Yes, indeed: we give birth to Risk, nourish Risk, make it grow.
Some facts:
We all know that the Germans are quite maniac at safety – when they want: in a factory making body steel parts for some BMW models. You have to wear a safety helmet when walking around a multi-tons steel-coils-handling crane. Now, what a poly-propylene crash helmet would do to protect your head, I leave it to your imagination.
May be that if your head hits the coils edges the helmet may prevent you from bleeding – it has to be admitted.
Another German company: this one produces precious metals for a variety of uses, including photo-voltaic panels, gold-decorated cups and plates, and so on. When you visit their plants, they make you wear safety shoes, safety garment, safety helmet, safety glasses, and ear-plugs.
Now, for anyone not used to such ‘dressed-to-kill’ equipment, it would be like moving in an astronaut’s suit for the first time. The safety-equipment risks are much higher than the risks of being close to the very hazardous chemicals-treating plants. Against which the safety equipment is just useless.
A FEW EXAMPLES
Construction: In the Milan, Italy, head-quarters of a very big multinational Argentine-based company, you see a large picture, black and white: an employee stands on a dam pillar, no protection whatsoever, some fifty yards above the storming waters of the large river beneath him. He wears his safety helmet, and probably safety shoes, all right. But on the picture you don’t see any evidence that he wears a safety belt – or similar equipment … fifty yards above storming waters …
Automotive design: Yesterday, I was wounded by the upper edge of a car door, very likely made sharp by the UE Carmaker’s designers to save some dollars not making it radius-shaped. My upper right cheek was hurt, barely half an inch below my eye … had my height been different … what about my eye?
And so on.
PERSONNEL SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
ISO/TS 16949’s 6.4.1 requirement calls for “Personnel safety to achieve conformity to product requirements”.
Well, I’ve seen myself in a Cairo company fork-lift drivers wearing beach slippers although working in a foundry environment, and no manager caring for it.
And I’ve myself seen in another Cairo company young ladies wearing waist-long scarves when working at rotating machinery: no management care, whatsoever. When asked, they replied “it’s their costume”.
Not to mention the – male – workers cleaning the shining aluminum roof of Cairo International Terminal 3 Airport, more than thirty yards height: the buckets containing the cleaning liquid were fastened, the men … not.
It’s evident, Man loves risk; but one thing is risk for fun, a totally different thing is to risk one’s life for a handful coins.
What does one say?
The EU founding entrepreneurs say that labor safety is a cost – and I suspect USA’s entrepreneurs share the same vision too. So, they move their factories to low-labor-cost and very-hungry countries, where human life is worth a cent – may be even less.
When I started living in my present apartment some two years ago, I told the administrator that there was – and still was, until one month ago – a very strong, and unpleasant, methane gas stink – that is, mercaptans. When the maintenance technician finally came in, he showed me that the connections be tween the main piping and the houses piping were all wrong. But, the piping connections were installed by Italy’s natural gas company’s sub-contractors and they were certified.
And so on.
QUALITY IN CRISIS
The recent Quality Digest columns titled ‘Quality in Crisis’ must not be under-valued.
The fact that risk takes over quality on the management systems’ hit parade is a very meaningful sign. It means we’re all running low of resources. it means that our next move will be closing the stable’s gate when all oxen will be gone.
A bit too late, don’t you agree?