(70q) Do Ugly Ducklings Become Black Swans ?

Abstract for 11^th Global Congress on Process Safety

Proposed title: “Do Ugly Ducklings Become Black Swans?”

Key words: Action item management, HIRA, MOC, Incident Investigation, Audit, metrics

Action items are created by PHAs, MOCs, Incident Investigations, and audits. The activities that generate action items do not protect workers or the environment. Prompt completion of action items are the protective actions.

Many companies have action items that have lingered beyond their intended completion dates; these are ugly ducklings. Left on their own, these ugly ducklings can grow into the Black Swans that have been chronicled in several articles & papers – catastrophic events that are not foreseen.

This paper will explore how ugly ducklings are created, why they linger and how to “exterminate” them. Improved management of all action items requires, well written action items, discipline to prompt address them and metrics, to inform you of the ugly duckling population.