Becoming a High Reliability Organization Through Defect Elimination

TRC-2019 Learning Session 37:33 minutes

by Tim Rice, Rio Tinto

High reliability organizations (HRO) are organizations that effectively manage risks by identifying and controlling probability and consequence. They are error-free, with systems in place that make them exceptionally consistent in accomplishing their goals and avoiding potentially catastrophic events. HRO’s are not just concerned with physical asset reliability. They ensure the systems, processes, people, and physical assets are running in harmony with each other.

There are 5 traits an organization must have for avoiding catastrophic events. They must have a preoccupation with failure, a reluctance to simplify things, have a sensitivity to the operations, a commitment to resilience, and the humility to defer to the expert.

Defect elimination is present in each of these traits and is at the core to any organization wanting to improve or simply sustain their asset reliability. So how do we make sure our defect elimination program puts us on the right path to becoming a HRO? Each of the 5 traits will be explored and linked to the defect elimination processes.