207: Personnel Performance Issue
Definition/Typical Issues
This major root cause category addresses issues that are specific to an individual. It includes two major sections: Company Issue (#208) and Individual Issue (#213). The majority of the nodes on the map address organizational management systems. However, the Individual Issue (#213-223) nodes specifically address issues related to individuals.
Were inappropriate personnel hired to perform the work? Were insufficient personnel available to perform the task?
Were personnel rewarded for undesirable behavior? Were personnel punished for desirable behavior?
Did the worker's physical or mental well-being, attitude, mental capacity, attention span, off-the-job sleeping patterns, substance abuse, etc., adversely affect the performance of the task? Was the problem the result of the individual not being capable of performing the task or not wanting to do his or her job? Was there a failure to promptly detect an individual performance problem? Was there a delay in taking corrective action?
Note 1: The 10 asterisked nodes (#214-223) are included to provide the investigator with an understanding of the types of problems that might be categorized as Personnel Performance Issue; Individual Issue (#213). However, the investigator should not include these in the investigation report. Also, there should be management systems in place to detect and correct most (if not all) individual personnel performance issues before a loss event occurs. Therefore, the failure or absence of the management systems should be coded as well.
Examples
Example 1
- The workload for the document control group recently increased by a factor of 3. However, the resources assigned to complete the task were not changed. As a result, many drawing and procedure changes were not processed in a timely manner.
Example 2
- An operator failed to close a valve after completing a transfer. The operator was not paying attention to the level of the tank into which the material was being transferred. The operator had a history of not paying attention to his work. He had been involved in several other incidents during which he had left his job location or was not performing his job requirements. Other operators performed these same job tasks with no problems.
Example 3
- An individual came to work drunk. The operator was stumbling while walking to his workstation. However, no one did anything to stop him from going to work.
Example 4
- Six months ago, an engine mechanic was hired who could not read. The supervisor and human resources group had not detected the problem, even though this mechanic had trouble with all of his nonroutine tasks (those that required him to use a procedure).
Typical Recommendations
- Ensure that personnel meet the job requirements at the time of hiring.
- Ensure that plant staffing levels are appropriate.
- Provide supervisors with training on the detection of personal problems.
- Provide supervisors with training on the detection of drug and alcohol abuse.
- Give supervisors the authority to remove workers from hazardous assignments when personal problems are detected.
- Encourage coworkers to help identify individual personnel performance problems.
- Develop rewards that are consistent with company goals and objectives.
- Ensure that metrics and other measurements for performance are consistent with facility goals and objectives.
- Ensure that there is a process in place to detect personal performance problems.
- Provide a means for personnel to self-report problems.
Cross-References
| Version 10 Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 208 | Personal Performance |
| Maritime Element(s) | |
|---|---|
| Node ID | Node Name |
| 245 | Personnel Performance |