Industrial Memory loss

Hi, I’m John Lange, an electrician for the North Carolina Department of Transportation. I am responsible for maintaining three of the state’s most critical drawbridges—or at least I was when I wrote this. Who knows what future-me is up to now?

Let’s talk about industrial memory loss. This term refers to the loss of knowledge and experience within an organization. When that organization is responsible for maintaining and repairing drawbridges, losing critical expertise can be dangerous—or even deadly. Unfortunately, the level of true hands-on experience in this industry seems to be declining at a concerning rate.

I believe education is valuable, but it needs balance. If your car breaks down and you need it fixed immediately, would you rather go to a mechanic who’s worked on your vehicle model for eight years or a newly certified graduate fresh out of a two-year program?

That’s not to diminish new graduates—everyone starts somewhere—but practical experience matters. Yet, in my organization, four years of experience can be swapped out for just one year of education when qualifying for positions. I could completely understand if that formula were reversed…then it would make better sense. So if the position is requiring a 4 year degree, an employee already doing that very same work for 15 years but without a degree would be ineligible to apply.

This imbalance often results in well-educated but inexperienced supervisors overseeing seasoned field workers. In a perfect world, this could still work out okay but for the most part, newly hired supervisors with very little experience to do not accede control to better experienced subordinates for fear of being perceived as exactly what they are…unqualified.

Now, imagine this dynamic in a high-risk field like drawbridge maintenance. An incorrect decision due to inexperience during a repair can cause more damage than the original issue, leading to longer outages and increased public disruption. Worse, misguided instructions can put workers in dangerous positions, sometimes with fatal consequences. I’ve seen it happen in my own organization. 

When experienced team members leave, valuable technical knowledge goes with them—and rebuilding that expertise can take decades. To keep drawbridge operations safe and efficient, it’s crucial to plan for the long-term preservation of technical skills. Current and future staff need the right experience to do their jobs effectively. If losing just one person significantly reduces the team’s expertise, it’s a clear sign that proactive steps are needed. Capturing and sharing that knowledge before it walks out the door ensures the whole team stays prepared for the future.

I would be interested in hearing any stories you have of industrial memory loss or ways that you have witnessed the effect of it on your bridges. Please feel free to share your comments below.