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Feed: COMMON BLOGARITHMS
Weblog focused on problem solving, root cause analysis, accident investigation, organizations, safety, and nuclear energy.
Website job - CCpops Cupcakes and Cake Pops
26-Mar-11
I don't think of myself as much of a web designer, but I'm reasonably happy with a new site that I set up for a cupcake business: Cupcakes and cake pops in Toronto - CCpops. (I happen to have been a taste tester for many of the recipes too -- very yummy, but now I'm stuffed.) I am usually a "function over style" type of guy, but for a site like this, both style and function woul...
Adverse Health Effects Reported for Wind Power in Ontario
23-Apr-09
(April 23, 2009) According to the Canadian Press and CTV News, more and more people in O...
RCA at the AntiSyphus Effect
03-Mar-07
Kathleen DeFilippo over at The AntiSyphus Effect has written a very nice collection of 10 articles on root cause analysis. I especially like how the articles flow from a logical starting point to a logical conclusion... something I've never really bothered to do. She's also developed a couple of nice little tools (FERCS and the PHaTS Domino) that should be useful to anyone trying to get started in root cause analysis.Below is a pointer to Ka...
Root Cause Analysis for Human Behaviours, Part 1
30-Oct-06
Root cause analysis can be characterized in many ways. Some refer to it as a tool for continuous improvement. Others call it a method for finding performance problems. Those at the receiving end, however, often view root cause analysis as just a repackaged version of "the blame game". Who can blame them when operator error or lack of attention to detail are so often listed as causes?All too often during root cause investigations, a line of inquiry will end a...
Root Cause Analysis - Art or Science?
10-Oct-06
There are many commonly held beliefs about root cause analysis that bother me. Perhaps the single most irksome to me is the statement "it's an art, not a science." I don't have anything against art, but I don't believe that this statement does justice to the practice of root cause analysis. In fact, I believe it is one of the most damaging perceptions that can be held by an investigator or be communicated to others.So, why do people believe this? One widely-held perception is...
Rockin' New Human Performance Investigation Tool
24-Mar-06
Most problems and accidents involve human activity at some point or other. Often, this activity is right at the point of occurrence, and people at the sharp end are usually operating under difficult or confusing circumstances. They make decisions and take actions that, in hindsight, prove to be "wrong" in some way. Then, after something "bad" happens, we perform an investigation and find these "human err...
Optimization Is Not The Goal
13-Mar-06
Problems come in all shapes and sizes. I've been involved in all kinds of investigations, from those dealing with something as mundane a chronic lack of hot water in a shower facility, to something as critical as a software error that caused non-conservative miscalculations of reactor operating limits. I've even been involved in a fairly significant event before, which my "friends" keep reminding me about even though such remembrances cause me great pain and embarrassment. Somet...
Systematic Problem-Solving Sequence
15-Feb-06
Problems happen all the time. How we choose to respond is a major
factor in determining how badly we will be affected by any given
problem. I would argue that a systematic response is best, and
furthermore, I propose a 9-stage sequence as discussed in this article.If you are already familiar with other problem-solving methodologies, like 8D or DMAIC,
some aspects of the recommended sequence may seem familiar to you. I
believe the sequence proposed below is more com...
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