One of the dangers of any bureaucratic structure -- and, yes, we all work in organizations that are to some degree bureaucratic -- is that we will tend the view the world in a very narrow way. We tend to think that our organization is in every way unique, and worse yet, that our office within that organization is even more special. In the worst cases we will displace the organization's mission with our own office's mission. I recall my first job out of college. I worked in the labor relations office at State University of New York. For two years I processed disciplinary grievances around the state. During that time I never met a single student out of the 300,000 or so who populated the system. In my mind, SUNY existed for the purpose of processing grievances!

Therefore it is always refreshing to find reminders that some things are the same, that we do share common ground with organizations that at first blush seem so different. And so this article is particularly fun to read. It is a report on the "incident management" efforts of staff at a paper converting facility in Las Vegas, NV. The organization sponsored an employee-based process that had as its purposes to:

1. identify safety behaviors critical to excellent safety performance;
2. gather data on workgroup conformance to safety excellence;
3. provide ongoing, two-way performance feedback;
4. remove system and equipment barriers to continuous safety improvement.

What is interesting is the degree of similarity one sees in the manner in which the staff pursued safety issues to the ways in which the OMR incident management system has asked providers to pursue the safety of consumers. The system requires staff to systematically collect data, to classify that data, and then use that data to improve safety (i.e., protect people from harm). In certain circumstances staff had to conduct investigations. They developed procedures to:

• Secure the area (where relevant)
• Care for the injured (as needed)
• Preserve the area
• Identify witnesses
• Sketch the scene (as needed)
• Photograph the scene (as needed)
• Take chemical samples (as needed to test spills)
• Re-open incident scene for use
• Interview witnesses

It sounds as if these folks might have a chance at passing the CI exam! (Okay, maybe not.)

Safety is important to every industry. Our charge seems daunting at times, and often appears to be one more burden placed on caregiving; however, when we take the time to scan other industries we can more easily understand how much we have in common even with paper makers.