Mistakes will happen. It’s human error. People are people working within the context of systems, so GE takes people out of the equation and focuses on risk, the risks of the systems that employees work within, said Ann R. Klee, the VP for Environment, Health and Safety at GE, speaking at the opening session of the 30th annual meeting (Aug. 25-28) of the Voluntary Protection Program Participants’ Association (VPPPA), in National Harbor, MD, outside of Washington DC.
GE recently has embraced and implemented human and organizational performance (HOP), said Klee. HOP is an operating philosophy focused on protecting people, products and property from human error. It starts by recognizing that human error is part of the human condition. Performance improvement is pursued through identifying hidden weaknesses and traps associated with the operating systems that GE workers must navigate to do their jobs.