Reldon Jones Jr.: Bee wrong; those flag brackets are dangerous to workers

Re “Gallo, others helping those in need” (Page 8A, Oct. 21): You should seriously consider changing your position that MID worries “perhaps too much” about the safety of MID workers and the flags along Ladd Road. While you reluctantly admit that “there may be a legitimate beef” with the brackets, you show a complete lack of understanding about the fundamentals of risk management and worker safety.

Review the studies and findings of Danny Kahneman and Amos Tversky from the 1970s to understand that mistakes are part of the human condition regardless of intelligence, training or competence. They taught us that the primary way to reduce errors is to minimize uncertainty by reducing variation in conditions (think preflight procedures in airlines, or rote processes in a surgical suite to minimize the chance of leave a sponge in someone’s gut). No one wants a story about an injured MID worker because of an error caused by a preventable working condition.

Minimizing variation is especially important when the stakes are high (as when working with electricity). It is unfortunate MID must be portrayed in an unflattering light while doing a good job. Let the experts determine whether “something “nice, patriotic and fun” can be allowed in a dangerous workplace.

This story was originally published October 23, 2017 at 12:57 PM with the headline "Reldon Jones Jr.: Bee wrong; those flag brackets are dangerous to workers."