Critical Steps happen every day at work and at home, purposefully. Work does not happen otherwise. If an operation has the capacity to do work, then it has the capacity to do harm. Work is energy directed by human beings to create value. But people are imperfect-we make mistakes, and sometimes we lose control of the work. Therefore, work is the use of force under conditions of uncertainty. A Critical Step is a human action that will trigger immediate, irreversible, and intolerable harm to an asset, if that action or a preceding action is performed improperly. Whether the human action involves clicking on a link attached to an e-mail message, walking down a flight of stairs with a newborn baby in arms, engaging the clutch on a gasoline-driven chain saw, or administering a medication to a patient in a hospital, these all satisfy the definition of what constitutes critical risks in our daily lives, professionally or personally. The overarching goal of managing Critical Steps is to maximize the success (safety, reliability, productivity, quality, profitability, etc.) of people's performance in the workplace, to create value for the organization without losing control of built-in hazards necessary to create that value.

About the Author
Tony Muschara, Ron Farris, Jim Marinus

Reviews

"We are in the midst of a renaissance in safety thinking that includes new concepts for managing operations with fatal and serious injury and illness potential. Critical Steps takes us deeper through the use of real-world examples, first principles, and tried-and-true practices that can be put to immediate use. Simply put, this book will save lives. In our profession, nothing is more important."

Stephen Newell, JD

EH&S Executive Advisor

ORC HSE, A National Safety Council Workplace Safety Group

"Critical Steps is a must-read book for organizations seeking to build safety resilience in their operations. I thought I knew the concepts behind safety resilience until I read this book. With clear explanations and rich examples, I boosted my understanding. I am now more prepared to continue to lead my organization on a journey to safety resilience."

Juan Alvarez

Executive Vice President, Battelle Energy Alliance

Chief Operating Officer, Idaho National Laboratory

"Critical Steps provides great insight into managing the risk of human error where it is most important. The authors provide excellent examples and stories to anchor these concepts in real- world situations. When you're ready to get started, this book shows the way with pointers for managing change with step-by-step guidance for mapping and managing your critical steps."

Amy D. Wilson, PhD

Global Human Performance Director, BioPharmaceutical Operations

Book Information
ISBN 9781032115078
Author Tony Muschara
Format Paperback
Page Count 169
Imprint CRC Press
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 290g