What do we learn from these examples?

The root cause in all of the examples discussed in the last few pages is "inadequate training." In all of these examples, people created hazards by doing things which were not smart. If workers are motivated and properly trained they will not make mistakes like those indicated here.

Obviously, the first response to the issues being raised here is to promote additional training.

But, over time, people have found that too much is at stake and simple reliance on training is not enough. You can train people to be vigilant and pay attention, but a few things will still fall through the cracks. The lockout/tagout system takes us beyond generic training and makes us conform to a step by step system, rather than a set of values.

The lockout/tagout system forces people to be vigilant and makes it difficult for errors to occur. All of the previous incidents would not have occurred if a proper lockout/tagout system were in place.