ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

High reliability organization

Okay kiddo, so remember how you always have to follow rules and be careful when you are playing? That’s because you don’t want to get hurt or hurt anyone else, right? Well, that’s the same thing that happens in a very special kind of organization called a high reliability organization or HRO for short.

An HRO is a place where people work together to do something really important, like take care of sick people in a hospital or make sure the electricity works in a power plant. These are things that need to be done perfectly and safely every time. And if a mistake happens, it could be really bad, just like when you get hurt playing.

So to make sure that everything goes smoothly and safely, people in an HRO have lots of special rules and procedures that they always follow. These rules help them do their jobs the right way every time without making mistakes. It’s kind of like a grown-up version of a “Simon says” game.

But just following rules isn’t enough to make an HRO safe all the time. People who work in an HRO also have to be very good at communicating with each other. This means that they talk to each other and listen carefully to what the other person is saying. They do this so that everyone knows what’s going on and can work together to fix any problems that might come up.

And because an HRO is such an important place, people who work there are always learning and training to be better at their jobs. Just like how you learn new things at school or in sports practice, people in an HRO practice how to handle different situations so that they can do their jobs even better.

So you see, being part of an HRO is kind of like playing a big game with lots of important rules. Everyone has to work together, communicate well, and practice a lot to make sure that they do their jobs safely and perfectly every time. And just like following rules when you play or do things at home, being part of an HRO helps everyone be safe and successful.