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.
Everyone Makes Mistakes!
01/09/2025
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?
01/02/2025
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!
And When Everyone’s Accountable…
11/14/2025
And when everyone’s accountable… No one will be.
Let’s talk about one of the most misunderstood root causes:
⚠️ Accountability Needs Improvement (NI) ⚠️
As clarified in the Root Cause Tree® Dictionary, this doesn’t mean someone should be held accountable or liable. It means the accountabilities and responsibilities should be more clearly defined.
Some commenters have expressed frustration that we don’t encourage holding individuals accountable:
💬 “What a terrible mindset! Accountability is critical!”
💬 “So, no one’s at fault?”
💬 “Someone should be held accountable after an incident!”
This is a blame-oriented attitude. Everyone makes mistakes. Incidents occur when systems fail to catch or prevent those mistakes.
In other words, accountability isn’t a weapon to wield when someone makes an error. It’s a tool to improve the system and foster success!
A Quick Decision
11/07/2027
“This will just take a sec.”
Where does this mentality come from?
Lockout / tagout (LOTO) violations are a common frustration among many industries. The procedures are clear as day: before you repair something, you need to lock it down and clearly tag it as under service.
Workers who break LOTO protocol aren’t illiterate or incompetent, though. These violations stem from systemic failures:
🗣️ Unclear Importance
Management doesn’t only need to explain the contents of the procedures; they need to explain its importance.
Workers are more likely to stay motivated to follow protocol if they understand the “why” behind it.
⏳ Fast-Paced Environment
When fast work is rewarded over safe work, staff members are effectively incentivized to violate the procedures.
Reconsider the value and realism of your company’s quotas and deadlines before punishing a worker for rushing.
🐌 Constant Fatigue
Fatigued workers are more likely to make mistakes and poor decisions.
Evaluate if shift length and work load are setting employees up for success and failure.
A Chilling Procedure
10/31/2024
What are you scared of this Halloween? 🎃
We fear overly complicated procedures! 😱
While procedures should be comprehensive, less is sometimes more. An extremely complex set of procedures can do more harm than good.
What muddies up procedures? 💩
• Some companies feel the need to extend the procedures after every incident, which only adds more clutter.
• A high required reading level can create difficulties for some workers, especially non-native speakers.
• Unclear visuals can cause more confusion than clarity.
How can we clean up procedures? 🧹
• Simplify the procedures and field test the revisions.
• Create translations for those more familiar with other languages.
• Flowchart the steps to streamline branching decisions.
Importantly, procedural changes should be accompanied with other human performance improvements: 🧠
• Can the process be simplified alongside the procedures?
• Have workers been trained to perform the work correctly?
• Are procedural changes properly communicated?
