Review Lessons Learned Documents for Applicability

Lessons Learned Handbook:

DOE-HDBK-7502-95

Review Lessons Learned Documents for Applicability

It is suggested that DOE organizations establish a process for determining the

applicability of each lesson learned and for determining what actions will be taken as

a result of the information. It is useful to establish specific steps so that there is no

confusion about the expected procedure. For example:

IF the lesson learned applies to your organization and is significant enough to warrant

corrective actions,

THEN determine the appropriate action(s) to respond (formal or informal) and

obtain proper approval authority.

IF formal action is appropriate,

THEN enter the condition into the site corrective action tracking system.

IF informal action is appropriate,

THEN distribute the lesson learned in the most effective way appropriate for

your situation. This may include:

Entering the lesson learned into required reading.

Discussing the lesson learned at a safety meeting.

Forwarding the lesson learned to the appropriate persons electronically.

Posting a hard copy of the lesson learned document on a bulletin board.

In addition, the following steps should be taken:

Enter requests for facility modifications into the appropriate system or contact

the appropriate management representative.

Route any lessons that affect training materials to your organization's training

department for action.

Disseminate the lesson learned to all employees that may benefit from it.

Remember that corrective actions such as required reading and training rely mainly on

human memory. Without frequent use or review, memory may fade. These methods

should be combined with other options or used when the problem is temporary.

Distributing to Appropriate Staff

Distribution of the lesson learned should be determined by its nature, urgency, and

desired audience. For each lesson learned, identify the recipients, how quickly it

should be distributed, and when any required reading is due. Timeliness is an

important element of distribution. In general, any lesson learned that is urgent (color-

coded red for DOE-wide distribution) should be distributed immediately. Specific

instructions should be developed for dissemination of urgent lessons learned. The

DOE Lessons Learned List Server should be included as a vehicle for immediate

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