The parable of the noisy main turbine generator bearing

I used this yesterday to the investigator.

So i am out on my rounds and I walk across the turbine deck...where I hear clearly a new noisy turbine bearing. It is a drastic change from a few hours ago.

Now I am in the control room...I have explained the problem to the shift supervisor. So he goes into this burdensome rendition of I have to absolute verification and evidence that the bearing is making noise. I have to have perfect evidence that the bearing is noisy and it is damaged before I do anything.

So he gets it in his head that I might have had a stoke...I might not be giving him accurate information. He might say I need to hear it for myself...but I can’t leave the control room right now. All my control room indication tell me there is no problem.

I kid the OIG investigator, I might have to go through a court preceding in order for the shift superviser to get off his lazy butt to check out the noisy bearing. The only way he is going to scram the plant is after we weigh the evidence of a presidential blue ribbon commission?

It is certainty/uncertainty gaming...I magnify or inhibit certainty/uncertainty in service to my needs or my groups or organizations needs.

Who do you serve?

The shift supervisor says, I am just going to have to have a aux operator with a SRO licence and a engineering PhD before I believe a word he says...to check out the noisy bearing and be forced to do something about it.