The July 2013 issue of Professional Safety features a Worth Reading review of Recognizing Catastrophic Incident Warning Signs in the Process Industries, a book from the Center for Chemical Process Safety. Reviewer Scott Gunderson connects the stories of his grandfathers' work during World War II--one in a coal mine, one as a quality engineer working to advance blood refrigeration--to the constant presence of warning signs of life-threatening hazards.
"Much has changed in 7 decades," Gunderson write. "But a scan of the continuing reports from organizations such as CSB should remind every safety professional that catastrophes in hazardous industries continue to destroy property and kill people. . . . [M]any of these processes provide warning signs of potential catastrophes well in advance. Organizations alert to such signs can initiate prevention, yet many organizations fail to recognize and act on them, allowing catastrophes to continue across industries around the world."
According to Gunderson, the book provides a thorough description of warnings, examines the normalization of deviance, categorizes various types of warning signs and discusses what factors contribute to organizational blindness to warning signs. It also contains a self-assessment checklist that can be used during internal reviews and to drive thoughtful team and committee meetings.
Read Gunderson's complete review here.
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