TapRooT® Changing the Way the World Solves Problems

How can you get unions more involved in incident investigations? The key is moving beyond blame and focusing on finding root causes and preventing future incidents. In this TapRooT® Podcast, Mark and Alex discuss how to build trust between unions, safety professionals, and management through effective root cause analysis (RCA). Using real-world examples from industrial facilities, they explain how...

Defense in Depth, originating from military tactics, is the concept of implementing multiple, redundant protections simultaneously. In the field of safety, this means adding not only a large quantity of safeguards, but incorporating robust ones. Join Alex, Mark, and Tim as they discuss their experiences with this concept in their own lines of work.

Why do people follow some rules consistently, but ignore others? In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, we use an unexpected example, Chick-fil-A's famous "My Pleasure" culture, to explore a much bigger question: How do organizations create committed behavior and get people to consistently follow important rules and procedures? For safety professionals, supervisors, managers, and incident invest...

At many facilities, the workforce is all-too-quiet after an incident. No one is willing to share potentially incriminating information, even if the goal of the investigation is not to assign blame. Join Alex, Ken, and Mark as they discuss how to cultivate a work culture of honesty. Learn about our 2-day course: https://taproot.com/course/2-day-tapr... Learn about our 5-day course: https://taproot....

Humans are hard-wired to avoid pain, whether physical, emotional, or social. In a field as important as safety, is it possible, or even ethical, to use pain as a motivator for better behaviors? Join Alex, Marcus, and Tim as they break down how to keep the workplace as painless as possible. Learn more about the 5-Day TapRooT® Advanced RCA Course: https://taproot.com/course/5-day-tapr... Browse our...

Can a fatality happen when everything looks “green”? In this TapRooT® Podcast, Mark, Marcus, and Alex take a closer look at the “green zone” in safety and challenge the assumption that good metrics automatically mean an organization is safe. A lack of incidents, strong productivity numbers, or a green KPI scorecard can create a dangerous false sense of security. If your organization is serious abo...

Can AI improve root cause analysis and incident investigations, or is it creating new risks? AI is rapidly changing the way organizations work, but when it comes to incident investigations and Root Cause Analysis (RCA), faster doesn't always mean better. In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, Dan Verlinde, Mark Paradies, and Alex Paradies take a candid look at AI for investigations. They will di...

In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, the team breaks down the Root Cause Analysis red flags investigators, leaders, and RCA professionals should watch for. From stopping at “human error” to blaming contractors, relying too heavily on witness statements, and defaulting to training and procedures, these warning signs can reveal when an investigation simply isn't going deep enough. You'll learn h...

Can you really prevent human error? In this TapRooT® Podcast, we take a closer look at human error prevention strategies, human factors, safeguards, and how organizations can reduce the risk of serious incidents. The discussion explores the idea that human error is normal, but the systems surrounding people can be improved to make errors less likely and their consequences less severe. Alex breaks...

What makes a world-class incident investigation? Is it the amount of time spent investigating, the tools you use, or something more? In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, Mark, Ken, and Alex discuss the essential elements of a world-class root cause analysis (RCA). They explain why management support, investigator training, evidence collection, causal factor analysis, and effective corrective a...

The Hidden Cost of Shallow Investigations | Why Poor Root Cause Analysis Costs More Than You Think What happens when your incident investigations only scratch the surface? In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, we uncover the hidden costs of shallow root cause analysis. While quick investigation methods like 5 Whys may seem efficient, they often fail to identify the true systemic causes behind i...

Small things, like wet paint or uncleanly break rooms, can be very revealing about your workplace's culture. Can you spot the QHSE deer signs? 5-Day TapRooT® Advanced RCA Course: https://taproot.com/course/5-day-taproot-advanced-root-cause-analysis-team-leader-training/ Socials, website, resources, and more: https://linktr.ee/taprootrca

Are you investigating too many incidents or not enough? Many organizations say they don't have time to investigate every incident. But is the real problem the number of investigations, or the lack of a system for prioritizing and solving the right problems? In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, Mark Paradies, Alex Paradies, and Amy Souders discuss how organizations become overwhelmed by recurri...

🗓️ Upcoming Equifactor® Courses: 🗓️  3-Day Virtual: https://store.taproot.com/3-day-equifactor-equipment-troubleshooting-and-taproot-root-cause-analysis-virtual-training-cst-houston-jul-21-2026 In this episode you'll learn: • The connection between troubleshooting and root cause analysis • Common mistakes in equipment failure investigations • How Equifactor® helps identify physical causes of failu...

In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, we break down the truth about leading indicators, lagging indicators, safety metrics, and “safety theater.” Are your KPIs actually improving safety performance or just encouraging people to game the system? Mark and Tim discuss how organizations misuse safety measures like TRIR, behavior-based safety observations, corrective action closure rates, and leadin...

In this episode of the TapRooT® Podcast, we discuss why thorough incident investigations and root cause analysis matter, not just for compliance, but for saving lives, protecting families, and creating safer workplaces. Topics covered include: • Why workplace investigations are critical • Preventing fatalities through proactive safety practices • Real stories about incident prevention and safety c...

This discussion covers:  • Root cause analysis best practices  • Why incidents rarely have a single cause  • Human error vs. system failures  • Corrective action prioritization  • The limits of Five Whys investigations  • Leadership’s role in investigations  • How TapRooT® Root Cause Analysis improves investigations  Whether you work in safety, operations, quality, maintenance, reliability, utilit...

What is covered in this podcast:  • The purpose of root cause analysis and why investigations exist beyond just reporting incidents  • The difference between reactive and proactive investigations  • Why focusing only on big incidents can leave organizations vulnerable  • How to identify precursors and warning signs before serious problems occur  • The right metrics to measure effectiveness and avo...

So, what does it take to create signs and labels that last? How do you design warnings that work across cultures, generations, and experience levels? And what can incident investigators learn about fixing systemic causes instead of relying on people to "be more alert," or to “be more careful”?  Timestamps  00:00 - 00:48: Intro  00:49 - 03:37: Warning Signs & The Pyramids  03:38 - 10:21: Human Fact...

Using the TapRooT® Change Analysis method, we break down the myth that a single process change caused Old Crow’s decline. Instead, we walk step-by-step through what investigators should actually do when performance changes.   If you're interested in bourbon history, problem-solving, root cause analysis, or investigation techniques, this episode is a perfect example of how structured thinking revea...

5-Day Advanced RCA Course: https://taproot.com/course/5-day-taproot-advanced-root-cause-analysis-team-leader-training/  Stopping Human Error Course: https://taproot.com/course/stopping-human-error-course/   Contact Info Website: https://taproot.com/contact/  Email: info@taproot.com  Phone: +1 (865) 539-2139

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:  • Why “fast investigations” often lead to bad results  • The biggest mistakes that make investigations take longer  • How management expectations impact investigation speed  • When an investigation is worth your time (and when it’s not)  • How to identify high-potential incidents  • The role of leadership, resources, and culture  • How to eliminate delays from meeti...

AI can do so much in today's world. But can it handle, or even assist, the responsibilities of a safety professional? Join Alex, Justin, and Ken as they discuss the pros and cons of using AI in the safety field. Did you enjoy this podcast? Check out our other videos below. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXD-wGbdcTCtp_VzYhO423O9tM3x_XtRr Interested to learn more about AI and safety? Check o...

The Titan implosion was a preventable tragedy facilitated by a toxic workplace culture at OceanGate. Alex will be interviewing Justin and Ken, two Navy Nukes, to find the line between an innovative mission and a fool's errand. n