Page 184 - Serious Incident Prevention How to Achieve and Sustain Accident-Free Operations in Your Plant or Company

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Improving and

Updating the Process

The Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over Philadelphia in the 2001 NBA
finals marked the passage of 15 years since the Boston Celtics were NBA
champions. More than a decade of mediocrity followed a 30-year period
during which the Celtics made 17 appearances in the NBA finals, winning
15 championships. The Celtics’ ultimate demise illustrates the difficulty
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in sustaining excellence. It is easier to get to the top than to stay there in-
definitely.
It is also difficult to sustain long-term excellence in our personal en-
deavors and in work-related objectives. A new car owner’s pride of own-
ership, for instance, helps sustain short-term performance in maintaining
a clean car, but with the passage of time, car owners often become less
diligent about washing and cleaning. A similar tendency toward compla-
cency also exists in the workplace. However, when workplace deficiencies
can lead to serious safety-related consequences, complacency must be ef-
fectively countered. A sustained focus on excellence is required.
A facility’s work environment is dynamic. The critical work required
to sustain serious incident-free operations is not the same today as five
years previous, nor will it remain constant in the future. New equipment is
brought on-line, processes are modified, the organization changes, new
tools and technology become available, knowledge increases—all impact

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