Site Communication

Accidents and claims grow during the "30 minutes of silence"

Big problems that occur on-site weren't large from the beginning. After hearing an abnormal sound and delaying reporting for 30 minutes, 300 defective products are produced, equipment stops, and delivery schedules are delayed.

Most manufacturing in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam follows a subcontracting structure—prime contractor–first-tier–second-tier. If information delayed by 15 minutes on our line causes a stoppage on the prime contractor line, the entire company bears the responsibility.

> The person trusted on-site isn't someone who doesn't make mistakes, but someone who speaks up quickly and accurately.

Horenso — Reporting, Notification, Consultation

Though a Japanese term, this communication framework is widely used in domestic manufacturing sites. The three have different purposes.

Among the three, consultation is most often missed. It's common to proceed on one's own judgment and later face full-scale defects. Asking when unsure is the fastest path.

3 Principles of Reporting

1. Start with the conclusion — Answer "what happened" first, then provide background. If you start with the background, the listener can't make a judgment.
2. Separate facts from opinions — Don't mix "a burr occurred" (fact) with "the die is worn" (opinion). Mixing them leads supervisors to make wrong decisions.
3. Bad news first — Good news can be delayed, but delaying bad news means losing the time to act.

Assemble sentences using 5W1H

When your mind is cluttered, fill in the six slots and read them in order—it becomes your report.

[Fill in the six slots] When August 4, 09:20 Where Plant 2, Line 3, Press Machine 2 Who Operator Kim OO (Colleague Lee OO confirmed together) What Abnormal noise from lower die, burr on product How much 6 out of 20 recent pieces (30%), burr height about 0.5mm How Line stopped → 6 pieces isolated with red tags → Foreman called

[Read as is for the report] "Checked at 09:20 on Line 3, Press Machine 2 due to abnormal noise. 6 out of 20 recent pieces (30%) had a 0.5mm burr. Line stopped, 6 pieces isolated with red tags. Looks like lower die wear, should I request maintenance check?"

The last line is key. You must include "What should we do?" for the report to be complete. If you just state the facts and stop, the supervisor has to ask again, wasting time.

Poor Reporting vs. Good Reporting

Same situation, but one sentence can change the outcome.

① Equipment Abnormality

• Poor: "Machine 2 seems a bit off."
• Good: "Since 09:20, Machine 2 has been making metal friction noise. Vibration is also higher than usual. Line is stopped now. Should I call maintenance?"
• The poor version lacks when, what, and current status, forcing the supervisor to check personally. The equipment keeps running during that time.

② Defect Found

• Poor: "A few defects occurred. I fixed them and put them back."
• Good: "3 pieces in Lot A-0804 exceeded the outer diameter of φ20.05. The specification is φ20 ±0.03. 3 pieces are isolated, and the previous 50 pieces are being fully checked."
• The poor version handled it alone. If reworked items mix with good ones, tracking becomes impossible. If the prime contractor later finds issues, it could lead to a special audit.

③ Delivery Delay

• Poor: "I might not meet today's production target."
• Good: "Out of today's planned 1,200 pieces, 780 are currently produced. Mold change took 35 minutes, so about 420 are short. If we work overtime for 1 hour, we can meet the target. Would you approve?"
• The good version includes numbers and alternatives, allowing the supervisor to make a decision on the spot.

④ My Mistake

• Poor: (Say nothing)
• Good: "I entered the setup value incorrectly, causing 12 pieces to be out of tolerance. Line is stopped now, and 12 pieces are isolated. Please check during re-setup."
• The later you mention the mistake, the larger the impact and the more trust is lost. If you mention it when it's 12 pieces, it's a 12-piece issue, but if you wait a day, it becomes a full lot issue.

Immediate Notification — Situations requiring no hesitation

> Near-miss accidents must be reported even if no one is injured. Failing to report means the next person in the same spot could be injured.

When reporting via wireless radio or group chat

Shipyards and large factories use wireless radios and group chats. Due to loud noises and unclear text, stricter rules are needed.

• Start with the call — "Line 3, Kim OO here. Please respond, Foreman." First, state who is calling whom.
• Repeat numbers twice — "Six, 6." In noisy environments, single-digit numbers are hard to hear.
• Read-back — When receiving instructions, repeat them back exactly. "Full inspection of previous 50 pieces, correct?"
• Write down safety instructions — Verbal instructions alone can lead to differing memories later.

First Week Checklist

• Confirmed who my direct reporting supervisor is (name, contact)
• Confirmed who to report to if the foreman is absent
• Checked the format or group chat for reporting near-miss accidents or equipment issues
• Assembled a report using the 5W1H six-slot method once
• Developed the habit of read-back when receiving instructions