Inspectioneering
Inspectioneering Journal

Reducing Plant Asset Losses and Environmental Incidents (Part 1)

By Roy Schuyler at DuPont DeNemours, Inc. This article appears in the July/August 1998 issue of Inspectioneering Journal.
0 Likes

A couple of all too typical management reaction scenarios when it comes to plant injuries, environmental releases, and maintenance costs:

“Good” Years

Employees praised for “outstanding performance”.

“Bad” Years

Employees exhorted, “Get serious. Do a better job next year.” Finger pointing ensues (aka the “blame game”). Operations blames maintenance. Maintenance blames technical services, etc., etc.

The above are exhibited in reactive corporate cultures and are examples of what noted psychologist, Eric Fromm, termed “irrational authority.” This is especially true where management has no real idea or plan for improving the situation, except to say, “things will get better.” How can one do what has always been done and rationally expect a different result? Upon further examination, this culture yields consequences that vary over the years, up and down, within very predictable, statistical limits ergo, nothing is really changing.

Regulatory, civic, and competitive pressures require we change to a proactive, rather than a reactive, culture or environment with a supportive infrastructure. The concurrent evolution of cultural and infrastructural change relies upon effective leadership, communication, and commitment (both philosophically and financially) to create an environment which not only promotes but supports/facilitates (no mixed signals) “healthy” progress, that can be measured.

This content is available to registered users and subscribers

Register today to unlock this article for free.

Create your free account and get access to:

  • Unlock one premium article of your choosing per month
  • Exclusive online content, videos, and downloads
  • Insightful and actionable webinars
GET STARTED
Interested in unlimited access? VIEW OUR SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS

Current subscribers and registered users can log in now.


Comments and Discussion

There are no comments yet.

Add a Comment

Please log in or register to participate in comments and discussions.


Inspectioneering Journal

Explore over 20 years of articles written by our team of subject matter experts.

Company Directory

Find relevant products, services, and technologies.

Training Solutions

Improve your skills in key mechanical integrity subjects.

Case Studies

Learn from the experience of others in the industry.

Integripedia

Inspectioneering's index of mechanical integrity topics – built by you.

Industry News

Stay up-to-date with the latest inspection and asset integrity management news.

Blog

Read short articles and insights authored by industry experts.

Expert Interviews

Inspectioneering's archive of interviews with industry subject matter experts.

Event Calendar

Find upcoming conferences, training sessions, online events, and more.

Downloads

Downloadable eBooks, Asset Intelligence Reports, checklists, white papers, and more.

Videos & Webinars

Watch educational and informative videos directly related to your profession.

Acronyms

Commonly used asset integrity management and inspection acronyms.