image to the right. It represents only one branch of many possible branches.
As you can see, the first set of questions get at the surface cause(s) related to an actual or potential accident. Once we know what directly caused the injury or illness, we begin to ask why to arrive at root causes. Each time a why-question is asked, a deeper root cause is uncovered.
One of the primary tools in cause-effect analysis is the Fishbone Diagram or Cause and Effect Diagram. Basically, it's just a mind map using a different form. The diagram illustrates this. The "Effect" describes the problem. Possible causes are listed under one of several categories that you determine. Generally, these categories might be people, materials, equipment, environment, methods, or procedures.
4. When conducting any kind of analysis, it's important to remember that _____.
a. for every effect, there is a resultMind Mapping, originated by Tony Buzan, is nothing more than "instantaneous non-linear cognitive deduction utilizing spatial forms in a two-dimensional plane." (huh?)
Seriously, Mind Mapping is merely drawing circles and lines to help you quickly think about and categorize ideas, problems, concepts, subjects, and just about anything else. Mind Mapping is successful because it takes advantage of the brain's natural ability to categorize ideas in a rapid, but rather unorganized manner.
Look at the mind map below and follow these steps:
Using this technique, you will be able to take any topic, project, or problem and quickly determine related categories, processes, procedures, etc. Once the mind map is complete, it is merely a matter of reorganizing the information into the more common outline format.
5. Which technique is successful because it takes advantage of the brain's natural ability to categorize ideas in a rapid, but rather unorganized manner?
a. AnalysisYou are probably familiar with this problem solving technique. Brainstorming can be used by individuals or groups quite successfully to quickly develop a list of possible solutions to problems. There are six basic and unalterable rules to the group process of brainstorming that set it apart from other problem-solving procedures. They are:
6. This problem-solving technique can be used by individuals or groups quite successfully to quickly develop a list of possible solutions to problems.
a. MindmeldingMindmelding is just another way to gather a large number of ideas by taking advantage of the creative minds of many people. Here's the process:
Using these techniques to conduct cause analysis will help you uncover those root causes that contributed to an incident or accident. If you improve the system as a result of your analysis, long term benefits will result. You are now saving or making money for your organization and that's safety's bottom line.
7. Which problem-solving technique has each person in a group write a problem statement, then pass it around to members who each write a solution statement?
a. Mind MappingRead the material in each section to find the correct answer to each quiz question. After answering all the questions, click on the "Check Quiz Answers" button to grade your quiz and see your score. You will receive a message if you forgot to answer one of the questions. After clicking the button, the questions you missed will be listed below. You can correct any missed questions and check your answers again.