Ken Uchikura Newsletter Vol. 43
Sep
26
Many accidents happen when people do something without really thinking through what they are doing. To avoid an accident, one needs to know:
1. The purpose of what they are doing.
2. The consequences of what they are doing.
3. Clear understanding of the processes.
4. Proper testing procedures to verify changes.
5. Have solid plans B and C if things go wrong.
6. Clear and timely reporting processes.
Before you begin any process, you need to evaluate how important the process is and based on the importance, you need to carefully plan the action.
When you ride a Japanese train and if you ever have a chance to see the driver, you will notice every signal, every crossing, every points he will raise the hand and point and verify they are clear. Does it make any difference in the safety of the system? I believe it does. That is why Japan’s rail system is the safest in the world.
Careless mistakes happen when people act without proper planning and a procedure to follow. My company hosts websites and we must do hundreds of maintenance tasks and each task can cause the system to go down. I am trying very hard to create the system that we can rely on to continue the service. I is a lot of work.