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RiskyBusiness  
#1 Posted : 11 January 2024 09:13:14(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
RiskyBusiness

Good morning.
I would be interested to hear from those of you who have experience of applying Root Cause Analysis methodology on large projects.

If you were to start looking for a new provider/methodology, which would you select? Are there any recent developments in the marketplace?

My main tool has been Taproot, with occasional exposure to Tripod Beta, Kelvin Topset, and the BP system (whose name I forget).

If the client was a green--field, multi-year construction project, with multiple languages and cultures, which Root Cause Analysis methodology would you short-list and why? For background, the SMS and specified contract language is English.

I am very interested to hear if your suggestion is different to what you currently use and why.

Thanks, in anticipation.
neil88  
#2 Posted : 15 January 2024 05:28:39(UTC)
Rank: Forum user
neil88

For high potential / actual incidents, we use taproot.   

For the 99% of the other incidents we use  cause mapping, because it's very easy to train and deploy, no special software required  (you can do it all in-house).   It doesn't provide any statististical analysis of the common root causes, etc  you'd need to track that separately.  

Currently evaluating Barrier Failure Analysis (bowtie XP)  methodology, but is proving difficult to pick up by staff outside of the HSE function.   

Some incident reporting tools can be linked to an investigation methodology or have a tool built in (e.g. synergi), so you might like to consider this too if you are in the process of setting everything up and have the budget for it.

peter gotch  
#3 Posted : 15 January 2024 12:22:12(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
peter gotch

RiskyBusiness

I think that neil88 is spot on.

On your multi-year construction project, most of the accidents probably don't merit using some fancy proprietaray RCA software but rather a process for investigation that does NOT tend to push the investigators down specific routes.

We had a client who used a proprietary RCA system but realised that it wasn't working for them. So I got the job of trying to train their people in how to use the proprietary system better (and soon managed to prove that this was a thankless task!) but at the same time to give the delegates alternate tools.

One senior Director told me that they had already reached the point where they often used alternate methods and then completed the proprietary system back to front.

So, my comment to that was "That's cheating but it's pragmatic".

.....and in practice, it wouldn't be that difficult to take all the underlying and root causes that investigators find using simple techniques such as 5Ys and then assign them into categories, in RCA speak, if you want to produce the pretty graphs and statistics that bosses like.

Most of the RCA tools on the market were devised to try and deal with the low probability, high consequence scenarios in e.g. process industries, but may not be particularly helpful when you are more concerned about the more basic risks, whether these be falls from height, operational exposure to hazardous substances during normal operations or even environmental discharges.

So, why overcomplicate ALL investigations?

Edited by user 15 January 2024 12:23:54(UTC)  | Reason: Still no spell and gramming checker!

Acorns  
#4 Posted : 15 January 2024 21:44:12(UTC)
Rank: Super forum user
Acorns

Perhaps you’re being constrained by set routines. It looks like you’ve tried several with some shortfall in each of them why not take the best of what you’ve tried and follow a hybrid system that works for you? Alternatively, use several systems and review the outcome of each. In theory (but assumption) they should all reach the same outcome. If not, why not. We could trial them in old incidents to eliminate those that don’t meet your standards
olukoya  
#5 Posted : 23 January 2024 08:54:31(UTC)
Rank: New forum user
olukoya

Good Morning , 

Please can anyone share their personal review about Institute of Industrial Accident Investigators in UK . I am looking to introduce them to help managers on improving their accident investigation skills. 

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