Go Fever

By Roy Slack

The term “Go Fever” was coined by NASA after the Apollo 1 fire in 1967. Three astronauts died in a training exercise two weeks before Apollo 1 was scheduled to take off. A short in the electrical circuit sparked in the highly oxygenated air in the module and within seconds the entire module was engulfed in flames. “Go Fever” refers to a desire to push forward and take chances when marginal or substandard conditions exist. It was found to be rampant at NASA and was fostered by a macho “go hard or go home” attitude of both the astronauts and management.

The NASA situation certainly has parallels with the mining industry. The attitude and desire to start breaking rock has sometimes in the past taken precedent over the careful planning of all aspects of the work. Obviously that has to change; however, there is significant pressure by all parties involved to get performance, to get things started. 

The “Go Fever” situation is often driven or intensified through management applying pressure to meet a milestone date. The right message to send is that the work will not commence until we know we can do it safely. That aligns with the thought behind Neil George’s 5 point safety system and it is a good basic safety practice.There should be a joint commitment all parties not to start work everyone is assured the work can be done safely. Avoiding go fever helps prevent injuries and helps us on our journey to achieve zero harm.

From left, Apollo 1 astronauts Virgil I. "Gus" Grissom, Edward White and Roger Chaffee pose in front of their Saturn 1 launch vehicle at Launch Complex 34 at the Kennedy Space Center. Courtesy of NASA