This is a very comprehensive explanation of the nuts and bolts of effective accountability, and how companies might build a culture of accountability.

Review the following website articles

:https://ergoweb.com/lessons-from-the-bp-oil-spill/

 

The articles document BP's systematic breakdown in their corporate decision-making, risk management, and corporate culture.Professional ergonomists recognized these trends as macro-ergonomic concerns.

Also, review the following website article:http://www.ehstoday.com/safety/news/workplace-safety-leading-edge-culture-accountability-7790

Remember: Accountability is not about blame ... blame and punishment happen, but it does not make an effective culture of accountability.All of the finger-pointing in the world will not fix BP's internal problems, nor will it identify the underlying root causes of the accident.

"What do you want me to do, save money or save lives? You can't have it both ways." This quote comes from a frustrated manager who feels whipsawed by these competing values.Of course, he knows the company line, "Safety comes first," but then he adds, "But we're not in business to be safe.We're in the business to build a product."

Bush states that you can have it both ways and that you will find that you will be more successful at building product - or extracting, refining, and selling petroleum-based products in BP's case - if you follow these philosophically simple, albeit operationally challenging steps:

1. Management Leadership
2. Respect for People (employees, customers, suppliers, stakeholders, communities)
3. A Scientific Approach to Continuous Improvement (e.g., Plan-Do-Check-Act, Standardized Methods)
4. Cross-Functional Cooperation and Teamwork
5. Training, Knowledge and Skill Development
6. Responsibility and Accountability (throughout the organization)

ErgonomicsisContinuous Improvement and Respect for People. And we have discussed throughout this course - Ergonomics is more than just moving around and working -- it is the human factor and all that it encompasses.

Convince your management team that ergonomics is more than just theprevention of Musculoskeletal Diseases by answering the following questions:

1. Discuss how ergonomics is more than just the prevention of Musculoskeletal Diseases?
2. What is ergonomics relationship with human factors?
3. How does ergonomics relate to continual improvement and the organization's respect for its people?
4. Can a safety program with ergonomics and human factors prevent situations such as the DeepWater Horizon from occurring? How?
5. BP cannot go back and undo the damage that is done. However, they can take the lessons learned and move forward.Identify the lessons learned and how positive human factors in each of these lessons could move a company forward and by avoiding problems far worse than a poor safety record.