Page 51 - Root Cause Failure Analysis

42 Root Cause Failure Analysis

Failure to Learn
Employees fail to retain the instruction provided in training programs for two reasons:
poor instruction and some failure by the employee. Poor instruction is a failure by the
employer to provide the information required by the employee to perform a particular
job in an easily understood format and at a pace that allows the employee to absorb
the material. Failure by the employee to learn may be the result of their education
level, fatigue, lack of desire, or lack of incentive.

Not all employees have the education and basic comprehension skills necessary to
understand, master, and retain training to improve their basic operating and mainte-
nance skills. In some cases, the employee may not have the ability to read and write at
a level that permits minimal understanding of even the simplest training program.
Employees that fall into this classification present a serious problem that is very diffi-
cult to correct. The only real solution is to provide remedial training courses focusing
on basic reading, writing, and comprehension skills.

Fatigue is another factor that directly affects training. Many courses are taught outside
of normal work hours and employees are expected to attend training classes after put-
ting in a full workday. Unfortunately, this affects the students, ability to comprehend
and retain the instruction.
Lack of motivation may be an employee attitude problem, but in many cases the real
root cause is a failure in supervision and plant policies. If a lack of motivation is sus-
pected, evaluate the potential causes included in the following sections on Supervi-
sion, Communications, and Management Systems before making a final decision on
the root cause of the problem.

Supervision

Supervision includes all potential causes that can be associated with management pro-
cedures and practices. While most of the causes directly apply to first-line supervi-
sors, they can also apply to all levels of management. Figure 3-11 provides the
common factors of supervision-related problems.

Preparation
Lack of preparation is a common factor that contributes to, or is the sole reason for,
plant-performance problems. In some cases, it is an employee problem with one or
more supervisors or managers, but more often it is a failure in the overall plant-man-
agement philosophy. Many plants rely on first-line supervisors who also have other
direct or indirect responsibilities. As a result, the supervisor has too little time to pre-
pare job packages, provide hands-on training, or perform many of the other tasks
essential for consistent plant (and worker) performance. If this is the case, citing poor
supervision as the root cause of a problem is inappropriate and incorrect.