Built In, Not Bolted On with Doug Hill, CUSP - Rethinking Job Briefs - Why the End of the Day Matters Most

In this episode of Built In, Not Bolted On, host Doug Hill challenges traditional thinking around job safety practices. He explores the effectiveness of pre-job briefs, mid-day check-ins, and post-job reviews, emphasizing how learning from experience—especially at the end of the day—can dramatically improve safety outcomes. Drawing inspiration from aviation and military after-action reviews, Doug outlines how three simple questions can spark a culture of continuous improvement and safer work environments.

 

✅ Key Takeaways

• Pre-job briefs are essential—but post-job briefs may hold even more value in fostering continuous improvement.

• A “mid-day check-in” helps adjust controls based on changing conditions like weather or job scope.

• Successes should be analyzed as deeply as failures to uncover replicable best practices.

• Three core post-job questions—What went well? What didn’t? What can we learn?—drive future safety improvements.

• Brief, honest conversations at the end of the day can improve the next day’s job planning significantly.

 

Q1: Why is the post-job brief considered more valuable than the pre-job brief by aviation professionals?

A1: Because post-job briefs provide real-time insights and lessons learned from completed tasks, which shape better, more informed pre-job briefs the following day.

 

Q2: What are the three questions Doug recommends asking during a post-job brief?

A2: 1) What went well? 2) What didn’t go well? 3) What can we learn to improve for the future?

 

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#UtilitySafety #SafetyCulture #AfterActionReview #WorkplaceSafety #JobBriefing #ContinuousImprovement

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