The Adventures of Captain Waste-Not Episode 3 Captain Waste-Not secretly visits water and wastewater utilities and shows them how to reduce waste. The government has been seeking the Captains true identity for the last decade. If they can bring the Captain under their wing, they could help plants on a nation-wide scale, whereas current efforts are on a plant-by-plant basis. Special agent Bonnie Wells has been given authority do whatever it takes to bring the Captain in.In the first two episodes, Captain Waste-Not has eluded Bonnie and her stress level has increased dramatically. She has taken a mini-vacation to recharge her batteries. We find her at the Shangrila Spa where she is just about ready to be indulged with a lava stone massage--a great stress reducer. Unbeknownst to Bonnie, the Spa is hosting the Southeastern Pennsylvania Water/Wastewater Operators Conference. Hi Bonnie, my name is Sven and I will be your masseuse. Bonnie smiles, arranges herself on the therapy platform and awaits a relaxing session.Sven asks, Do you mind if I put on the in-house TV station. Some of the stuff is really funny. Bonnie nods, I need a good laugh.Hello, I am your conference chairman for the SEPWW Operators Conference. We have prerecorded a selection of relevant topics for your viewing pleasure during non- conference hours. The first video is about the waste associated with reworking. Enjoy.A middle aged man appears. From his attire and demeanor he is obviously a midlevel manager of a water or wastewater utility. He begins solemnly by stating, This isnt easy for me, but I have a confession to make. In my career I have been wasteful because of my reworking tendencies. Through the years I have:- Cut lumber, electrical conduit, sampling tubing and signal wiring too short
- Sent emails without attachments
- Didnt back up my computer files
- Relieved choked sewers on a repeat basis without checking for the true cause
- Performed quick fixes only to return to properly correct the problem
- Replaced shear pins (and perish the thought, sometimes increased their size) without determining the real problem
- Taken equipment out of service for mechanical repair and next week shutdown the same equipment for planned electrical work
- Not followed all troubleshooting steps
- Taken and analyzed samples only to find they were not representative
- Aligned shafts multiple times because I didnt check for soft foot
- Not used lessons learned to avoid repeating the same mistakes
- Used outdated equipment manuals and instructions resulting in double work
- Leapt to conclusions in troubleshooting (because this symptom is always caused by) and made the wrong repair
- Treated the symptom, not the disease
Over the years I have gotten better, but sadly all reworking has not disappeared.The video segways to a man dressed with a cape with the initials CWN emblazoned on his tunic. If it werent for the 40 pounds of hot lava stones on Bonnies back, she would have levitated at least a foot above the table. With her pulse racing, she tells Sven, Get me off this table. That chap on the video is Captain Waste-Not! I have been trying to track him down for the last four months! Relax, Miss Bonnie, it will take me about 5 minutes to carefully remove the stones and the therapeutic oils.The video continues playing and Captain Waste-Not begins speaking.That midlevel managers confessions are typical. How often have you heard the phrase,? It seems we never have enough time to do the job right the first time, but we do find the time to correct the work? Every time we must correct or repeat a job we waste precious resources. This is reworking. Some of the causes for reworking include: Reason | Abbreviation (for later use) | | No procedure | noproc | | No lesson learned performed | nolesson | | Communication | comm | | Inattention | inatt | | Training | train | | Incomplete troubleshooting--didnt follow all the steps | introuble | | Shortcuts | short | | Improper diagnosis | diag | | Using outdated equipment manuals | outdate | If you want to attain world class status (reworks less than œ %) you need to understand how much and the type of reworking you do. Set up a system where all rework is reported and categorized. The table below is a sample. | | Rework Tracking | | Work Order | Specialty | Collectors | Operator | Lab | Mechanical | Electrical | I&C | | Choker sewer | inatt | | | | | | | Prepare polymer batch | | train | | | | | | Analyze sample | | | comm | | | | | Pump run hot | | | | introuble | | | | Breaker trips | | | | | diag | | | Bar screen no automatic operation | | | | | | outdate | Each rework job is entered into the table along with a reason for the rework. You can use the reasons above or develop your own. A running total is kept by category and reason. Now you can categorize the reasons and frequency of reworking. Once this accomplished, you can easily spot the most frequent and the most expensive reworks. Go after them first. Eliminate the reasons for the rework. Continue tracking reworks so you can measure your progress.Follow this procedure and in six months you wont even be able to spell rework.The video ends and Bonnie is off the table. On her way out she asks Sven, What is the quickest way to the conference center?Straight down the hall, take your second left after the tanning parlor. Oh, Bonnie, you might want to throw some clothes on first.Five minutes later, Bonnie is in the conference chairmans office. She has presented her government credentials and learns that the video mysteriously appeared and was used because it fit in well with the conference theme. Without missing a beat, Bonnie states that, The tape is important evidence in a government investigation and must be confiscated.With tape in hand, Bonnie thinks to herself, After my super-sophisticated forensic lab gets done with this, I will be a few short steps away from bringing in the Captain. Yaaahoo!Two weeks later at a super-secret safe house (you know, the one next to the Catholic shop on Elm), Bonnie pours over the forensic labs report of the video tape. | Forensic report | Evidence # 157700-982-774-an25 | | Evidence origin | Tape manufactured somewhere in China and sold everywhere | | Fingerprints | none | | DNA | none | | Other remarks | The man portraying Captain Waste-Not has no scars or unusual marks and has a voice signature that is shared by almost everyone in South Jersey. Its almost as if someone didnt want to be traced.
Played backwards it repeats the message Waste not, Want not. | | Lab work by | Mrs. Testa Tube | Next time Captain Waste-Not addresses wasted motion.About the AuthorMike Nelson is Past President of PWEA. He heads his own firm that specializes in enhancing utility management. Mike is a licensed operator and professional engineer. Refer questions or comments to mnelsonh2o@aol.com |
