Organizational Human Error Assessment

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Reducing the risk of errors in an organization is critically important. To illustrate this point, consider the following experiences:

  • The NASA Mars Climate Orbiter, which cost $280 million, was destroyed by a simple human error that was not detected during the extensive preflight checks. A mix-up over metric and imperial measurements sent incorrect instructions to the flight control system. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, which cost $247 million, was also lost because of human error.
  • A simple maintenance error resulted in the failure to remove natural but toxic benzine from Perrier mineral water, which was not detected by routine product monitoring. Product recall cost an estimated $35 million and perhaps $40 million in lost sales in spite of a $25-million media damage limitation exercise. Perrier has not regained its formerly dominant market position.
  • The internet banker Egg admitted that a simple "clerical error" resulted in a customer incorrectly receiving a credit of $1.3 million. They only became aware of it when the customer brought the matter to their attention.
  • A woman in Aberdeen, Scotland asked the Halifax Bank to send her a statement of account. She was surprised to receive 5 parcels containing confidential banking details on 75,000 other customers.
  • In spite of the requirement for careful checking procedures, medication errors affect about 1.5 million people each year in the U.S. and cost at least $3.5 billion. Many mistakes do not result from errors of complex clinical judgment but from simple oversights and misunderstandings.
  • Palm Treo 680 cell phones (144,000) were recalled because of a manufacturing process specification error that resulted in the microphone not being connected.
  • The European Medicines Agency suspended sale of the HIV drug Viracept after a manufacturing error resulted in a recall of all batches of the product. An error in a cleaning process was reported to be the cause even though such processes are directed by rigorously controlled standard operating procedures.
Well-established, capable organizations are damaged by simple human errors - made by people who are doing their best to avoid them. Will you be next?

For your free copy of the results, take the Assessment now.