Here’s another example of “Everyday Error Proofing‘ courtesy of the new cable box from my cable company (part of the federally mandated transition to digital-only service). The manual for the remote says (not that I was reading it, but I…
By Dan Markovitz Sometimes it’s hard to spot errors in an office, much less error-proof the workspace. With so many value streams running through each knowledge worker, and so much of the value being intangible and invisible, error-proofing is tricky.…
I saw this at a hospital lab last year, a great example of true error proofing vs. just putting up warning signs. “Cautions” and “Warnings” are lazy engineering, in general, with product design. Signs are not good problem-solving in any…
Society of Manufacturing Engineers Catching up on some old links and articles I never did get around to publishing… here’s a good overview of error proofing (not “fool proofing” or “dummy proofing”) from the SME and their magazine. Please check…
I saw this last week when doing some lean assessment work with a hospital Operating Room and support services. One of the main support services is the department that cleans and sterilizes instruments for the Operating Rooms. As part of…
I had to buy a new router for home (a different quality discussion about why my old one quit working after a year). I noticed an error proofing (poka yoke) device on the back of the router (the orange strip…
This is an incredibly sad, and completely preventable, situation. Three babies are dead, and three more injured, because the wrong drug was administered to them at an Indianapolis hospital. Let’s keep in mind, first, this quote from the World Health…
CNN sorry for Bush speech gaffe | Entertainment | Entertainment News | Reuters.com Here is a funny one I coudn’t help mentioning: CNN apologized Tuesday after an open mike transmitted an anchor’s bathroom conversation with another woman live over the…
Hilton hotels introduced a new standardized alarm clock that seems to be in all Hilton properties now (including where I am in Midland TX right now). The clock has some nice features, such as pre-programmed music buttons, so if you…
WOAI: San Antonio News – Woman Dies after Medical Mistake at CTRC An 81 year-old woman died tragically after she was injected with 100cc of air instead of contrast die before a CT scan. The documents also state, “Found to…
WSJ.com – ‘Tagged’ Sponge Beeps If Doctors Leave It Behind Leaving foreign objects inside the body after surgery is a problem that plagues hospitals. One earlier study found that medical personnel left foreign objects, most often sponges, inside a patient’s…
See this link: Stay safe in the hospital For some people, this is “Everyday Lean” unfortunately. Some great tips here if you, or someone you love, is going into the hospital, tips for preventing mistakes. There are plenty of lean principles…