Bad Visual Controls at Baggage Claim

This is at the Terminal B baggage claim at DFW airport. There are three lights. And two signs. You tell me, which sign corresponds with which light? The baggage claim was already going, when the light on the right went off. It wasn’t the “E-Stop Indicator” because the bags kept coming. Maybe it’s a “more bags are coming light”, but it’s still not obvious. The lesson learned for visual controls in a factory is that they must be obvious to an outsider. Be careful if the person putting the visual controls together knows an area too well. Otherwise, they will make assumptions that a new person won’t necessarily be able to figure out. In this case, it just caused a chuckle to me, but it could be more serious in a factory.

About LeanBlog.org: Mark Graban is a consultant, author, and speaker in the “lean healthcare” methodology, focused on improving quality and patient safety, improving access, reducing costs, and fully engaging healthcare professionals. He is also the Chief Improvement Officer for KaiNexus.