This material is for training purposes only. Its purpose is to inform Oregon employers of best practices in occupational safety and health and general Oregon OSHA compliance requirements. This material is not a substitute for any provision of the Oregon Safety

MODULE 6: PROBLEM SOLVING TECHNIQUES

Solving safety problems

Solving safety problems centers around two key strategies:

Solving the surface cause problems. Eliminating/reducing the hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices that represent the actual/potential surfaces causes of accidents, and

Solving the root cause problems. Improving inadequate or missing safety and health policies, programs, plans, pronouncements, processes, and procedures (The Six P's) that represent the actual/potential root causes for accidents.

Developing solutions to surface cause problems may occasionally require different tools and techniques than those required to solve root cause problems. So, we'll first review the problem solving tools and techniques that help address surface causes, and then shift gears somewhat to discuss problem solving for root causes.

Understanding the problems

It's very important that management take action to correct this problem before it results in an accident that could cause serious physical harm or a fatality. Most accidents will result from both surface and root causes that must each be eliminated through effective problem solving.

Surface cause problems center around the hazardous conditions and unsafe work practices in the workplace. There are problems with the physical work environment that can cause injury or illness. Unsafe work practices reflect problems with employee/manager personal behaviors and performance that increases the probability of injury or illness. Tools that we have previously discussed in the course to identify and understand hazardous conditions and unsafe work procedures include:

Observation
Walkaround safety inspection
Job Hazard Analysis
Accident investigation
Records/Reports review

Root cause problems includes corporate behavior and performance that leads 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:

Interviews
Surveys
Records/Reports review
Brainstorming
Pareto Chart
Fishbone Diagram

To better understand the problem you're trying to solve, you need to answer some very basic questions.

What is the nature of the problem?

Leadership - Are supervisors or managers failing to demonstrate necessary leadership skills.
Management - Do managers lack the ability to design and/or carry out management processes?
Relationships - Are there unproductive or harmful working relationship between employees?
Process - Is there a failure to design or carry out safety processes and procedures?
Environment - Is the physical or psychosocial environment healthful to employees? Is some form of distress (due to factors outside the control of the employee) causing injury or illness?
Equipment - Are tools, equipment, machinery reliable is there a high rate of failure?
Material - Are materials used in production or service processes hazardous in some way?

What is the scope of the problem?

Personal. Affects/within yourself, or between yourself and another
Interpersonal. Affects/within another or between two persons?
Group. Affects/within a group or between groups?
Corporate. Affects/within the company?
Industry. Affects/within another company (supplier, distributor)?

Is there REALLY a problem?

Is there a gap between what we want and what we've got? You need to be able to communicate what that gap is.
Get agreement - is everyone sold on the problem? It's important that everyone involved in solving the problem can agree with the problem and solution, or can at least live with it: That's called "consensus."

Getting to the facts with 5-W Analysis

One technique used in conducting root cause analysis when hazards are identified or when incidents/accidents occur is called "5W Analysis." This simple technique combines the traditional who, when, where, what and why method of questioning with the more contemporary continuous quality improvement Five Whys technique. This method asks:

Who was the victim? Not just his/her name, but a more detailed description of the victim's experience, training, expertise.
When did the accident occur? Date, time. During heavy workload or under stress?
Where did the accident happen? In, or out of the victim's regular work area? At what machine?
What directly caused the injury or illness? What kind of excessive force or exposure caused the trauma or disease?
Why ...? did the excessive force or exposure occur?
Why...? Will probably be a hazardous condition or unsafe work practice.
Why...? May be an inadequate/missing procedure, process, or miscommunication.
Why...? May be missing or inadequate development or implementation of policies.
Why...? May be missing or inadequate programs or culture.

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.

Mind Mapping - Another tool to identify problems

Mind Mapping, or "Instantaneous non-linear cognitive deduction utilizing spatial forms in a two-dimensional plane." (huh?) 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 takes advantage of the brain’s natural ability to categorize ideas in a rapid, but rather unorganized manner.

Look at the mind map below. At the center we write the problem. Then, try to think of the factors that are more obvious causes for the problem. (This works best by letting your subconscious do the work while you watch TV or work on another project) Next, take a look at each factor listed and ask why that particular cause exists. After a while (minutes to hours) you will build a diagram similar in form (but not content) to the one below.

Using this technique, you'll be able to take any topic, project, or problem and quickly determine related categories of , processes, procedures, etc. Once the mind map is complete, it is merely a matter of reorganizing the information into the more common “outline” format.

Something's fishy here...

Another tool similar to the mind map is called 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.

Brainstorming

You're 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:

Define the issue. Make sure everyone is clear on the problem you are going to brainstorm.
Critical non-judgment. Defer judgment on any idea that is expressed.
This even includes encouraging comments to others or qualifying phrases attached to your own suggestions.
Organized chaos. The session should be as freewheeling as possible, with each person voicing whatever ideas come to mind - - no holds barred. Ideas may be expressed in rapid, machine-gun, fashion. Don’t limit the creativity.
Similar originality. Participants are encouraged to hitchhike or piggyback on the ideas of others. When one person’s suggestion sparks an idea by another, it should be instantly expressed. Lots of “ah-ha’s”...
Quantity, not quality. The more ideas the better. The goal of brainstorming is to get as many ideas as possible. Evaluation and elimination can be accomplished later.
Brief summary statements. Don’t go into great detailed explanations of your idea. You want the recorder to be able to have time to write down all ideas as team members think of them.

Mindmelding

Mindmelding 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:

On a piece of scratch paper, each person in the group writes what they consider a major problem.
Once each person has completed writing the problem statement, they pass it to the person on their right.
Each person then reads the problem statement they have received from the person to their left. As quickly as they can, they write out what they think might be one solution to the problem, and then pass the paper to the person on their right.
Step three is repeated as many times as necessary until each person has received their original problem statement with possible solutions listed.

Last Words

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're now saving or making money for your organization...safety's bottom line. Well, I think it's about time for your module quiz, don't you?

Module Quiz

46. Solving safety problems usually involves finding solutions to all of the following except:

a. Hazardous conditions
b. Who was to blame
c. Unsafe work practices
d. Weaknesses in the safety program

47. Examples of root cause problems include all of the following except:

a. Machine not properly guarded
b. Safety rules are not written
c. The process used to investigate accidents is flawed
d. Lockout/tagout procedures are inadequate

48. All of the below describe a possible scope of the problem, except:

a. Personal. Problem affects yourself, or yourself and another
b. Interpersonal. Problem affects another, or between two persons
c. Corporate. Problem affects the entire company
d. Regulatory. Problem affects relations with OSHA

49. To reach _____________ everyone should agree with the problem and solution, or can at least live with it:

a. unanimity
b. consensus
c. groupthink
d. accord

50. This problem solving technique can be used by individuals or groups quite successfully to quickly develop a list of possible solutions to problems:

a. brainstorming
b. mind melding
c. 5-W analysis
d fishbone diagrams

Congratulations on completing the sixth module. Only one more module and you're done! Analyzing the workplace: I hope you'll be able to use some of the problem-solving techniques discussed in this module. In the next module, we'll take a look at how you can "sell" management on correcting the hazards you've identified. If you have any questions or comments, just drop me an email at email.

Have a great safe day!

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