Few people would suggest that airplane pilots are forgetful. They are highly trained to perform essentially one job (fly a plane) over and over and over. Yet these professionals use a check list before entering, starting, taking off, landing, shutting down, and departing the plane.
Why? Because failure to complete one item on a checklist could result in tragedy. Checklists are used in practically every facet of human endeavor from medicine to manufacturing. Certain items must be completed, often in a certain order, to achieve a desired result. Miss one step and all work could be for
naught. How about having to shut down a job because some item of safety equipment was not available? How about needing a Safety Data Sheet, in a hurry and they are back at the office? How about trying to put out a fire and finding that the fire extinguisher does notwork?
Failure to use a check list can result in minor irritations and delays (not having a Band-Aid in a first aid kit) to deadly tragedies (fall, cave-in, collapse, suffocation). Good checklists are developed over time using prior planning and experience. As circumstances change, checklists change. A good checklist does not have to be long — it has to be appropriate!
A properly prepared checklist assures that all essential safety items are available and functioning as designed.
Can there be problems with checklists? Absolutely! The main problem is checking off an item that is not checked and this is quite common. It is easy to assume that an item on a checklist is not important because: 1) it is always O.K., and 2) it appears O.K. and actually, physically checking it, is inconvenient.
Two quick examples of the above. You check your body harness and lanyard and hook to an anchorage point. You fall and crash to the ground — you forgot to check the anchorage point to ensure it could sustain the impact of a fall! You are using a negative pressure respirator which you have check for cleanliness, fit, and seal to face contact. It seems to be working, but you are using the wrong filter cartridge and receiving no protection for the particulate hazard at hand.
How often do you think others (not you, of course) would check off all items on a check list without actually checking them.
Items on a safety checklist exist for only one reason — the prevention of accidents.
Take checklists seriously.