Friday Jokes
Friday Jokes are memes, videos, and anything funny! Tune in every week for another joke that may (or may not) relate to root cause analysis.
Fishy Judgement
01/30/2026
“I would NEVER take a shortcut like that!”
That sounds fishy! 🎣
Actor-observer bias is a mental heuristic everyone experiences.
It’s the tendency to explain others’ mistakes due to internal factors, like personality or competence, but to justify our own errors with external factors, like deadlines or workload.
The hard truth is that we’re all tempted by shortcuts. Internal characteristics play a role in our decision-making, but incidents will happen again and again if there are too many external factors enticing unsafe behaviors.
If your workforce is taking shortcuts, don’t be so quick to reel the investigation in. Correct systemic faults before jumping into disciplinary action.
In the Background
01/23/2026
Just because operations are running…
Doesn’t mean they’re running smoothly! 😭
We’ve seen too many companies fall into this cycle: equipment breaks, maintenance fixes it, only for it to break for the exact same reasons again.
Do your technicians a favor and investigate your equipment failures more closely:
✏️ Document Every Failure
Your investigation team can’t fix the dots without the necessary information.
It might be tempting to get your operations back online as quickly as possible, but take a few minutes to document anything that breaks. It’ll help your team find patterns later down the line.
📋 Audit Equipment Use
You don’t need to wait for something to break to gather meaningful information.
Proactive audits can give you deep insights about how equipment is used, day-to-day operations, company culture, and the relationships among them.
🔍 Look Beyond “Operator Error”
Teams often end their investigations at “operator error” without considering how to improve human performance.
If you discover equipment is being used incorrectly, don’t be so quick to jump into disciplinary action. Dive deeper!
The Saw Blade Doesn’t Care
01/16/2026
“I’ve done this job a million times!”
Tell that to the saw blade. 🪚
The Illusion of Safety in Familiarity is a simple but important concept: as we become more acquainted with a hazard, we’re more likely to become complacent with the level of danger.
Whether it’s a saw blade, heavy equipment, toxic chemical, long height, et cetera, we can counter this illusion systemically:
🤝 Remove the Blame
Watching for any signs of complacency is important, but responding in a fair way is arguably more impactful.
Everyone has these biases. Instead of punishing workers who fall into these mental traps, we should ask ourselves how to better emphasize SPAC.
🤔 Explain the Importance
Training and learning resources shouldn’t only communicate WHAT to do; they should express WHY these steps are important.
If we don’t teach workers the reasoning behind the procedures, protocol is nothing more than a formality.
🛡️ Mitigate the Risks
The most consistent way to avoid injuries related to human error is to make procedural violations as physically difficult as possible.
That may seem obvious, but have you applied this logic to your own workplace? How easy is it for someone to get hurt?
Everyone Makes Mistakes!
01/09/2026
Let’s take a moment to laugh at ourselves and remember imperfection makes us human.
You can watch the entire blooper reel here.
What is Love?
01/02/2026
This week’s joke is a video! Hope you enjoy!
Over the past year, we’ve been collecting clips of bloopers and other funny behind-the-scenes moments like this one. If you’re interested to see that video when it releases, you can subscribe to our YouTube channel:
A Job or a Punishment?
12/19/2025
Dealing with repeat incidents? Now you know how Sisyphus feels! 🪨
For deceiving the Greek gods, Sisyphus was punished with eternal labor in the underworld. The job, pushing an enormous boulder up a mountain, was designed to feel tedious and pointless. Every time he neared the summit, the boulder fell — restarting the cycle!
If you can relate as an investigator, we have a few suggestions:
📊 Audit Your Findings
Generic causes, or systemic causes, are root problems that contribute to repeat incidents. If you’re not cataloging every investigation and audit, you can’t find and analyze any overlapping information later!
👔 Involve Management
Your investigation will only go as far as leadership will allow. It’s important for management to understand the entire process, so they can act as a facilitator instead of a hinderance.
💭 Rethink Your Process
Not every root cause analysis methodology was made equally! If investigators are struggling to dig deeply and find all the facts, consider using a stronger toolset (like TapRooT® RCA!).
Cramped Corners
12/12/2025
Root cause: cramped quarters! 🎅
While Santa can magically squeeze his way through tight chimneys, remember a workspace that’s too small can hurt coordination, productivity, or workers themselves.
Stay safe this holiday season!
Anyway?
12/05/2025
“Anyway, I’m glad you’re alive.” 🙂
When it comes to safety, good intentions don’t quite cut it.
Why are so many companies scared of conducting necessary investigations?
📊 The Numbers Game
Some organizations establish goals and rewards for reducing a certain number of incidents. The problem with this approach is that it doesn’t fix the process — it just asks for a more appealing result.
Middle or lower management might be discouraged from conducting investigations if they’ll lose benefits for doing so.
🌵 Scarce Resources
Staff will likely dread investigations if they have to balance them on top of their current workloads.
Mild, precursor, and even major incidents could fall under the radar if responsibilities aren’t fairly reallocated during an investigation.
🤷 A Lack of Connection
If management is disconnected from the operation and safety teams, they might not understand the importance of investigating near misses.
Investigations should be an opportunity for all departments to communicate, collaborate, and learn.
Follow the Procedures, Or…
11/28/2025
Remember: “procedures not used” is a NEAR root cause, meaning further investigation is needed!
Way Over Your Head
11/21/2025
“Wow!! Workers are so careless!”
This mentality misses the point.
When teams encounter recurring human error, it can be tempting for management to point the finger at operators.
If workers who repeatedly makes the same mistake aren’t careless, what are they?
They’re human. Everyone makes mistakes, and a mere “Be more careful!” is a temporary bandage solution (at best).
A recurring human error is a clear sign to a systemic human performance problem.
Instead of asking “who”, we should be thinking:
• How can the work environment facilitate fewer mistakes?
• Are there problems with communication, management, or work direction?
• What do operators have to say about this problem?
Human error isn’t the end of an investigation; it’s only the beginning!
