Get to know Joe Hauglie (pronounced "Hoag-Lee"):

linkedin.com/in/jhauglie

Email: [email protected]

An article about Joe: https://www.wellsaid.io/resources/blog/arizonas-largest-electric-utility-significantly-boosts-safety-training-engagement-with-wellsaid

Joe Hauglie emphasizes that human and organizational performance is fundamentally a profession built on shared knowledge. Rather than relying solely on our own experiences and making every mistake ourselves, we must proactively learn from the mistakes of others to recognize error traps before they lead to failure. For example, traditional power plant operators have decades of shared knowledge to rely on when a gauge fluctuates, whereas technicians in newer fields, like renewable energy, might only have a handwritten checklist from the previous shift to guide them.

To help frontline workers systematically identify and manage these error traps, Hauglie advocates for using tools like the "energy wheel" during pre-job briefs and two-minute drills. Instead of relying entirely on an individual's imagination to spot danger, the energy wheel prompts teams to systematically identify various forms of hazardous energy—such as chemical, electrical, or even unexpected sources like sound. Furthermore, it forces teams to re-evaluate their environment when returning from a break to see if changing variables, such as sudden rain, have altered their risk profile.

When discussing hazard detection and prevention, Hauglie warns about the double-edged sword of modern technology and automation. Tools like blind-spot sensors in cars or artificial intelligence are increasingly taking over the responsibility of detecting hazards for us. While this can free up our attention, relying too heavily on automated systems inadvertently creates new human vulnerabilities. If a worker becomes accustomed to technology acting as their detection system, they may lose their baseline situational awareness and face a dangerous new error trap when that technology is absent, modified, or fails. Ultimately, Hauglie challenges leaders to consider where technology gives us a lift, and what type of hazard detection human workers still need to actively own.

Finally, Hauglie highlights the importance of integrating these safety and performance principles beyond traditional field operations and into everyday corporate environments. Whether it is catching administrative software settings that cause scheduling errors or running a pre-job brief for a corporate volunteer event, taking the time to pause, ask what could go wrong, and adjust systems based on recent missteps allows an organization to continuously learn and improve from normal work.