CRITICAL STEPS
What is a Critical Step? A human action that will initiate immediate, irreversible, intolerable harm to an asset, if that action or a preceding Risk Important Action (RIA) is performed improperly. Critical Steps happen every day at work and at home. Work does not happen otherwise.
Starts at: $597 Per Seat
Discounts available based on volume
CRITICAL STEPS
Work = Risk. Work is energy directed by people to create value. If an operation has the capacity to do work, it has the capacity to do harm. But people are imperfect. Workers, including managers, make mistakes. Therefore, work is the use of force under conditions of uncertainty—human fallibility.
Safety. Consequently, absolute safety is impossible to achieve with any human endeavor. Risk—the specter of losing control of hazards—is continually present. Most operations require some degree of human oversight and/or control of work. That means that some human actions MUST go right the first time, every time—when “failure is not an option.”
Operational safety is achieved through two sources. There are fixed sources of safety—controls, barriers, and safeguards—designed and built into a technology and its physical structures. However, there are variable sources of safety attributable to the organization and conduct of work—via human performance, which must be managed in real time at the worksite. Therefore, safety is what people do to protect assets from harm during work—in a manner of speaking, people ‘complete the design’ through their capacity to respond to gaps in the original design.
The Introduction to Critical Steps course defines a Critical Step as a human action that, if performed improperly or preceded by an incorrect action, will trigger immediate, irreversible, and intolerable harm to an asset. Critical Steps are an essential part of everyday tasks, both at work and at home, and are fundamental to ensuring that work can be carried out safely and effectively.
This course defines Critical Steps and describes their attributes. It discusses how identifying and controlling Critical Steps promotes organizational success while eliminating harm to the company and its key assets.
This course orients students on how to think about human performance risks in front-line operations. More importantly, it reframes human error as a loss of control, explaining that harm to assets is caused by hazards, not by front-line workers.
Examine the Work Execution Process, which outlines how work is planned, executed, and improved. Understanding the three phases of work helps in the systematic preparation and performance of Critical Steps, as well as learning from unexpected events.
This course explores Risk Important Actions (RIAs), the human actions that precede Critical Steps and set up the necessary preconditions for success when front-line workers perform Critical Steps.
This course addresses the performance of Critical Steps in the workplace. Part 1 emphasizes the need for positive control and the ability to shift between fast and slow thinking. Part 2 describes the application of Risk-Based Thinking through the mindful use of Human Performance Tools—proven methods to manage the lead-up to and execution of Critical Steps.
This course provides leaders with a workable strategy for managing Critical Steps. It teaches how to effectively and consistently identify and control Critical Steps from a systems perspective, including methods for enhancing adaptive capacity to respond to the unexpected.
This exam tests leaders' ability to identify, control, and adapt to Critical Steps using a systems approach, covering all course material and strategies for handling the unexpected.
CRITICAL STEPS - Managing What Must Go Right in High-Risk Operations
The overarching goal of managing Critical Steps is to maximize the success (safety, reliability, productivity, quality, profitability, etc.) of people’s performance in the workplace, to create value for the organization without losing control of built-in hazards necessary to create that value.
Take a sneak peek into the book that our Critical Steps™ video-based training is based off of here.
CRITICAL STEPS Objectives
Note: Optional enhanced objectives can be customized to any desired focus area or audience for our training courses.
Identify
Exercise
Fail
Align
Meet our Authors
Ron Farris
President and Owner
Professional Experience
Ron Farris
President and Owner
Ron is the co-author of Critical Steps: Managing What Must Go Right in High-Risk Operations, a globally recognized book on HRO/HOP principles that has sold worldwide. As a former U.S. Navy nuclear program veteran, senior reactor operator, human performance manager, research scientist, and accident investigator, Ron brings a unique blend of practical and academic expertise. He has worked extensively with organizations such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and Department of Energy (DOE), providing critical insights into human performance improvement (HPI), HRO, HOP, event investigation, and safety culture development. His work has had a lasting impact on industries including nuclear energy, mining, petrochemical, and electrical power generation.
Ron is also a former adjunct professor at the University of Idaho, where he taught courses
for the Human Performance Certificate Program and Accident Investigation. His blend of real-world experience and academic contributions makes him a sought-after consultant, thought leader, and keynote speaker in the fields of operational excellence and human performance.
Tony Muschara
Subject Matter Expert
Tony specializes in human error management, a risk-based approach to managing human risk. Tony has served on nuclear industry working groups associated with human performance (Electric Power Research Institute - EPRI and Nuclear Energy Institute – NEI), and he has presented papers at several industry meetings including several IEEE conferences on human factors and power plants.
Tony has written, "Risk-Based Thinking" a comprehensive guide for management to consider when managing and leading in High Reliability Organizations. Highly recommended by Risked Based Training.
Jim C. Marinus, Jr.
Subject Matter Expert
Jim is skilled in executing and supporting research, operations, engineering, and maintenance. He is passionate about establishing worker-centric practices to manage risk by enabling competence and providing for 'what must go right.' He helps high risk/complex organizations re-establish operational clarity, providing better support for their people through tailored planning and field-based learning. He possesses an in-depth understanding of human performance improvement (HPI) principles and practices. He excels in helping organizations establish workable safety policy, standards, and implementation approaches that enable and promote sustained reliability and resilience in human and organizational performance. Workforces and leaders have recognized his effectiveness in helping their teams ensure continued success. He has a B.S. degree in Technology (Nuclear).
