In a busy environment where people are swampled with paperwork and/or computer data entry, the squad check is often dreaded. Several reviewers are required to read content of a document prior to its being sent to someone of authority for final approval. It could be a policy, procedure, standard or even training material. It’s not seen as a waste of time, but it is sometimes set aside as a non-urgent item on the lower end of the to-do list for those who are busy with field work and/or supervision roles. Whether the process is completed on an electronic document management system (EDMS) or through the hardcopy/email route the squad check is important; must be logged and, for specific documentation, is required by law.
For general safety documents where the majority of content is text, the squad check may not seem such a big deal. But think of a maintenance procedure for a piece of equipment or plant component. The procedure has been created by a documentation specialist based on information received by the subject matter expert (SME). Then the document goes through the squad check process where several people are responsible to review and ok or suggest changes, and then for final approval. What’s different about a maintenance procedure is that there’s more than text in that type of document. There are numbers like psi, mm, torque figures, gasket and fitting brands and sizes, and other measurements that need to be 100% accurate.
For the purpose of discussion, lets say a mechanic is to replace a piece of hydraulic hose on an excavator. The old piece is properly disposed and the mechanic orders new hose and fittings based on the procedure. The procedure states that the required hose is 3 cm hose, 2.0 metres long with 2.5 cm brass fittings. (I’m not a mechanic so I’m using phony numbers here). The mechanic installs the hose with a bit of a struggle, tightens the fittings and puts the machine back into service.
The boom is swinging back and forth to move topsoil to a storage pile for later use. Because the excavator is in close quarters to other equipment, a spotter is guiding operator movement. The new hose was supposed to be 2 cm diameter and 3 metres long and now it’s under stress during boom movement and snaps. There is potential for fittings and hydraulic fluid to hit the spotter as well as a leak of the fluid to the ground. Head or eye injuries from fast moving fittings can be serious.
When this maintenance procedure was passed through an expert for review, they would probably have picked up that the hose size and length had been reversed, especially where the hose had to be tapered to accommodate the fittings rather than just crimped.
This is a simplified example but hopefully shows the benefit of the squad check. Had numbers been reversed in a facility where maintenance was to be performed on closed lines that carry chemicals, steam or hot water, the scenario could have been much more extreme with multiple injuries and deaths.
If you caught the spelling error in the first line, congratulations on the keen eye for squad checking.
