The Filthy Fifteen

Do you make mistakes? Humans make mistakes, and we make them regularly. Human error is mentioned as a factor in 50% to 90% of accidents. Organizations are supposed to do something to detect and prevent human error. Yet humans, as talented as we are, still make errors. The purpose of these cartoons is to illustrate an easy way for people to understand the causes of human error and the need to develop corrective actions and preventative measures.

The Filthy Fifteen are stated in terms that anyone can easily understand. Look at the cartoons. Think about these causes of errors and when they have affected your actions, on the job or in your personal life. Think about safety values that can be applied to prevent errors or accidents.

Discuss examples of errors, near misses, and accidents when The Filthy Fifteen affected you. The Filthy Fifteen can remind us of how human error contributes to an injury or damaged assets. It should also remind us that we need to learn from our mistakes and the mistakes of others.

Discuss them with your employees so all of us can defeat The Filthy Fifteen. Be a life-long learner.