Bob Latino

Bob is co-author of numerous articles and has led seminars and workshops on FMEA, Opportunity Analysis and RCA, as well as co-designer of the award winning PROACT® Investigation Management Software solution. He has authored or co-authored six (6) books related to RCA and Reliability in both manufacturing and in healthcare and is a frequent speaker on the topic at domestic and international trade conferences. Bob has applied the PROACT® methodology to a diverse set of problems and industries, including a published paper in the field of Counter Terrorism entitled, “The Application of PROACT® RCA to Terrorism/Counter Terrorism Related Events.”

Bob Latino Articles

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

The Pro’s and Con’s of Using Pre-Existing Logic in Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

Reading Time: 13 minutes The Pro’s and Con’s of Using Pre-Existing Logic in Root Cause Analysis (RCA) By Robert J. Latino, CEO, Reliability Center, Inc. Abstract: There has been an

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 3, 2023

Is All ‘RCA’ the Same?

Reading Time: 5 minutes In order to know if all RCA is the same, we first have to define ‘What is RCA?’ On the surface, this seems quite simple, but

by Bob Latino

Updated: February 11, 2022

What is ‘Reliability Engineering’?

Reading Time: 3 minutes What is ‘Reliability Engineering’? I have been very involved recently with ongoing LI discussions with respected and noted experts in the Safety community, revolving around

by Bob Latino

Updated: November 17, 2023

People Forget to Be Afraid…

Reading Time: 3 minutes “Preventing process accidents requires vigilance. The passing of time without a process accident is not necessarily an indication that all is well and may contribute to

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

A Different View of the Swiss Cheese Model

Reading Time: 4 minutes Much has been written about James Reason’s original Swiss Cheese Model described in his book Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents. Figure 1 is a basic representation

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Is System’s Thinking Critical to Root Cause Analysis’s (RCA) Success?

Reading Time: 11 minutes Is System’s Thinking Critical to Root Cause Analysis’s (RCA) Success? Put another way, can RCA be successful without the incorporation of system’s thinking? What prompted

by Bob Latino

Updated: October 22, 2024

Why Can’t Learning Teams (LT) & RCA Teams be Friends?

Reading Time: 7 minutes Why Can’t Learning Teams (LT) and RCA Teams be Friends? A Little History About How I Came Across Learning Teams. A little over three years

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

What Does It Mean to Be ‘Safe’?

Reading Time: 6 minutes So what does it mean to be ‘safe’? Is a company ‘safe’ because they have not had an OSHA recordable injury in say over a

by Bob Latino

Updated: January 5, 2022

Do Learning Teams Make RCA Obsolete?

Reading Time: 2 minutes Originally published August 31, 2017.

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

Understanding the Basics of Grease

Reading Time: 6 minutes Since lubricating oil can oxidize, so can the base oil in grease. When the grease oxidizes, it usually darkens; there is a build-up of acidic

by Bob Latino

Updated: April 23, 2024

Defining & Achieving the Reliability Culture

Reading Time: 31 minutes There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in

by Bob Latino

Updated: May 25, 2023

Root Cause Analysis vs. Shallow Cause Analysis: What’s the Difference?

Reading Time: < 1 minute Does regulatory compliance with RCA guidelines ensure operational reliability? Operational Reliability involves the aggregation of Equipment, Process and Human Reliability methods and techniques. What is