Each job that impacts the bulk power system carries its own risk and common mode failures. The number of times your operator performs multiple, different tasks during their shift adds to the risk. An employee's workload has been shown to have a measurable impact on operating errors.

0 - If you selected zero, good job! However, you still need to be careful. Most companies have records of operating errors. Often, tracking is just the number of errors each year or months since the last error. Just because you haven't experienced any errors this year, does not mean you are safer than last year. You need to account for the probability aspect behind human error and safety.

1-3 - One to three operating errors is manageable, depending on the severity and whether you're learning from them and implementing corrective action. You shouldn't make major changes based on single observations (i.e. tampering with a process), but there should be learning and correction.

4-6 - At this level, you may need to look at the circumstances surround the errors to see if processes or environment needs to be updated. Additional training will help operators better focus on key elements of their tasks.

7+ - You may have some issues, unless your definition of an operating error includes minor infractions. Again, you should be learning from these to reduce the number over time.

Don't know - While you should be commended for being honest, you need to be aware of the quality of your operations to improve performance over time.

Few entities consistently track operating near misses and unsafe conditions as a matter of business. Applying the accident pyramid concept, not tracking near misses and unsafe conditions means you are missing dozens if not hundreds of learning opportunities each year. Technology now enables front-line workers to capture and report these lesser events on smart phones and tablets. Unsafe conditions can be reported and corrected on the spot. The flow of these reports tells you people are keeping their eyes open and "owning" safety.

Straight shift - Historically, most of society worked Monday through Friday. Some evidence indicates more accidents occur on the first and last workdays of the week. The first day, people may be coming in cold. Sometimes people overextend themselves on the weekend. In some cases, a dependency problem may exist. The last day can also be risky as people rush to finish tasks or focus on their weekend plans. One aspect of an error or near miss review should be to see if day of workweek or time of day is a contributor. If possible, have your employees review what they'll be doing when they return on Monday to help them prepare.

Eight-hour rotating shift - These shifts have some of the same risks as the straight shift scenario. If the shift schedule has stretches of less than five days, these employees have more "first" and "last" days of the workweek which implies greater risk. Rotating shifts can take a toll on health and alertness. "Reverse rotation" poses more problems than a days-swings-nights rotation.

12 hour rotating shift - These shifts can pose alertness problems unless your operators develop personal strategies to stay rested. One risk during nightshift stretches is when people have too many daytime activities when they will work that night. An advantage of 12-hour shifts is the operator leaving work in the morning has a good idea what will happen when they come in that night. The same is true for the employee on dayshift - when they leave at night, they have a good idea of what will happen the next day. A 12-hour shift that stretches seven days has fewer "first" and "last" days, but can be a long stretch for an older worker.