Does Root Cause Analysis Have To Be “Industry Specific?”

Industry Specific Root Cause Analysis

I’ve seen several ads for root cause analysis tools and training that say they are for specific industries. For example, I’ve seen systems for:

• Healthcare sentinel events
• Pharmaceutical CAPA
• Maritime incidents

The ads made me wonder: what is so different about those industries that they have different root causes (and therefore need different root cause tools) than those in other industries?

Why People Make Mistakes and Why Equipment Fails

I was trained in human factors and became the 85th person to be certified as a Professional Ergonomist (human factors expert) by the Board of Certified Professional Ergonomists. There weren’t different certifications for different industries. Why? Because people make mistakes for the same types of reasons, no matter where they work.

Nurses at a hospitals make mistakes for the same reasons as refinery operators. Ships’ captains make mistakes for the same reasons as airline pilots. People operating manufacturing equipment that produces pharmaceuticals make mistakes for the same reasons as operators at utilities.

The systems they work in are different. The equipment they use is different. But the basic reasons for human error (or excellent human performance) are the same.

The same can be said for the equipment failures in different industries. The root causes of failures are similar.

TapRooT® RCA Is For All Types of Human Errors and Equipment Failures

Because we built the TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis System using the fundamental reasons for human error and equipment failure (human and equipment reliability), the TapRooT® System works in any industry. See the variety of success stories HERE. They are from a wide varietiy of industries including:

• Oil & gas exploration and production
• Electric utilities
• Nuclear Plants
• Hospitals
• Airlines
• Semiconductor manufacturers
• Pharmaceutical plants
• Shipping companies
• Engineering and design companies
• Chemical manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing
• Mining
• Telecomunications
• Light rail and bus services
• Demolition
• Refining
• Pipelines
• Railroads
• Department of Energy facilities

And what did they use TapRooT® RCA for? They used it to:

• Stop significant injuries and fatalities (SIFs).
• Reduce total recordable injury rates.
• Improve electric distribution reliability.
• Stop blame-oriented investigations.
• Improve maintenance.
• Improve equipment reliability.
• Reduce operating costs.
• Reduce quality incidents and costs.
• Reduce ergonomic injuries.
• Cut workers’ compensation costs.
• Improve regulatory performance.
• Develop better corrective actions.
• Improve network service quality.
• Improve aviation safety.
• Improve schedule performance.

That’s the application of TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis in a wide variety of industries for a wide variety of improvement initiatives. One system that can be applied to all types of failures in all industries.

And there is one more advantage that you may not have thought about. There is only one system that your investigators, employees, and management need to learn. The same system for operations, safety, quality, environmental, and maintenance improvement.

Learn More About TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis

CLICK HERE to learn more about the TapRooT® System for root cause analysis and incident investigation.

To get started applying TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis across your organization, attend one of our public TapRooT® Courses. See the upcoming dates and locations by CLICKING HERE.