ABSTRACT
No one comes to work with the intention of getting injured. Incidents and injuries both repetitively occur and are almost always treated the same, as negative occurrences. Much of this negative thinking is driven by the fact that most mandated safety metrics track negatives. Clearly, anytime someone is injured, it absolutely is detrimental because they have endured pain and suffering. Yet, lean thinkers understand incidents and accidents are not exactly the same and should be approached differently. Synonyms for accident include words, such as calamity, catastrophe, misfortune, and mishap. The definition for accident includes phrases like “the way things happened without any planning,” and “an unplanned and unfortunate event.” It almost sounds as though accidents are just fate and nothing can be done to prevent them. Synonyms for incident include words, such as event, occurrence, and occasion, and the definition includes wording like: “something that happens” and “an event that may result in a crisis.” To lean thinkers, incident is a word filled with opportunity. When a serious accident happens, reactions are the response. Red-faced managers lead the accident investigation and make the “safety first” pledge once again. When incidents occur, and are investigated with a lean mindset and tools, proactive actions can come about to prevent future accidents. Incidents are not negatives, but instead a goldmine of safety improvement opportunities waiting to be mined. Lean thinkers see occurrences, such as safety incidents, as their bread and butter, while others see
them as problems. Lean thinkers would all be unemployed if it weren’t for business problems. Their skill set can be used to turn problems like safety incidents into safety improvements. Incident investigations are yet another opportunity for lean thinkers to engage the workforce in a facilitated safety improvement activity.
