How much do human errors in the workplace cost your organization?
By Bob Catinazzo
Are you struggling to get decision-makers in your organization to put proper (or any) focus upon improving “Human Performance” (HPI) and reducing “human error?”
One test of a good leader is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes a problem (or an emergency).
​
Some leaders (1) don’t understand what “human performance” truly is, or (2) they don’t see how focusing on things that haven’t yet happened impacts the bottom line.
A human error in the workplace can be catastrophic. In 2017, Amazon Web Services went down for 4 hours, costing S&P 500 companies $150 million and US financial-service companies $160 million in lost revenue.
No industry is exempt from human error, and the impact can cost more than just money.
Businesses that utilize the latest technology and tools correctly can minimize mistakes that would negatively affect their bottom line.
Being aware of the conditions in every organization that make it more likely for human beings to make mistakes is the first step any leader can take as a Risk Manager.
Educating your workforce on the human error traps that exist will go a long way in creating a safe work culture. The ten most predominate human error traps include:
​
Time Pressure First Shift/Last Shift
Distraction/Interruption Peer pressure
Multiple tasks Change/Off Normal
Overconfidence Physical Environment
Vague or interpretive Guidance Mental Stress
Human error isn’t isolated to just employees. S, and sometimes an employer should accept responsibility for a workplace accident. When an organization fails to provide training to its employee’s workplace, accidents and injuries arecan be all but inevitable.
Look no further than the law enforcement profession, where most mistakes made are due to poorly trained officers making split-second decisions based on outdated policies and procedures withand limited skills to perform the task required of them. Training is usually reactive and often addressed AFTER an event.
​
Moving your organization into the future will require an aggressive approach to training. A process where the “bean counters” clearly see what the return on a training investment will be when compared to how much ‘human error’ is currently COSTING your organization.
Take a look at the PPI HPI COST OF ERROR CALCULATOR by clicking here: https://bit.ly/3vel21T (On our website this tool sells for $49. As a reader of my blog, you get the Cost of Error Calculator for free when you follow this link: https://bit.ly/3vel21T.
This awesome tool offers a quick solution for demonstrating how much ‘human error’ is currently impacting your organization’s ‘bottom line.’ The use of this tool will provide accurate numbers to reinforce the budgeting of future organizational training.
Let me know how I can help!
​
Bob Catinazzo
Bob Catinazzo is a decorated Senior Supervisory Agent for the DEA (retired), and is Director- Law Enforcement Services for the Practicing Perfection Institute. He has taught law enforcement professionals around the world, providing strategic and tactical insights in leadership and human performance.
Bob Catinazzo, PPM
Practicing Perfection Institute
Executive Vice-President – Client Services
(203) 738-8466