190: Personnel Selection/Assignment/Scheduling Issue
Definition/Typical Issues
Did immediate supervision fail to select capable workers to perform the job? Did workers assigned to the task have inadequate credentials? Were insufficient numbers of trained or experienced workers assigned to the task?
Were too many concurrent tasks assigned to workers? Were duties not well distributed among personnel? Were personnel fatigued because they were assigned too many tasks (work was not well distributed among an adequately sized staff)? Were individuals required or allowed to work an excessive number of hours or overtime?
Note 1: This node addresses the assignment of personnel to work tasks only, not the scheduling of work activities. Problems with scheduling of work activities are addressed under the Job Scheduling Issue (#189) node.
Note 2: This node addresses the assignment of existing or qualified workers to job tasks. For example, the selection of a laborer from a preapproved pool of individuals would be covered by this node. It does NOT address the hiring or preselection processes. Employee hiring is addressed by the Personnel Hiring Issue (#209) node.
Examples
Example 1
- Three technicians were assigned to a shift. Normally, at least one senior technician was assigned as the lead technician on each shift to plan and help coordinate the work. On the back shift, an older but inexperienced technician was assigned as lead technician even though he was not qualified.
Example 2
- As a result of inadequate planning by a first-line supervisor, a control room was staffed by one trained operator and five trainees. Because the trained operator was continuously stopped by the trainees to answer questions, he missed an important step in his own procedure. This caused a significant period of downtime in the facility.
Example 3
- Four mechanics and three electricians were assigned to install a new compressor. There was only enough work to keep two of the mechanics and one electrician busy. The remaining four workers just sat around and watched the others work.
Typical Recommendations
- Before assigning any employee to a task, verify that the employee has the credentials to successfully complete the task.
- Ensure that the individual assigned to a task matches the experience level required to effectively and safely perform the task.
- Provide supervisors with the means to quickly determine whether workers are qualified for a task.
- Provide supervisors with an adequate number of employees to effectively and safely complete the tasks assigned for the shift.
- Distribute duties equally among similarly skilled/trained personnel.
- Consider the amount of time and concentration required to perform each task. Assign individuals fewer responsibilities for tasks that require more time and concentration.
Cross-References
| Version 10 Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 186 | Scheduling LTA |
| 187 | Worker Selection/Assignment LTA |
| RBPS Element(s) |
|---|
| Conduct of Operations |
| Maritime Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 212 | Scheduling/Rotation Issue |
| 213 | Personnel Selection/Assignment Issue |