Alive and Well at the End of the Day, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 11UNDERSTANDING WHAT WENT WRONG

I learned something out there today. I’m just not sure what it was.

—John McEnroe

Every day, things don’t go exactly as planned. Equipment breaks down; production gets delayed; schedules aren’t met; work costs more than was budgeted; customers call with complaints. The high level of activity going on in operations, plus the probability of human error and equipment failure, make the likelihood of encountering problems high. Thought of in that light, it’s amazing there aren’t even more problems for a leader to face.

Sometimes the problems involve safety. Here’s one example.

7:15 a.m., Toolbox Safety Meeting

The supervisor is in the final stretch of his morning meeting: “OK. Anything else to share on the safety front?”

Jim, a crew member, volunteers a “safety moment.” “Hate to admit this, but I had a little near miss yesterday. I borrowed one of the bikes to pick up some product samples from the lab. Coming back to our building, I rode off the edge of the sidewalk. It’s pretty narrow there, and there isn’t a guardrail. I’d recommend in the future being extra careful when riding there.”

The supervisor’s first interest is with Jim’s safety: “Jim, thanks for sharing that incident. At some point, just about every one of us has had an accident with a bike. Are you OK?”

Jim smiles ruefully. “Oh, yeah. No problem with me, but the samples spilled out in the mud. And the tire went flat when I went off the edge. I had to borrow the other bike ...